The trend for backyard chickens has surged in recent years, as people look to reduce environmental impact, improve food traceability or simply to enjoy the joy of chicken company. And whether you’re seriously considering your own flock, or just interested to learn more about the world’s most common bird, this is the book for you.

The Little Book of Chickens is a charming, informative book of all things chicken – learn about their life stages and how clever they really are, plus heaps of fun factoids and truly gorgeous breeds and their colourful eggs – all in a beautifully illustrated gift book.

Contents

• Chapter One: The Story of Chickens, What is a Chicken? ? Chicken Anatomy Bantams and Frizzles and Orps, Oh My!: Chicken Breeds
• Chapter Two: Chicken Life From Egg to Chicken: The Chicken Life Cycle ? Eggs Chicken Behavior and Calls ? Courting and Socializing
• Chapter Three: Raising Chickens Why Keep Chickens? ? Keeping Chickens: An Introduction Choose Your Chicken(s) in 5 Easy Steps Equipment and Coops ? 12 Best Backyard Chicken Breeds

Most of us want a dog, or a cat, or a pony when we are young – but for Arthur Parkinson, it was always hens. Growing up in an ex-mining town in Nottinghamshire, the other kids in the playground called him ‘Chicken Boy’. The quiet fulfilment of keeping hens became his sanctuary, a tonic for mental and physical health, a connection with his family and the natural world. Illustrated with Arthur’s own characterful watercolours and photographs of his ‘girls’, Chicken Boy is a one-of-a-kind memoir of a life in nature.

‘Clocks our obsession with chicken-keeping ? Brilliant’ New York Magazine

An immersive blend of chicken-keeping memoir and animal welfare reporting by a journalist who accidentally became obsessed with her flock.

Since first domesticating the chicken thousands of years ago, humans have become exceptionally adept at raising them for food. Yet most people rarely interact with chickens or know much about them. In Under the Henfluence, Tove Danovich explores the lives of these quirky, mysterious birds who stole her heart the moment her first box of chicks arrived at the post office.

From a hatchery in Iowa to a chicken show in Ohio to a rooster rescue in Minnesota, Danovich interviews the people breeding, training, healing and, most importantly, adoring chickens. With more than 60 billion chickens living on industrial farms around the world, they’re easy to dismiss as just another dinner ingredient. Yet Danovich’s reporting reveals the hidden cleverness, quiet sweetness and irresistible personalities of these birds, as well as the complex human-chicken relationship that has evolved over centuries. This glimpse into the lives of backyard chickens doesn’t just help us to understand chickens better – it also casts light back on ourselves and what we’ve ignored throughout the explosive growth of industrial agriculture. Woven with delightful and sometimes heartbreaking anecdotes from Danovich’s own henhouse, Under the Henfluence proves that chickens are so much more than what they bring to the table.

‘I am a toddler the first time I meet a chicken, and we are equal in size and height. The hen has tiny eyelashes, a strawberry-jam face and a voice of purring clucks. I sense a happy spirit of inquisitiveness and smile in fascination. From that moment on, I will always love the company of chickens. I have found my tribe’

Most of us want a dog, or a cat, or a pony when we are young – for Arthur Parkinson, it was always hens. Growing up in an ex-mining town in Nottinghamshire, the other kids in the playground called him ‘Chicken Boy’. But the quiet fulfilment of keeping hens became his sanctuary, a tonic for mental and physical health, a connection with his family and the natural world. From the local allotments and his nan’s back garden, to Chatsworth and an unlikely friendship with the late Duchess of Devonshire, a famous hen-keeper, Chicken Boy tells the story of the love and satisfaction to be found in caring for living things.

Illustrated with Arthur’s own characterful watercolours and photographs of his ‘girls’, and laden with practical hen-keeping tips, gardening advice and introductions to common, rare and pure breeds, Chicken Boy is a one-of-a-kind memoir of a life in nature.

The trend for backyard chickens has surged during the pandemic. Amazon searches for chick supplies are up 758%, with local hatcheries recording a 500% demand increase, as people look to reduce environmental impact, improve food traceability, connect with nature, or simply to relish the pure joy of chicken company.

The Collins Backyard Chicken-keeper’s Bible is the fourth title in this stunning and engaging series, and the perfect smallholder companion to The Beekeeper’s Bible. It is packed with everything you need to fully embrace your new chicken-keeping lifestyle. A sumptuous aesthetic is paired with practical tips on identifying backyard breeds and supporting good chicken health, from basic brooding to common ailments, the best backyard breed for you to the right equipment for starting your own home flock, packaged into a beautiful, illustrative gift book. Discover the soft cuddliness of a bantam Silkie, the superb egg-sitting skills of a Plymouth Rock, the best method for constructing a chicken coop, and how to keep your chickens happy and thriving. With The Collins Backyard Chicken-keeper’s Bible, discover more about these magnificent and beloved creatures.

‘A beautifully written, incredibly timely book’ – Clover Stroud, author of My Wild and Sleepless Nights

When barrister and author Sarah Langford left her city life behind she found herself unexpectedly back in the world of farming. It was not how she remembered. Instead, she saw farmers dealing with very different problems to those faced by her grandfather, considered a hero for having fed a starving nation after war. Now farmers faced accusations of ecological mismanagement by a hostile urban media whilst battling extreme weather and political upheaval. Yet as Sarah learned how to farm and grew closer to the land, she discovered a new generation on a path of regenerative change.

In Rooted, Sarah weaves her own story around those who taught her what it means to be a farmer. She shines a light on the human side of modern farming, and shows how land connects us all, not only in terms of global sustainability but in our relationships with our physical and mental health, our communities and our planet.

‘Moving, startling, uplifting, galvanising and unsettling, this plainly beautiful book is one of those rare few that changes how you see the world around you‘ – Ella Risbridger, author of The Year of Miracles

‘Heartbreaking and hopeful, this story of a farming revival has never been more important‘ – Esther Freud

Sarah Langford had left her country roots behind to live and work in the city as a barrister. But when she found herself moving to the countryside, back to an agricultural life she had left behind, she saw farmers dealing with very different problems to those faced by her grandfather, who had fed a starving nation after war. Beleaguered with the challenges of climate change, Brexit and falling incomes, they faced accusations of ecological mismanagement from a hostile media and public. But, as Sarah looked to them to teach her about the land, she also found a new generation of farmers on a path of regenerative change.

In Rooted, Sarah weaves her own story around these farmers – from dairy to arable, traditional to experimental – who taught her what being a farmer means. Intimate and moving, these stories shine a light on the human side of modern farming, and show us how land connects us all, not only in terms of global sustainability but in our relationships with our physical and mental health, our communities, our planet and ourselves.

An authentic, beautifully written portrait of 21st Century farming, this deeply personal account puts a powerful case: that the task of restoring our earth and ensuring a sustainable future both for our food and ourselves, lies in the hands of those who live closest to the land.

‘The Kew-trained king of the small-space garden.’ Guardian

Arthur Parkinson’s town garden is like a path of pots, a tiny, exposed stage on bricks. Despite its small size, a flower-filled jungle in Venetian tones is grown here each year, in defiance of urbanisation. The plants act like drapes, closing gently as their growth engulfs the front door, from either side of the path, to the buzz of precious bees.

This is gardening done entirely in pots, yet on a grand scale that will inspire anyone who wants their doorstep or patio to be a glamorous and lively canvas that nurtures them visually and mentally. From jewel scatterings of crocus, flocks of parrot tulips and scented sweet peas to galaxies of single dahlias, towering giraffes of amaryllises grown inside for winter and endless vases of cut blooms through the seasons.

With his bantam hens at his feet, Arthur shares his life, knowledge, flair and influences for planting creatively, all of which combine to create a space that’s rich in ever-changing colour and life.

A reissue of Henkeeping (2007). An inspirational and practical guide to keeping chickens in both rural and urban areas.

Chickens are back in style with a vengeance: poultry breeders are struggling to cope with the increase in demand and gardens resound to the contented cluck of chickens. This trend can be in part explained by the huge demand for organic and locally produced food; after all, what could be more natural than keeping your own chickens and collecting their eggs? This beautiful and practical guide advises on all aspects of chicken keeping, from advice on the full range of breeds available, choosing and buying the right chickens for you, to feeding and naming them and finally housing and caring for them. With charming illustrations throughout, you will find all you need to start and maintain your own chicken run.