"The Secret Lives of Chickens" does not describe how to raise chickens but rather how chickens live their lives, what their own society is like, what they do in their day-to-day living, their generally contented and happy approach to life, their many wiles, and more. Chickens are much more than we generally assume them to be. They are clever and they outsmart us all the time. What they do, and the situations in which they find themselves, can be humorous, and warm, and friendly. "The Secret Lives of Chickens" is a pleasant, easy to read book. This second edition of the hardcover book has been re-formatted from 10x8 to 8x10, some of the many photos have been spruced up a bit, but otherwise the content is the same.

"Within a day of receiving this book, I had consumed it... Absorbing, moving, and compulsively readable."—Lydia Davis In this affectionate, heart-warming chronicle, Rosamund Young distills a lifetime of organic farming wisdom, describing the surprising personalities of her cows and other animals At her famous Kite's Nest Farm in Worcestershire, England, the cows (as well as sheep, hens, and pigs) all roam free. They make their own choices about rearing, grazing, and housing. Left to be themselves, the cows exhibit temperaments and interests as diverse as our own. "Fat Hat" prefers men to women; "Chippy Minton" refuses to sleep with muddy legs and always reports to the barn for grooming before bed; "Jake" has a thing for sniffing the carbon monoxide fumes of the Land Rover exhaust pipe; and "Gemima" greets all humans with an angry shake of the head and is fiercely independent. An organic farmer for decades, Young has an unaffected and homely voice. Her prose brims with genuine devotion to the wellbeing of animals. Most of us never apprehend the various inner lives animals possess, least of all those that we might eat. But Young has spent countless hours observing how these creatures love, play games, and form life-long friendships. She imparts hard-won wisdom about the both moral and real-world benefits of organic farming. (If preserving the dignity of animals isn't a good enough reason for you, consider how badly factory farming stunts the growth of animals, producing unhealthy and tasteless food.) This gorgeously-illustrated book, which includes an original introduction by the legendary British playwright Alan Bennett, is the summation of a life's work, and a delightful and moving tribute to the deep richness of animal sentience.

When Daniel finds out that his class is going to hatch chicks as a science project, he is thrilled. He's sure that his parents will let him adopt Peepers, who is his favorite. But who ever guessed that chicks could run amok and get into so much trouble?! This warmhearted chapter book about an environmentally-conscious family's experiment with poultry farming will provide plenty of clucks and lots of chuckles for young readers.

"A deeply curious and evenhanded report on our national appetites." --The New York Times In the tradition of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma, an extraordinary investigation into the human lives at the heart of the American grocery store The miracle of the supermarket has never been more apparent. Like the doctors and nurses who care for the sick, suddenly the men and women who stock our shelves and operate our warehouses are understood as 'essential' workers, providing a quality of life we all too easily take for granted. But the sad truth is that the grocery industry has been failing these workers for decades. In this page-turning expose, author Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on the highly secretive grocery industry. Combining deep sourcing, immersive reporting, and sharp, often laugh-out-loud prose, Lorr leads a wild investigation, asking what does it take to run a supermarket? How does our food get on the shelves? And who suffers for our increasing demands for convenience and efficiency? In this journey: We learn the secrets of Trader Joe's success from Trader Joe himself Drive with truckers caught in a job they call "sharecropping on wheels" Break into industrial farms with activists to learn what it takes for a product to earn certification labels like "fair trade" and "free range" Follow entrepreneurs as they fight for shelf space, learning essential tips, tricks, and traps for any new food business Journey with migrants to examine shocking forced labor practices through their eyes The product of five years of research and hundreds of interviews across every level of the business, The Secret Life of Groceries is essential reading for those who want to understand our food system--delivering powerful social commentary on the inherently American quest for more and compassionate insight into the lives that provide it.

Anand Prahlad was born on a former plantation in Virginia in 1954. This memoir, vividly internal, powerfully lyric, and brilliantly impressionistic, is his story. For the first four years of his life, Prahlad didn’t speak. But his silence didn’t stop him from communicating—or communing—with the strange, numinous world he found around him. Ordinary household objects came to life; the spirits of long-dead slave children were his best friends. In his magical interior world, sensory experiences blurred, time disappeared, and memory was fluid. Ever so slowly, he emerged, learning to talk and evolving into an artist and educator. His journey takes readers across the United States during one of its most turbulent moments, and Prahlad experiences it all, from the heights of the Civil Rights Movement to West Coast hippie enclaves to a college town that continues to struggle with racism and its border state legacy. Rooted in black folklore and cultural ambience, and offering new perspectives on autism and more, The Secret Life of a Black Aspie will inspire and delight readers and deepen our understanding of the marginal spaces of human existence.

This exhaustively researched, clearly written, and profusely illustrated book is the essential volume on backyard chicken keeping Chickens are many things: a source of meat and eggs, amusing images in pop culture, lovable pets, and a source of comfort at the end of a hard day. Whether you’re considering joining the growing flock of backyard chicken keepers or simply inspired by leafing through images of gorgeous hens and roosters, this book is a must. A majority of the 150 most-populated US cities allow backyard chickens, and during the pandemic, the backyard chicken trend surged. Online searches for chick supplies are off the charts, with local hatcheries recording a 500 percent increase in demand, as people look to reduce environmental impact, improve food traceability, connect with nature, or simply relish the pure joy of chicken company. The Backyard Chicken Keeper’s Bible is the fourth title in this stunning and engaging series from Abrams and is the perfect homestead companion to The Beekeeper’s Bible. It is packed with everything you need to fully embrace a new chicken-keeping lifestyle. A sumptuous aesthetic is paired with practical tips on identifying backyard breeds and supporting good chicken health, ranging from basic brooding to common ailments. Learn what the best backyard breed is for you and the equipment needed to start your own home flock. Discover the soft cuddliness of a Bantam Silkie, the superb egg-sitting skills of a Plymouth Rock, the best method for constructing a chicken run, and how to keep your chickens happy and thriving—all in this beautiful, illustrated gift book.

Readers learn about the life cycle of a chicken, from egg to chicken.