Chicken

In this brilliant book, Potts challenges us to see chickens as creatures who think and feel in complex ways all of their own . . . This series notably mixes historical and cross-cultural research with gorgeous illustrations Chicken is no exception. * TLS *
This tasty book also chases the chicken through literature, film, painting (Magrittes hilariously sad chicken staring at an egg in an eggcup) and national symbolism (especially French). Potts notices, too, the emerging trend of heroic chickens and even the avenging chicken, probably a reaction to increasing popular intolerance of battery farming. * The Guardian *
Few animals have been more wholly absorbed into human awareness (and use) than chickens, and yet Potts helps us see them with new understanding. She explains the tiny adjustments that occur within a viable egg – the way the embryo positions itself, before hatching, to hear its own heartbeat and the sounds of the world outside the egg. And she gives the reader a vivid sense of how the world looks to chickens, which "can obtain a clear view of morsels immediately in front of them on the ground while simultaneously receiving a panoramic view of the more distant environment." Plus, Potts notes, each eye is able to focus independently and at different distances, something you’ll want to remember the next time you try to catch a rooster on open ground * Verlyn Klinkenborg, New York Review of Books *
Annie Potts does a good job of condensing the vast scientific literature on [the chickens] biology and behaviour into a stream of fascinating facts . . . As is typical of Reaktions brilliant Animal series, the book boasts dozens of lavishly reproduced illustrations. These bring the text to life, most notably in the chapters on chickens in popular culture and art . . . [a] lovely book. * BBC Wildlife magazine *
The well-structured text, with a generally good flow, is enhanced by vivid and high-quality illustrations. I particularly enjoyed the chapter that describes the chickens social, emotional and cognitive intelligence, which elicits admiration and respect for this beautiful animal. For those readers interested in a concise yet thorough account of the life of the chicken and its relationship with humans, this book is an excellent choice. * Ibis *
Given these insights into their lives, we must hope that chickens will eventually earn the respect and understanding they deserve and that the vast majority will be treated much more humanely than they are today. In this excellent book, Annie Potts makes an eloquent and impassioned plea for the chicken that should help us to redress the balance. * International Vegetarian Union online *
Through much of this volume, stories of the relationship between chickens and humans throughout history and legend are set beside an often joyous carnival of colourful art . . . With Potts book, chickens again rule the roost ­­ * Newcity Lit *