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3.5 

What the Chicken Knows

By Sy Montgomery
What the Chicken Knows by Sy Montgomery digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A charming and eye-opening exploration of the special relationship between humans and chickens from Sy Montgomery, “one of our finest chroniclers of the natural world” (The New York Times).

For more than two decades, Sy Montgomery—whose The Soul of an Octopus was a National Book Award finalist—has kept a flock of chickens in her backyard. Each chicken has an individual personality (outgoing or shy, loud or quiet, reckless or cautious) and connects with Sy in her own way.

In this short, delightful book, Sy takes us inside the flock and reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures: only hours after leaving the egg, they are able to walk, run, and 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 this, but for Sy what’s more astonishing is how little most people know about chickens, especially considering there are about twenty percent more chickens on earth than people.

With a winning combination of personal narrative and science, What the Chicken Knows is exactly the kind of book that has made Sy Montgomery such a beloved and popular author.

59 Reviews

3.5
“I had a friend tell me recently that they read this book because "I want to know what the chicken knows!" Well, golly gee, after talking to them about it, I did too! Unfortunately for me, I wanted more facts and less anecdotes. If you like chickens and want a quick read, it's probably worth it. (Or in my case, the 2 hour listen. Narration by the author.)”
“It’s a cute recollection of personal experiences and facts about hens—a lovely and easy read. I was hoping for more science and something closer to a field guide, but I’ll just have to look elsewhere.”

About Sy Montgomery

Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, adventurer, and author of more than thirty acclaimed books of nonfiction for adults and children, including The Hummingbirds’ GiftThe Hawk’s Way, the National Book Award finalist The Soul of an Octopus, and most recently, Of Time and Turtles, which was a New York Times bestseller. The recipient of numerous honors, including lifetime achievement awards from the Humane Society and the New England Booksellers Association, she lives in New Hampshire with her husband, writer Howard Mansfield, and a border collie.

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