How to Speak Chicken

August 1, 2017

As most urban flock keepers know, chickens have a dialect all their own. Lovingly observed, closely decoded, and expertly assembled over the course of countless coos, clucks, and buk-gaws, this title by gardener, blogger, and bee- and chicken keeper Caughey (A Kid's Guide to Keeping Chickens) details chicken communication and behavior while supplying abundant support material spanning the whimsical, scientific, and instructional. This book is a welcome complement to time-honored references such as Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens or The Backyard Chicken Bible but focuses on a narrower facet of husbandry while still covering general ground. Entertaining anecdotes about the author's birds and the broods of other farmers are balanced by a plethora of fun facts: Did you know that a hen's heart beats 400 times a minute or that her tongue is barbed? Ever heard the lowdown on tidbitting? Did you know that you can predict the color of a hen's eggs by examining her earlobes? There's so much to learn. VERDICT A new spin on chickenese ready to drive any urban farming linguist mad as a wet hen with joy.--Dan McClure, Seattle, WA

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