Chicken Boy: My Life With Hens

Product Information

Arthur Parkinson is the author of The Pottery Gardener and The Flower Yard , and the co-host, with Sarah Raven, of the popular Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange podcast. 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. And to be able to walk round a garden full of flowers and chickens with him talking and laughing and sharing stories. Most of us want a dog, or a cat, or a pony when we are young - for Arthur Parkinson, it was always hens.

The whole point of this book is to build a generous, nurturing relationship with the natural world and to rebalance things in favour of a world of we have so long taken from and not given back to. 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. Parkinson is charming and knowledgeable, passionate about chickens and the way of life he has chosen and he is very generous in the way he shares it with the reader. If the initial age verification is unsuccessful, we will contact you asking you to provide further information to prove that you are aged 18 or over.Brings to life the joy of keeping hens and enriches one understanding of them in a beautiful and engaging way. Parkinson’s gentle, passionate voice shines through his writing, which is unpretentious and accessible. His writing and photography are regularly featured in the Daily Telegraph , and have appeared in The Times , Country Life and Country Living , among other magazines and newspapers; he has also featured in BBC Two's Gardeners' World . Additional note that this is the most beautiful and satisfying hardback book I now own, the format and texture and every page so well thought through n produced.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It is impossible to easily classify the book in terms of genre: part reflection on the joys of keeping hens, part memoir of the substantial role that chickens have played in Parkinson’s life, part guide to hen keeping, part encyclopedia of the beautiful menagerie of chicken breeds.I have neither inclination nor conducive circumstances to raise chickens anytime soon (although I generally enjoy reading about agrarian life and have always been fond of chickens), but Chicken Boy ranks among my favorite reads in recent memory. 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. It is also the book for people who already keep hens as there is something to learn on almost every page. Kudos to the publisher for creating a book that feels special and high quality, with a gorgeous cover design and color scheme that complement Parkinson’s top notch chicken illustrations and photographs, which are included on at least every other page and add so much to the experience of the book. Arthur Parkinson is an English author, Gardener, photographer, illustrator and farm animal rights campaigner, originally from Nottinghamshire where he still spends much of his time between living also in Gloucestershire.

With delightful anecdotes, practical insights, and a dash of humour, this book celebrates the simple pleasures of connecting with nature and the enchantment that comes from sharing your life with these feathered friends. This is for more than that, lovely narrative and packed with information that’s given in a warm and friendly way. Join Arthur Parkinson as he shares his journey of raising chickens and finding joy in his feathery companions. Came away with a much deeper understanding of my hens, what they need and how I can improve their lives for the better. But the quiet fulfilment of keeping hens became his sanctuary, a tonic for mental and physical health, and in this memoir he details his connection with hens, his family and the natural world.Arthur Parkinson is the author of The Pottery Gardener and The Flower Yard, and the co-host, with Sarah Raven, of the popular Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange podcast. Would love to have chickens but not enough space unfortunately and having read this book I would want only the best for my chickens!

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.Although it might seem like a book on hen keeping would appeal to only a niche audience, I feel confident that most readers would thoroughly enjoy it.