Internationally known as The Chicken Chick®, Kathy Shea Mormino brings a fresh perspective and informative style to raising backyard chickens to millions of fans around the world. An attorney by profession, Kathy is the founder & one-woman creative force behind her wildly popular & award-winning Facebook page and blog, http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com/

Now her practical, down-to-earth approach to keeping chickens is available in book form where she shares years of hard-earned experience and collaborations with poultry veterinarians, nutritionists, and professors to provide readers with tips to care for these uncommon pets with confidence. Mormino’s personality permeates The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens, in which she guides newbie, veteran, and would-be backyard chickeneers alike through all aspects of small-flock care--from considering the hobby to housing, feeding, egg production, health, and much more. The result is accurate, practical information presented in the fun and abundantly illustrated format that Mormino has delivered on her blog for years.

Several generations removed from growing one’s own food, families consciously seeking fresh, local eggs from humanely-raised hens are flocking back to resuscitate the wilted roots of self-reliance planted by their forbearers. Most venturing into modern-day chickening do so sans family mentors or local Sherpas to guide the way, unaware of the pitfalls that the “how hard could it be?” mentality forebodes. Moreover, few are prepared for the shocking realization that these unique, food producing animals quickly become beloved family pets with specific management and medical needs that the veterinary community at large is untrained to meet. Writing with the friendly approachability of the smart girl next door, Mormino’s engaging, irreverent style makes chicken keeping accessible to readers regardless of experience level and intriguing, if not enviable, to those without chickens.

Her background as a litigation attorney combined with the street-cred she has garnered from sharing personal chickening successes, failures and gaffes in real-time online makes her a relatable, trustworthy advisor readers depend on to deliver the straight dope. Having spent years in litigation publicly fighting politicians for the right to keep backyard chickens, Mormino has consistently put her money where her mouth is, educating lawmakers and changing zoning regulations proving that animal welfare and the right to keep chickens responsibly is foremost on her agenda.

In addition to being a Brand Ambassador for Tractor Supply Company, Purina Poultry, Standlee Premium Western Forage, and Vetericyn, Kathy is a contributor to Hobby Farms Chickens magazine, as well as online blogs by Mother Earth News and Grit magazines. She has become the trusted voice in backyard chicken-keeping, frequently sought out by media outlets and publications, including The Wall Street Journal, LA Times and Associated Press, for her perspective on chickens. She appears on local and national television, radio, and podcasts, and is featured on Discovery’s Destination America reality show Coop Dreams, as well as P. Allen Smith Garden Home on PBS.

Kathy lives in Connecticut with her husband and daughters Sophia and MaryKate where she is a beekeeper, the personal assistant to 50+ chickens, tens of thousands of honeybees, a Netherland Dwarf bunny, and a Yorkie with cattitude.

~She’s keeping it real...with chickens!~