A Celebration

Hen Party

An illustrated compendium of common and rare breed chickens by the Sunday Times bestselling gardener 
It is my hope that this book will help you discover, or reconfirm, which chicken breeds are your favourites and encourage you to keep them yourself, or at least to remember them. 
 
Spotlighting more than fifty breeds of chicken, from the classy Ancona to the lavishly laced Wyandotte, Arthur Parkinson shares everything you need to know about each breed’s attributes, behaviour, quirks and qualities alongside gorgeous illustrations of his ‘ladies’. Later in the book he offers detailed advice that will equip you with the practical skills to look after hens in your own garden, whether the most common breeds or the most perilously rare – for as Arthur notes, if we don’t celebrate all hens great and small, the lesser-known varieties may well disappear. 
 
Joyful and inspiring, Hen Party is a riotous, clucking poultry show of a book for anyone dreaming of the good life.

Arthur Parkinson was born and bought up in Nottinghamshire. He has loved chickens all his life and his other passions concern organic gardening, conservation and sustainable floristry. He is a writer, illustrator and photographer with his work and interests regularly shared on his Instagram account. This is his fifth book. @Arthurparkinson_

It is my hope that this book will help you discover, or reconfirm, which chicken breeds are your favourites and encourage you to keep them yourself, or at least to remember them. 
 
Spotlighting more than fifty breeds of chicken, from the classy Ancona to the lavishly laced Wyandotte, Arthur Parkinson shares everything you need to know about each breed’s attributes, behaviour, quirks and qualities alongside gorgeous illustrations of his ‘ladies’. Later in the book he offers detailed advice that will equip you with the practical skills to look after hens in your own garden, whether the most common breeds or the most perilously rare – for as Arthur notes, if we don’t celebrate all hens great and small, the lesser-known varieties may well disappear. 
 
Joyful and inspiring, Hen Party is a riotous, clucking poultry show of a book for anyone dreaming of the good life.

Arthur Parkinson

Poetic... Parkinson writes with great lyricism... His knowledgeable enthusiasm is infectious

A joy from the very first page. Arthur's beautiful, lively and accurate drawings of these enchanting feathery people are irresistible, and I just love the way he writes.  I am now jealous of fox-free areas where chickens may be kept. The photographs are award-winning: the whole thing is bliss

An author whose writing is as unashamedly ebullient as his dazzling displays

This hugely informative, joyful and amusing book has me desperately wondering and hoping that I could, after all, find space in my small garden for a few chickens. Maybe the rhubarb will have to go

John Wright, author of THE FORAGER'S CALENDAR

My Life With Hens

Most of us want a dog, or a cat, or a pony when we are young &ndash; but for Arthur Parkinson, it was always hens. Growing up in an ex-mining town in Nottinghamshire, the other kids in the playground called him 'Chicken Boy'. The quiet fulfilment of keeping hens became his sanctuary, a tonic for mental and physical health, a connection with his family and the natural world. Illustrated with Arthur's own characterful watercolours and photographs of his &lsquo;girls&rsquo;, Chicken Boy is a one-of-a-kind memoir of a life in nature.

Arthur Parkinson

Praise for Chicken Boy

Poetic... Parkinson writes with great lyricism... His knowledgeable enthusiasm is infectious

A joy from the very first page. Arthur's beautiful, lively and accurate drawings of these enchanting feathery people are irresistible, and I just love the way he writes. I am now jealous of fox-free areas where chi ...

An author whose writing is as unashamedly ebullient as his dazzling displays

Poetic... Parkinson writes with great lyricism... His knowledgeable enthusiasm is infectious

A joy from the very first page. Arthur's beautiful, lively and accurate drawings of these enchanting feathery people are irresistible, and I just love the way he writes. I am now jealous of fox-free areas where chi ...

An author whose writing is as unashamedly ebullient as his dazzling displays

Poetic... Parkinson writes with great lyricism... His knowledgeable enthusiasm is infectious

A joy from the very first page. Arthur's beautiful, lively and accurate drawings of these enchanting feathery people are irresistible, and I just love the way he writes. I am now jealous of fox-free areas where chi ...

An author whose writing is as unashamedly ebullient as his dazzling displays

Books by Arthur Parkinson

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