The Secret Lives of Chickens

Book excerpt: Like chickens? The Secret Lives of Chickens, or Tales from the Chickenyard and Beyond describes life with chickens, chicken behavior, and chicken community, a hidden life that isn’t generally associated with chickens. There are tales about chickens and their pecking order in the chicken house, chicken yard, and out in the great beyond, which was the creek and fields nearby. The times and places seem simpler but actually are not, because of the feathered inhabitants within. Although the chickens and their lives are the main characters, The Secret Lives of Chickens relates stories about other birds and animals around the chickens. Chickens have their own culture that is more complex than we assume. They are stalwart little feathered beings that live with equanimity in the world around them, following the time-honored rules of the flock, day-in and day-out, in a generally pleasant and peaceful frame of mind. These are tales that happened over many years’ time, but with chickens, it seems there is always more to learn. Each and every life is deeply touched by something or someone special. It doesn’t matter who or what it is, because the soul recognizes and responds to what is honest and true, to a bright sunflower, to endless, soothing ocean waves, and to the soft cooing of contented chickens.