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The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens: Simple Steps for Healthy, Happy Hens
The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens
covers all aspects of keeping pet chickens in a beautifully illustrated, no-nonsense format. Kathy addresses everything needed to keep chickens simply, including coops, chick care, breed selection, chicken health, and beyond!
Internationally known as The Chicken Chick, Kathy Shea Mormino brings an informative style and fresh perspective on raising backyard chickens to millions of fans around the world. An attorney by profession, Kathy is the founder and one-woman creative force behind her wildly popular and award-winning Facebook page and blog, The-Chicken-Chick.com.
Now her practical, down-to-earth approach to chicken-keeping is available in book form. Sharing her years of hard-earned experience and collaborations with poultry veterinarians, nutritionists, and professors, she provides simple steps to care for these uncommon pets with confidence. Kathy’s personality permeates the book as she guides newbie, veteran, and would-be backyard chickeneers alike through all aspects of small-flock care—from getting into the hobby to housing, feeding, egg production, health, and much more. The result is accurate information presented in the fun and abundantly illustrated format that Mormino has delivered on her blog for years.
Internationally known as The Chicken Chick, Kathy Shea Mormino brings an informative style and fresh perspective on raising backyard chickens to millions of fans around the world. An attorney by profession, Kathy is the founder and one-woman creative force behind her wildly popular and award-winning Facebook page and blog, The-Chicken-Chick.com.
Now her practical, down-to-earth approach to chicken-keeping is available in book form. Sharing her years of hard-earned experience and collaborations with poultry veterinarians, nutritionists, and professors, she provides simple steps to care for these uncommon pets with confidence. Kathy’s personality permeates the book as she guides newbie, veteran, and would-be backyard chickeneers alike through all aspects of small-flock care—from getting into the hobby to housing, feeding, egg production, health, and much more. The result is accurate information presented in the fun and abundantly illustrated format that Mormino has delivered on her blog for years.
180 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2017
288 people are currently reading
482 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
May 23, 2018
if you're interested in keeping chickens, this is the book for you. Every topic on the subject is covered. Things you would never think of. Beautiful pictures and extremely readable. Highly recommended.
August 21, 2020
This book covers everything you could want to know about raising chickens as a hobby and for eggs. Her coops, hens, gardens, flowers, and eggs are gorgeous and tempt me into rushing to begin my own chicken hobbiest life... but, the book also has excellent explanations and photos of health problems that your hens may be beset with. I’m not sure if this has put me off or just scared me. Time will tell.
If you’re thinking about starting a back yard chicken hobby THIS is the ONE book you need.
If you’re thinking about starting a back yard chicken hobby THIS is the ONE book you need.
October 12, 2017
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.
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.
October 9, 2017
Very well written. Very informative. Very comprehensive. I am new to the idea/practice of caring for chickens so this really opened up my eyes to so many aspects of what this would mean. Needless to say, it definitely made me reconsider having chickens right now which is good because I would not have been ready... although I feel much better about a plan for having them in the future! This is an excellent informational resource for anyone considering chickens as pets.
January 3, 2022
This book has loads of general information, making it good for those who want to get started with chickens or to see what it is all about. Great photos throughout. There is good basic medical information, yards, eggs, and tips for keeping chickens.
Kathy Shea Mormino is the current popular expert in the field.
If one wants to learn more then they will need other books on breeds and in-depth medical issues.
Kathy Shea Mormino is the current popular expert in the field.
If one wants to learn more then they will need other books on breeds and in-depth medical issues.
September 29, 2017
Delightful, informative and practical. The pictures are spot on correlating with the text, whether the author is discussing proper roosts, nests and other living arrangements, diseases, threats and proper diagnoses, nutrition and diet plans, egg quality, chick, pellet and hen care, or the obvious love that the author clearly has for her brood. The book makes you want to go grab a chick and work at it!
September 27, 2017
This is a great book for an experienced chicken keeper to one just starting out. I have often looked at her blog to help diagnose and treat my own chickens and now I have the book to look back on right on the coffee table. It is a great resource.
Thank you Kathy for making this great book! I will keep watching your chickens everyday! :)
Thank you Kathy for making this great book! I will keep watching your chickens everyday! :)
August 23, 2018
The Chicken Chick tackles keeping chickens in today’s modern world by addressing basic needs, dispelling common myths about their care, and providing both sides of a coin when a technique is controversial. Kathy Shea Mormino’s writing style comes off as if she’s sitting down giving you advice rather than rattling off facts. I really appreciated her list of chores and how often she does them. I was surprised that so much I had read in The Chicken Whisper was actually outdated or bad advise. For instance, Andy suggests open feeders for both water and food. Kathy points out that open feeders attract rodents and open water dishes are easily pooped in. Instead, you should invest in a treadle feeder (which open only when a chicken in standing near it) and poultry nipple waterers which hang overhead, making it impossible for the chickens to contaminate. Andy Schneider also informs his readers that the best way to deal with a brooding chicken is to dunk them in ice cold water (even admitting your chicken will be very angry with you for it). Kathy says this is cruel and unnecessary. Rather, you should place the chicken in a mounted, wired-bottom cage; “The wire-bottomed cage allows air to circulate under the hen, cooling off her undercarriage. Caught early in her broody state, she should be broken within a few days and back to egg laying in a week or so.” Ultimately, this is definitely a book from my personal library should I ever decide to own chickens.
September 28, 2017
This is one of the best chicken books I have reviewed, and that is sort of dating it with faint praise, as in comparison, the other chicken books have been quite bad.
This one, I agreed with much of what she was saying. Her advice is advice, for the most part, that I would have welcomed when I was first starting out, so this is really a good book for the person who is just staring their flock, or thinking about starting it. She is sort of a Marth Stewart of chickens, in that her hutch area looks all crafty and pretty, and I say "good for her," that that is not the way I run my chicken run.
The major thing I disagree with her on is the use of diatomaceous earth, which she says does more harm than good. I have used it to get rid of mites that were killing my chickens, so sorry, I disagree.
And she harps quite a bit on not giving your chickens treats, but the treats I give are things like meal worms. I get that there are treats out there that are just empty calories, but I think she should say that, then to condemn all treats.
So, good for the beginning chicken person. I learned a few things about the different defects in eggs, and what they were called, so even for someone who has raised chickens for years, there might be a few things that are new.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
This one, I agreed with much of what she was saying. Her advice is advice, for the most part, that I would have welcomed when I was first starting out, so this is really a good book for the person who is just staring their flock, or thinking about starting it. She is sort of a Marth Stewart of chickens, in that her hutch area looks all crafty and pretty, and I say "good for her," that that is not the way I run my chicken run.
The major thing I disagree with her on is the use of diatomaceous earth, which she says does more harm than good. I have used it to get rid of mites that were killing my chickens, so sorry, I disagree.
And she harps quite a bit on not giving your chickens treats, but the treats I give are things like meal worms. I get that there are treats out there that are just empty calories, but I think she should say that, then to condemn all treats.
So, good for the beginning chicken person. I learned a few things about the different defects in eggs, and what they were called, so even for someone who has raised chickens for years, there might be a few things that are new.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
June 23, 2023
A wealth of great information!! I so enjoyed the stories and pictures in this book. I first bought on Kindle and then decided to book the book so I could have it at home and handy. It ready did help me get started with my backyard flock!!
July 9, 2018
Very good book. Concise and to the point. Easy to read. Everyone should read this book before getting chickens.
November 4, 2017
Not just another chicken guide, The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens does have suggestions and advice not normally found in the run off the mill, photograph heavy, barnyard books from blogger-type turned author people. I liked the layout and balance of information with pictures. It was difficult to maneuver in ebook format so I would recommend the real book version. Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.
December 3, 2017
Awesome as expected!
I was a bit slow getting this book, as I was waiting for the digital edition. As expected it is an awesome reference guide. Id call it a must have for any beginning chicken keeper.
I was a bit slow getting this book, as I was waiting for the digital edition. As expected it is an awesome reference guide. Id call it a must have for any beginning chicken keeper.
November 20, 2018
Great beginners book. I did a lot of research online before getting my chickens and when I got them so this was more just confirming all I had read but it's good to get a plethora of opinions, and there are a dime a dozen when it comes to Chickens.
January 19, 2018
We plan on raising chickens soon. This book was SO informative. SO much I didn’t know about raising chickens before. The book will be put to good use.
March 10, 2018
I love Kathy and her flock. There is so much good information in this book and I love the photos.
March 15, 2018
This was a super-helpful guide which I will be referencing frequently when our chickies arrive in May.
May 14, 2018
Keep as an excellent reference.
January 9, 2019
Practical guide that dispels a lot of myths and bad advice about chicken-keeping, for both the burgeoning farmer or the urban hobbyist.
May 27, 2021
A fantastic guide--would wholeheartedly recommend to any new backyard chickeners!
This book has absolutely everything we needed for our first backyard flock. The price is incredible, for the amount of content, as well as the quality of the book.
Kathy Shea Mormino (Chicken Chick :)) starts with the basics and then goes to more in-depth details about health issues or feeding details. She brings commonsense and clarity to backyard chickening questions that could otherwise take up hours of sifting through Internet forums and other websites or blogs.
I found the author's voice to be like a reassuring big sister or mentor in this journey. There were things that had conflicting opinions in blogs and forums, which is to be expected. Kathy Shea Mormino gave well supported direction on many of these things so we were able to just make a decision and move had.
I would absolutely recommend anyone new to backyard chickens purchase this book and read it from cover to cover before you get started. However, if you already have birds on the go and, this would still be absolutely valuable. That's when we bought the book and it's added so much to our process of the never-ending chicken habitat, as well as important decisions around free-ranging, treats, whether to use mini lights to ward away predators or not! All of this is covered clearly and encouraging
This book has absolutely everything we needed for our first backyard flock. The price is incredible, for the amount of content, as well as the quality of the book.
Kathy Shea Mormino (Chicken Chick :)) starts with the basics and then goes to more in-depth details about health issues or feeding details. She brings commonsense and clarity to backyard chickening questions that could otherwise take up hours of sifting through Internet forums and other websites or blogs.
I found the author's voice to be like a reassuring big sister or mentor in this journey. There were things that had conflicting opinions in blogs and forums, which is to be expected. Kathy Shea Mormino gave well supported direction on many of these things so we were able to just make a decision and move had.
I would absolutely recommend anyone new to backyard chickens purchase this book and read it from cover to cover before you get started. However, if you already have birds on the go and, this would still be absolutely valuable. That's when we bought the book and it's added so much to our process of the never-ending chicken habitat, as well as important decisions around free-ranging, treats, whether to use mini lights to ward away predators or not! All of this is covered clearly and encouraging
October 12, 2017
If you're considering buying that cute, fluffy chick from the feed store and trying to raise it in your backyard, I highly recommend reading this book first. There's a lot more that goes into keeping chickens than you realize, and Mormino does a great job explaining exactly what it entails.
While this book contains a ton of valuable information, I wish it was organized in a better way. Mormino just jumps right in without giving any basics for us beginners. For example, she begins the chapter on coop construction by using terms and concepts (roost, nest box, etc.) that we don't read about until later on in the chapter, so for a good 2/3 of reading about coop design I was completely confused. It would've been nice to have a quick summary at the beginning of each chapter outlining the basic concepts or definitions to know before reading further (for example, a quick list of the most common chicken predators, or high-level chicken anatomy - what are combs, wattles, etc.?).
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
While this book contains a ton of valuable information, I wish it was organized in a better way. Mormino just jumps right in without giving any basics for us beginners. For example, she begins the chapter on coop construction by using terms and concepts (roost, nest box, etc.) that we don't read about until later on in the chapter, so for a good 2/3 of reading about coop design I was completely confused. It would've been nice to have a quick summary at the beginning of each chapter outlining the basic concepts or definitions to know before reading further (for example, a quick list of the most common chicken predators, or high-level chicken anatomy - what are combs, wattles, etc.?).
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 9, 2018
I will admit the hubby does most of the chicken care about the farm. Although there are times he is not here so in those instances it falls to me. They are, for the most part very easy animals to care for – they need a safe place to roost at night, food and fresh water.
This book offers what the author has learned through the years and years she has kept chickens. She has a longstanding and well known blog (I had long read the blog before I was sent the book) and community where she passed on her advice.
The book is only about keeping chickens for egg laying or as pets. It does not get into raising chickens for meat. That is fine, but just be aware of that going in so as to not be disappointed if you are seeking advice on that aspect of chicken farming. Also please, if you are keeping chickens as pets do not kiss your chickens. They are dirty birds. You do not want to get salmonella.
Overall it’s an easy to read book full of a wealth of information for the beginner or experienced person who wants and or has chickens. A good addition to any farm library.
This book offers what the author has learned through the years and years she has kept chickens. She has a longstanding and well known blog (I had long read the blog before I was sent the book) and community where she passed on her advice.
The book is only about keeping chickens for egg laying or as pets. It does not get into raising chickens for meat. That is fine, but just be aware of that going in so as to not be disappointed if you are seeking advice on that aspect of chicken farming. Also please, if you are keeping chickens as pets do not kiss your chickens. They are dirty birds. You do not want to get salmonella.
Overall it’s an easy to read book full of a wealth of information for the beginner or experienced person who wants and or has chickens. A good addition to any farm library.
April 20, 2020
Good, thorough book that contained quite a bit of information the other 25 chickens books I've read didn't have! I liked Mormino's no-nonsense approach. I also appreciate her championing sand in the poop shelf and run, as well as her strong words against using all the woo-woo herbs, vitamins and supplements that are hocked in so many other books. I think she's right in her assessment: people are more open to this because (like me) there are so many first-time backyard chicken owners who didn't grow up with chickens AND there's no vet service that takes chickens seriously in my area. So we feel like we're going it alone and want all the help we can get. Mormino emphasizes what's basic and what's proven, and has other good tips besides.
June 9, 2021
I’ve had chickens for many years and the information presented in this book is solid. The photos are lovely. If you’re considering adding a backyard flock for eggs/pets this book will come in handy. There isn’t any information on raising birds for meat; so if that’s your goal you’ll need to look elsewhere. However, overall I think most owners of backyard flocks will find this to be a wonderful resource.
March 2, 2023
This is such a great comprehensive book for new chicken owners. I learned a lot, took notes, and plan to get my own copy (borrowed this one from the library). It was written in an easy-to-follow format that I happily read cover to cover. The only thing I wished for --- instructions on how to build some of the cool gadgets in the book, such as the chicken tractor playpen thing. I would also love to see more pictures of the inside of the coops.
June 17, 2018
(received for review)
I admittedly have no desire to raise chickens, but I found this book fascinating.
It is a bit repetitive... which gets old when you are reading straight through but would be less noticeable if you were reading a bit here and a bit there or looking up specific information.
The captions being straight quotes from the text is a pet peeve of mine though.
I admittedly have no desire to raise chickens, but I found this book fascinating.
It is a bit repetitive... which gets old when you are reading straight through but would be less noticeable if you were reading a bit here and a bit there or looking up specific information.
The captions being straight quotes from the text is a pet peeve of mine though.
February 28, 2021
This is a great book for beginners, and I suspect seasoned chicken owners as well. This book is very thorough, going into some great detail about common ailments, breeds, and egg issues. The full-color photos are gorgeous and instructive (the poop photos aren't quite as gorgeous, but still appreciated!). I guess this is going to be my bible in a week when we get our first chicks!
May 21, 2022
Super helpful for me as I've just got into chicken raising! And much of what she says works and I have happy healthy chickens. I gave it 4 stars because although the content is great, it's all over the place. I had to navigate chapters in about how I should be building something when I wished she had just put all the basics in one chapter.
September 29, 2019
Overall very good book for the beginner chickeneer. The one thing I wish there was more detail on was the causes for GI issues - she mentions to look out for them, but not the causes. Other than that, funny and well-rounded about all things chickeny.
June 3, 2021
What a great book for a new chicken family! I feel much more confident and ready to get our chicks after reading this. This book will be kept and referred to as needed because it has so much great information.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews