The Secret Lives of Chickens: or Tales from the Chickenyard and Beyond (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780985510978)

Chickens are fascinating, social, both gentle and fierce, cunning, and clever. They figure things out, they plan, and they manipulate.

The Secret Lives of Chickens pulls us into a time and place that seem simpler but actually are not, because of the feathered inhabitants within. This is about how chickens must view the world, as seen from the outside.

They 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. They are a force of nature, complete unto themselves.

These are tales that happened over many years' time, but with chickens, it seems there is always more to learn.

At some point in time, 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.

From the Epilogue on page 142: "The whole original chicken experience was so full of color for the senses that it was a living kaleidoscope. It was as awe-inspiring as a clear night sky full of stars and northern lights. It also covered the entire range of possible emotions, at all levels. That continues on."

From the author: Writing this book was truly a delight. Knowing the various chickens was and still is a delightful experience, but you have to add the word humbling.