What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird
by Sy Montgomery
Atria Books, 202 (96 pages)
I grew up around chickens because my mother and grandmother always had their own flocks as long as I can remember. I even used to have an old black hen that would ride on the handlebars of my bike as I played outdoors. After I married, I too got my own flock. The kids and the grandkids enjoyed their own adventures and memories of them. Through the years they've named the various birds that ended up on my little homestead. I had Araucana chickens or Easter Eggers, I've raised Bantams and Silkies and other various types. I resonate with the author and agree. Chickens ARE endlessly fascinating.
This little book shows us all the things that make chickens so interesting. They have their own personalities and communication skills if we only would take the time to observe them more carefully. Many would say chickens are dumb, but I disagree and so does the author. She points out that they can actually recognize more than one-hundred other chickens, can remember the past and anticipate the future among other accomplishments.
The author states, "I am reminded how movingly like us birds can be---and how thrillingly different. This book is my small effort to be of service to them: to enhance our wonder and deepen our respect and our compassion for these common creatures we all think we know. The longer I watch them, the more clearly I see how rich and varied their lives are, as fraught and joyous and changeable as our own."
If you are a fellow chicken-lover, as more and more of us seem to be turning into, this volume is a quick read full of science and personal stories that will not only delight you but help you to understand more deeply your flock. Montgomery is a naturalist and an author of over thirty non-fiction books for adults and children. She lives in New Hampshire. Her website outlines her works and gives a listing of her various speaking engagements Appearances - Sy Montgomery
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