Whether you live on 1,000 acres or 1,000 square feet, there’s plenty of room in your backyard for a flock of chickens. Join the chicken revolution today and be prepared to reap a lifetime of benefits far beyond the enjoyment and the eggs.

In the following pages, we help get you started with everything from incubating fertile eggs to receiving and raising day-old chicks, building a chicken coop, and keeping your birds safe and healthy. We’ve even outlined a 9-step process to help you promote the legalization of backyard bird-keeping in your city or town. You’ll find top-notch advice on protecting your flock from predators, producing the healthiest eggs, and much more. And if your interest is in cooking with eggs and/or chicken, we have you covered.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to join the revolution!

"In 2010, Grit magazine launched its Country Skills Series with the Guide to Backyard Chickens. Thanks to your enthusiastic response, and Grit magazine’s readers requesting even more poultry pages, we recently completed the ninth edition of that special issue. Since that first edition launch, I am happy to report that the backyard chicken movement has only grown stronger. And as more folks take back the right to produce clean food for their families and roll back municipal laws that would limit their ability to do so, they also reconnect with the land, their agrarian ancestors, and a more sustainable American dream. I am proud that Grit has effectively fanned the flames associated with all aspects of the chicken revolution. Still, mostly I am tickled beyond belief that so many of you are embracing domesticated animals of the feathered kind." - Oscar H. Will

Although they are small, bees are one of the most important insects in our ecosystem. The sweet part is, that we can keep them in our own backyard! The Grit Guide to Backyard Bees and Honey shows how easy and rewarding it is to have a colony of your own. You’ll learn five helpful tips to know before getting started, the differences between the top three beehive designs, how to harness a swarm to save money, and more!

From hive to honey, this issue tells it all. Once you’ve gotten sticky in beekeeping, this issue guides you through what to do. You’ll learn how to extract and process your honey, what byproducts can be created by honeybees, how to clean, melt, and store beeswax, and more than 15 recipes that will put your honey to delicious use!

Other articles include:

• Nectars in Nature – What’s your favorite type of honey? Learn what factors play into honing the best-tasting honey.
• Build Your Own Beehive – Create your own bee condo and save money in the process.
• Growing a Bee-Friendly Organic Garden – Learn four ways to attract pollinators to your garden and help them flourish.
• Solving Bee Behavior Problems – Understanding normal bee behaviors is essential to identifying unusual behavior and correcting any problem.
• And more!