For a family movie night this weekend, we watched a PBS documentary by Mark Lewis called “The Natural History of the Chicken.” My son, who is a chicken person through and through, was absolutely thrilled about this, and I was intrigued, expecting a look back at chickens throughout history. What we saw was very different from our expectations, but far more entertaining. The first thing I can say is if you ever feel like a crazy chicken person, watching a move about folks far weirder than yourself really helps. Today, I feel downright normal.
This one hour documentary introduces us to some real characters and their chickens. From a Maine farmer who resuscitates her hen with CPR after finding it frozen stiff in a snowstorm, to a man raising 100 roosters for cock fighting in his semi-rural neighborhood, to a woman in love with her pet rooster who takes him out wearing his little diaper to eat a hamburger at McDonald’s, we see how much some people are into their chickens. One man does a very convincing crow, followed by a rooster’s mating dance. My favorite part was a look at the unsettling conditions of factory farmed poultry and eggs in America followed by a backyard farmer talking about how much his free-range flock means to his family. He takes us through a morning of children gathering eggs in the field, happy hens foraging for bugs all day long, a very humane killing and the family sitting down to a roast chicken dinner where deep gratitude was given for their meal.
One more gem in this movie was a man reading his inspirational story about his white silkie bantam hen named cotton who bravely put her own life on the line to protect her chicks. He begins by looking at the cultural practice of the word “chicken” as an insult, and ends the story saying that he would be proud to be called a “chicken.”
For all you chicken people out there, this is a must-see. Here’s a peek at the first part on YouTube, where I think you can even watch the whole thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkxO91TLKVg
Cluck, cluck, cluck….
Oh my goodness, I watched the first part of the film, and it was quite entertaining! Thanks for sharing.
I got a chuckle from reading your post, and I'm going to have to see if I can find this at the library. I love the movie Chicken Run, it's so cute, and I'm sure we would very much enjoy this documentary!