MartinHafer Mark Lewis has made several quirky documentaries about animals--such as about dogs, cats, cane toads and in this case, the chicken. In the case of this chicken film, the show seems very episodic--with a wide variety of folks discussing chickens. Some are farmers, some are people who HATED that their neighbor suddenly started raising very LOUD chickens, some talk about the famous headless chicken ('Mike') owned by Olie, and some seemed just plain infatuated with them! One woman, in particular, has a pet chicken that she dotes over and adores--just like a puppy. I will make no comments about this lady--you just have to see her to believe her! In addition to all the odd stories and characters you also briefly take a trip to a HUGE egg-producing facility that was a bit disturbing--the chickens really were crammed together very tightly. You also, at a GREAT distance, see a guy beheading a chicken and discussing how this is something people don't want to think about--but we DO eat chickens! There's nothing exactly profound or deep about this film. Just an odd little celebration of this animal. Still, in a strange way, it's quite watchable. A decent time-passer.

pdwebbsite You know if it says PBS it will have quality, as far as documentaries go--but who would have thought an hour's worth of chicken fact, trivia, and homespun truth could be so entertaining! Having grown up around friends and neighbors who raised chickens in their backyards I know how amusing these feathered comedians can be. Yet, there is also something dignified about them as well. This documentary covers the whole scenario of where chickens are in the hearts of Americans. They are livestock, they are pets, they are sideshow wonderment,and they are noisy nuisances. They are also big business. Clever editing, reenactments, and filming techniques make this a keeper. We tend to watch it in winter, right around when the snow is lingering too long on the ground. Watching Cotton the Chicken taking a swim, or the drama of Valerie's rescue is enough to bring anyone out of the winter glums.

TxMike Last night on PBS I watched "Natural History of the Chicken", expecting to see a rather dry scientific discourse on the evolution of the chicken, and a history of how it achieved its current status in out modern society. It was nothing like that!It is entertaining, funny, smart, educational. At times I asked myself, "Is this a Christopher Guest film, like 'Best in Show'?" There was the fluffy white chicken kept as a pet, rides in a car, carried in a basket through the supermarket. And with a diaper, no less! The chicken that froze outside, then was revived through "mouth to beak resuscitation." The 100 fighting roosters that made so much noise the neighbors had to get a court order to shut them down to 5 max! The miserable life of laying chickens in pens. The "headless" chicken that wouldn't die. The little, fluffy white chicken that protected her chicks when the hawk dived down. Very well done film, I hope to catch it again, as a documentary I rate it "8" of 10, might even deserve a "9". Marvelous!! :-)

nbasile The director said this is his celebration of the chicken. He is right. I really enjoyed this film. It shows the charming stories of chickens living on a lovely Maine farm. It also shows the horrors of chickens living in factories. But, it does not preach, only gives you the facts. I highly recommend it. You won't believe the re-enactments!