What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird
By Sy Montgomery
Release date: November 5
Atria Books, New York
ISBN Number 978-1-6680-4736-1
Review by Kristin Clarke
It may not be considered typical birdwatching, but award-winning naturalist Sy Montgomery has us looking at chickens in a whole new way in What the Chicken Knows. Promising “a new appreciation of the world’s most familiar bird,” Montgomery delivers—and not with buns and toppings. By the end of this snack-size, 70-page book, you’ll have newfound respect and an emotional investment in Pickles, Madonna, and some of the rest of her flock she nurtures on her farm. You’ll know more than their names, too (yes, she names them!).
Chickens have distinct personalities, 24 unique calls, a stringent social structure with a clear—ahem—pecking order, and a habit of identifying you through a distinct cluck and noise sequence that alerts others to your specific arrival. In this latest read, Montgomery continues her trademark blend of storytelling and science, made famous through her gentle writings on the relationships of humans, nature, and creatures around us.
From turtles to hawks (Of Time and Turtles, The Hawk’s Way), hummingbirds to octopi (The Hummingbirds’ Gift, National Book Award finalist The Soul of an Octopus), Montgomery gives not only informed overviews of a species, but also friendly introductions to many of its unique individuals. “My hens are gentle, subtle; they are Ladies. The Rangers [breed] are drama queens,” she notes with patient maternal pride as she explains differences among the 350 poultry breeds.
As proof, she had only to walk out her back door to observe the “Chicken Universe” and absorb the ongoing “discoveries” about her 40 hens and occasional protective rooster. However, these insights took a while. Since her first forays into chicken-tending in the late 1980s, Montgomery—a vegetarian—quickly learned that “almost everything people ‘know’ about chickens is wrong,” despite the fact that it is the bird of greatest familiarity to most Americans. Indeed, chicken is by far the most popular meat eaten by Americans, who each consume an average of 100 pounds of such poultry annually, according to the National Chicken Council. Less common, though, is daily exposure by these consumers to the live bird that is “part of the soundtrack of rural life.” The gap leads to “disrespect” and misunderstandings about chickens as a bird worthy of more than wing sauce. Montgomery has thus stepped in to build compassion and share sweet surprises. Angry rooster? Cuddle it (seriously). “Stupid” hen? They recognize more than 100 of their fluffy peers (and you), can turn doorknobs, and have distinct personalities and relationship-building skills.
Boring? Witness them go berserk at the sight of blood. Emotionless? Chickens “are really feathered dinosaurs” made “less of flesh than of air” and with an incessant “need for companionship … and affection.” They even love music. Montgomery’s delight at what one researcher calls “the hidden depths to chicken” is contagious to the reader, leading eggs-actly to the heightened appreciation hoped for by the author. With the holidays pending, this little book is a perfect stocking stuffer, hostess gift, or even family read-aloud.
