What the Chicken Knows

A charming and eye-opening exploration of the special relationship between humans and chickens from Sy Montgomery,ΓÇ£one of our finest chroniclers of the natural worldΓÇ¥ (The New York Times). For more than two decadesSy MontgomeryΓÇöwhose The Soul of an Octopus was a National Book Award finalistΓÇöhas kept a flock of chickens in her backyard. Each chicken has an individual personality (outgoing or shyloud or quietreckless or cautious) and connects with Sy in her own way. In this shortdelightful bookSy takes us inside the flock and reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures: only hours after leaving the eggthey are able to walkrunand peck; relationships are important to them and the average chicken can recognize more than one hundred other chickens; they remember the past and anticipate the future; and they communicate specific information through at least twenty-four distinct calls. Visitors to her home are astonished by all thisbut for Sy whatΓÇÖs more astonishing is how little most people know about chickensespecially considering there are about twenty percent more chickens on earth than people. With a winning combination of personal narrative and scienceWhat the Chicken Knows is exactly the kind of book that has made Sy Montgomery such a beloved and popular author.