Review: The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens: Simple Steps for Healthy, Happy Hens

The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens: Simple Steps for Healthy, Happy Hens by Kathy Shea Mormino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Please note this book has already been published as of October 1, 2017 and you can buy it right now!

Kathy Shea Mormino is well known for her blog The Chicken Chick and her very active Facebook Page of the same name. Mormino, who is a lawyer by day, is probably one of the most informed chicken owners and advisors that one can find. This book is a very thorough discussion of every single topic relevant to keeping chickens from coop design to safety to feed and my big thing- inclement weather conditions. Considerable information is also included on eggs, egg contamination, and egg anomalies that can be sentinel indicators of dietary deficiencies or of excess vitamins and minerals from an improper diet.

As many of you know, when I move to NH (lurking in the not so distant future) I'm looking forward to having chickens because I love to garden, hate deer ticks and hey, I like chickens and they can really help with both those things (getting rid of garden pests like mosquitoes, beetles, and grubs, and eating ticks!) plus give me something else to love on. (Like I really needed more?) This book is now the Chicken Bible for me. By the time I was halfway through the second chapter I ordered it on Amazon Kindle. It's truly a must-have book for those wanting to care for their chickens.

One of the things I loved about this book, in addition to simply tons of practical information, was being able to address my husband's concern about how this coop and run and free-ranging chickens would affect the appearance of our backyard. The last chapter of the book gives consideration to creating a beautiful chicken yard and how to make sure your chickens play fair with what you plant.

All in all, this is a fabulous book for any prospective chicken owner. I would also strongly recommend Melissa Caughey's forthcoming "How to Speak Chicken" which addresses a lot of the behavior and subtle (and some not so subtle) social dynamics that are key to keeping your chickens healthy and happy.



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