The Natural History of the Chicken

While fellow poultry masticators might agree that most chickens have important qualities--particularly the distinction between original and extra crispy--this carnivorous way of thinking is exactly what director Mark Lewis's The Natural History of the Chicken abhors. Illustrating a broader spectrum of virtues held by our feathered friends, the video shares several colorful stories with chicken protagonists: such as the woman who rescues Number 7 in her flock from being frozen in a nor'easter snowstorm; after bringing the rock-solid bird indoors and administering a little "mouth to beak," Number 7 (later renamed Valerie--for her valor) eventually makes a full recovery. Other highlights include a legal battle between a man raising raucous fighting cocks and his "bunch of lying yuppie" neighbors that want the birds to pipe down; the story of a Florida woman who shampoos, blow dries and fashions panties for her Japanese Silkie Bantam Rooster; sneak peeks into farms and egg-packing plants; and--look out John Travolta--a rousing mating dance buoyantly performed by an overall-clad gentleman. Sprinkled with surprising statistics and behind-the-farm-door scenes on the raising, egg production, slaughter, and annual consumption (80 pounds a year per American) of chickens, the video offers a good mix of eye-opening facts and entertaining anecdotes. And, if the account of chicken Liza's struggle to experience motherhood or the unbelievable tale of Mike, a Colorado fryer rooster that earned national attention after surviving beheading, isn't enough to give Colonel Sanders some ideas for a vegetarian menu, what is? Recommended, sans biscuits. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Williams)