Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance : Reflections on Raising Chickens

by Martin Gurdon

• ISBN13: 9781592287703
• ISBN10: 1592287700
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2005-11-01
• Publisher: Lyons Press

Summary

"In this warmly funny paean to pet chickens, Gurdon chronicles life with a garden flock of chickens . . . Gurdon's tales of hens will be popular among readers who love true animal stories in the James Herriot vein."--"Booklist Watch out poultry best-seller list: This hilarious account of a rookie poultry-owner's experience raising birds in his backyard is the first "chicken memoir" of its kind. Owning chickens is fast becoming the latest in metropolitan chic--and if you can't own them, you'll still want to read about them. Move over Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt (both rumored to raise chickens), Martin Gurdon is the new celebrity chicken owner. Bound to be a classic, Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance follows the Gurdon family through the ups and downs of this wonderful hobby. In addition to providing eggs, the hens offer distractions from everyday life--BB has terrific telephone etiquette; the spirited but weak Yvette requires Gurdon to act as a personal trainer; and Wimpy is soon renamed Psycho as she's allowed to brood three of her eggs. The book chronicles the daily life of a chicken, including dust baths, brutal pecking order rituals, gender bending encounters, and, for its owner, the possibility of huge vet bills. The relationship between bird and human is by turns heartwarming and bewildering, but always entertaining. Add "informative" to the list, and you could be describing this very book. In fact, you might even learn a thing or two about raising chickens in Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance.

Author Biography

Martin Gurdon has been making his living as a journalist for years, with a particular interest in classic cars. His humorous stories as a chicken keeper have incited much attention from BBC television and radio programs. Originally from London, he now lives in Kent, England.

Table of Contents

The Hows and Whys	p. 3
Preparation	p. 15
First Flock	p. 23
Hens at Home	p. 29
The Bird that Turned	p. 35
Lost and Found	p. 47
In Sickness and in Health	p. 71
Confused of Kent	p. 83
The Boys	p. 99
The Birds	p. 107
Eggs and a Potted History	p. 117
Mrs. Brown	p. 133
Further Reading	p. 147
Organizations	p. 148
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.