PART 2 WHY KEEP CHICKENS? The Romans used chicken behaviour to divine the future, especially during war time (lively chickens meant good news; sluggish chickens didn’t get a second gig). African tribes revered them as symbols of nurture and fertility. The Victorians bred them specifically for their plumage and colour. Chickens were also prized by the Europeans settling in Australia, as they provided much needed protein in the form of eggs and meat – and they required much less food and land than other farmed animals. The backyard chook was a fixture of the Aussie household until urbanisation industrial food production, which really took off in the 1950s. Chickens then mostly disappeared into commercial barns, other than in the country where the need for self-sufficiency remained. So why is there so much interest in backyard chickens again? Reversing the trend of half a century of de-chooking our suburbs, the last decade has seen a re-emergence of the backyard hen- house across Australia. People are rediscovering the benefits and the beauty of these fantastic birds, which go well beyond fresh eggs. Read on! WHILE THE PLEASURE OF CARING FOR YOUR OWN FLOCK IS ITS OWN REWARD, PEOPLE THROUGH THE AGES HAVE KEPT CHOOKS CLOSE TO HOME FOR ALL SORTS OF REASONS. 18 | THE CHOOK BOOK