The Nearly-pro Chicken Handbook: a Not-yet Pro Guide to Raising Backyard Chickens, Coop Plans, Egg Production, Health & Predator-proofing

You built or want to build the coop. You survived brooder chaos. Now push past beginner basics and run a flock that’s efficient, healthy, and maybe even profitable.The Nearly-Pro Chicken Handbook is the no-BS manual for backyard keepers who are done guessing and ready to manage their birds like semi-pros.Tom blends hard-won experience with self-deprecating humor to walk you through every practical challenge of modern poultry keeping without the Instagram gloss. This book covers the full, messy lifecycle of serious flock management:The Unruly Ledger — Build simple record systems, track feed conversion, cost eggs properly, and make spreadsheet peace with your outgoings.The War Against Everything — Predator-proof like an engineer: buried hardware cloth, motion sensors, guard animals that actually work, and retrofits that last.Advanced Avian Life — Breed for purpose, select breeding stock with precision, and master natural and artificial incubation with fewer heartbreaks.Ultimate Productivity — Preserve eggs with time-tested methods (hello, water glassing), humanely process meat birds, and learn local sales basics.Health & Troubleshooting — From mites to lash eggs, get candid, effective diagnostics and step-by-step fixes that stop panic and start recovery.Perfect for the keeper who’s moved beyond “how do I keep a chick alive?” and is asking, “how do I produce reliably, ethically, and sustainably?” Whether you want dependable eggs, better genetics, or to turn your coop into a small business, this book turns chaotic trial-and-error into repeatable systems.Stop keeping chickens. Start mastering them.Your flock (and your future self) will thank you.