The Urban Hen

With piles of books still waiting to be read, there really was no reason to pop into Borders on the way back home this bank holiday on the off chance that I could resist buying yet more.

But that’s exactly what I did – pop in, not resist, naturally.

Indeed, as many have said before and many will say again, resistance is futile.

It was a mere five minutes (albeit mostly taken up with a pathetic bout of dithering) before I marched out of the store with my shiny new purchase in my bag – The Urban Hen: A Practical Guide to Keeping Poultry in a Town or City. 

Of course, I avidly devoured the book in a matter of days, stopping to add to my already brimming satisfaction at the fact that a book about keeping chickens might be written by a Mr Peacock, to heap upon it the mirth that comes with the knowledge that the head of the Domestic Waterfowl Club goes by the name of Mr Hatcher.

But enough.  This really is a good little read – and practical with it.  Not so much in the HFW school of crossing Indian Game with Dorkings with Wyandottes to find the best table bird (in reality, it seems, only the Wyandotte makes a good garden hen) whilst quaffing copious amounts of home brew with large side-burned country folk, but sensible in its suggestions and recommendations – even so far as to say which breeds are best with children and other pets.

If you do have a garden and the desire, I’d certainly recommend this.