Extraordinary Chickens

by Stephen Green-Armytage

If you've ever thought chickens are dull, take a look at this book! Extraordinary Chickens showcases dozens of exotic and unusual breeds. I knew that some chickens are bred for show, but I had no idea how beautiful and bizarre they can be. There are chickens little and big, streamlined and fat. There are chickens who look like they've had a perm (frizzles) and ones with such fine feathers it looks like mammal fur (silkies). Chickens with pom-poms on their heads, or on their feet. Some have fantastically strange combs- including ones split like two horns- others have no combs at all and look like vultures or crows. Chickens with no tail, and chickens with tails twenty feet long! Chickens with beards, with mowhawks, with whiskers! There's even a chicken with a naked neck. It made me think of the sphinx cat. I thought the most striking feather pattern was on the Sebright. And the most beautiful the Yokohama. There's even a photo of the red jungle fowl, which looks just like a chicken to me! Besides the stunning photographs, there is an essay "The Strange and Beautiful World of Exotic Chickens" which was quite interesting, and brief notes on all the featured breeds.

Rating: 3/5                112 pages, 2000