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Product Description
Review
For Martin Gurdon chickens have featured throughout his life - albeit intermittently. Entranced as a child, captivated by chicks of another variety during adolescence before finally returning to his first, feathered love when leaving London for the country. With his dry wit, perfect pitch of pride and paternalism, his timely sense of humour and eye for the wry, he will entertain you with his chicken tales till you are all cried out and curled in a ball on the floor from laughter. From Mike the Headless Chicken of Colorado who survived a botched decapitation for an obscenely long amount of time and whose life is still celebrated today in annual festivals across the state, to the highly-strung Yvette, doyenne of the baby bouncer before turning into a doyen.. The bullied Gerald and the psychotic BB and a whole host of others, for all Martin's hens are named and obviously loved despite their many shortcomings. Huge vet bills are paid without complaint in an attempt to heal them while physiotherapy and psychotherapy are all par for the course. But above all, they become almost human in Martin's literary hands and the agony and anguish of their perils is lived to the full. A must for chicken lovers and a must for anyone with a wicked sense of humour - this is the funniest book I have read all year. - Lucy Watson
Product Description
Owning chickens is becoming the latest in metropolitan chic, proving that you don't need to be a farmer to raise poultry. This book chronicles both the pleasures and the myriad pitfalls of chicken-keeping. Written from first-hand experience, this is a quirky introduction to the feather-clad soap opera primal urges, pecking order rituals, gender-bending and huge vet bills.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When we first got our little flock of half a dozen, one hen was most notably bullied by the others. We had a couple of books from the library most of which were bogged down in pests and diseases or graphic black line drawings on killing them. How I wish we had this book. It is easily read and glows with a love of chickens and their personalities as well as how to look after your birds. Chickens are underestimated and much more interesting and easier to keep than imprisoning an unfortunate exotic pet in your home. On the subject of a £50 vets bill for a hen that cost £3.50, Gurdon explains "Perhaps this is a waste of money ....but this galumphing, primitive animal with 8,000 feathers has easily given us more entertainment value than we'd have got from spending £50 on cigarettes, lifestyle magazines or some rubbish TV programmes ......She's enjoyed life and we've enjoyed her enjoying it. What more could any of us want?" A bit of compassion and a great laugh, what indeed else could we want?
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I don't recommend reading this in bed next to a spouse who has to get up for an early commute. You could be laughing so hard, you may not be forgiven. I haven't had such a good time reading a book in I don't know how long... terrifically witty & many laugh-out-loud moments.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book can help you make up your mind about having chickens, as it gives the ups and downs and the no nonsense and the you've got to really want to do this kind of thing information woven into the humour. But I think there are quite a few good lessons to be learnd and chix health tips I'd not heard of before, so I'd recommend it also as a way to get some good chicken rearing information.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book can help you make up your mind about having chickens, as it gives the ups and downs and the no nonsense and the you've got to really want to do this kind of thing information woven into the humour. But I think there are quite a few good lessons to be learnd and chix health tips I'd not heard of before, so I'd recommend it also as a way to get some good chicken rearing information.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was a really funny book, it had me laughing out loud all the way through but you would have to keep hens for it to be really relevant. A good read and I picked up a few bits of good adviceand felt I had learnt a little about chickens but not an information book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good read and includes basic information for beginners
This book is more of a story with helpful information along the way, well written and had me chuckling in several places. Read more
Published 13 months ago by L. McCombe
Chickentastic!
This is a lovely book which is informative whilst being very funny. The author clealry knows his hens and shares his love for them. Read more
Published on 20 May 2010 by Martin C
Frothy entertainment but a good present.
Short and frothy, this is an amusing time-filler but perhaps a slightly lengthy book based on a thin plot idea. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by A. Kirk
Gen and the art of chicken maintenance
This book had me in stitches,although more of a novel than a manual loads of relevant info in there. Good book to read if your at the thinking of getting chickens stage.
Published on 28 Oct 2009 by jomeena
Nice book
This is a book about a man and his hens, and it's lovely. He manages to get across the feeling he has for them, same as most of us, where our hens are a pain in the bum at times... Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by Karen
A little disapointing !
This book , although funny in places, realy lacked any real useful information. Once read, it's going to collect dust on the book shelf. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2009 by Basil
Very short and over priced
This is a pleasant enough book with 'funny' stories about the author's pet hens.
Problem is, it's more of a children's book. Read more
Problem is, it's more of a children's book. Read more
Published on 13 July 2009 by Rosey Lea
'Lawson family all chicken mad'
Just recently purchased and read this book. I nearly split my sides with laughing so much. Not laughed out loud reading since the Tom Sharp series of books. Read more
Published on 25 April 2009 by Kim Lawson
Disappointed
Unfortunately this isn't the book I expected so was rather disappointed in it's content. The book is a personal account of his chickens. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2009 by Ms. A. Miles
Brilliant
A great little book - but too short! It's an honest, entertaining, down to earth and very witty book which takes you from the first chickens in the Gurdons' back garden almost to... Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2009 by Jan Wolfe
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