The Farmer and The Hen: A Lancashire Love Story : The Poultry Industry in the Fylde 1845 - 1939

Ever wonder why the Lancashire landscape was once so full of chicken cabins? This book will tell you. Beginning with the cock fighting roots and the attempts to breed the perfect fighting bird, the book moves on to discuss how the same principles in breeding were used to improve the quality of laying hens, the introduction of heavier foreign strains, and the reduction, as much as possible, of the mother hen from the whole process. Central Lancashire in particular has always had an affinity with the chicken, and the reasons behind the Fylde farmer's love affair with poultry are examined, along with the careers of three major poultry farmers: Jonathan Collinson, Jack Wrennall and Tom Barron. These men were at the forefront of the development of poultry farming in the United Kingdom. The book should be of interest to anyone from Lancashire, and anyone who has chickens, either in intensive cabins or in a make-do shed in the back yard.