Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens Review

06.06.2023 - 20:04 / gardenerspath.com / Gretchen Heber

Full disclosure: I don’t have chickens. My homeowner’s association prohibits them. Nor, before reading this book, did I particularly want a flock.

HOA rules aside, a couple of my neighbors raise these birds, and I just didn’t get the appeal.

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After reading Kathy Shea Mormino’s “The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens,” however, I may be tempted to join my renegade neighbors in their illicit fowl-raising practices.

Subtitled “Simple Steps for Healthy, Happy Hens,” the book is an easy-to-read, occasionally humorous, and thorough exploration of caring for backyard fowl. The book is available from Amazon.

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

Mormino’s indisputable expertise in the subject matter emanates from the book’s pages, as does her equally unquestionable love for the birds. Her website is also packed with fowl info.

The book is attractively designed with splendid photographs by the author that showcase her inviting landscape and beautiful birds. The glossary and index confirm that this is more than a pretty book, however, cementing its utility as a reference for the hen-inclined.

Right off the bat, Mormino confronts the issue that many of us encounter in our towns and neighborhoods: These generous and even friendly birds are often illegal to keep.

A thorough introductory chapter – based on Mormino’s own experience – encourages readers to confirm the legality of chicken keeping in their area, and suggests advocating for zoning code changes