DOCTORAL THESIS From egg to dead small-scale chicken keeping in modem Britain Zoubek, Eva Award date: 2018 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 23. Sep. 2021 FROM EGG TO DEAD SMALL-SCALE CHICKEN KEEPING IN MODERN BRITAIN by Eva Zoubek, MSc A thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD Department of Life Sciences University of Roehampton 2018 ABSTRACT In course of the last ten years there has been a strong increase in the number of chicken keepers who keep chickens on a small-scale and for non-commercial reasons in the gardens of their homes. The aim of this thesis is to explore the practice of chicken keeping and to understand these keepers’ motivations, attitudes, and the relationships they have to their chickens. I adopt an ethnographic approach based on one-off visits and extended stays with chicken keepers, auto- and virtual ethnographic methods and semi-structured interviews. I discuss the architecture keepers use to protect and to contain chickens and the boundaries they draw between human and chicken spaces. I discuss instances when chickens become matter-out-of-place and consequently the identities they are assigned (e.g. vandal or cheeky visitor) and ways they are classified as animals, often between the pet-livestock distinction. Enskilment processes and skilled sensing are essential aspects of the practice of chicken keeping and are discussed while considering all human senses when engaging with and knowing how to keep chickens. Keepers get to know intimately, some as named individuals, others as members of a small flock, the chickens they live with. On the other hand, some chicken keepers are mostly interested in the productive qualities of their chickens and in the practice of producing food at home. I relate material on the attitudes and motivations of keepers to literature on the back-to-the-land movement, nostalgia for the countryside and the idealised imagery of the rural idyll. I suggest that chickens represent a symbol for the idealised rural idyll and that the keeping of chickens is a way for some small-scale chicken keepers to live the rural idyll without giving up the conveniences of modern British life. 1 Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 9 SMALL-SCALE CHICKEN KEEPING IN BRITAIN 1.1.1 OTHER RESEARCH ON CHICKEN KEEPING IN THE BRITAIN 1.1.2 DEMARCATION OF THE RESEARCH TOPIC 1.1.3 CHICKENS FOR FOOD 1.1.4 BACK-TO-THE-LAND MOVEMENTS LITERATURE ON HUMAN-ANIMAL RELATIONSHIPS AIM AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1.4 CHAPTER SUMMARY 2 METHODS 38 RESEARCH DESIGN ACCESS – FIRST STEPS VOLUNTEERING AT CITY FARMS VISITING CHICKEN KEEPERS STAYING WITH CHICKEN KEEPERS SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS AND INTERVIEWEES GROWHAMPTON AND AUTOETHNOGRAPHY VIRTUAL ETHNOGRAPHY WRITTEN DOCUMENTS 2.10.1 NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES 2.10.2 DOCUMENTS BY CHICKEN KEEPERS ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION REFLEXIVITY AND RESEARCHER’S ROLE LIST OF RESEARCH SUBJECTS CHAPTER SUMMARY 3 CLASSIFYING CHICKENS 78 CLASSIFICATION AND CATEGORIES CLASSIFYING CHICKEN BREEDS 3.2.1 RARE BREEDS 3.2.2 REVIEWING CHICKENS 3.2.3 HYBRID (OR COMMERCIAL) CHICKENS DOCILE AND FLIGHTY CHICKENS EX-COMMERCIAL HENS BREEDING STOCK AND OTHER CHICKENS SHIFTING CATEGORIES CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND CHAPTER SUMMARY 4 THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHICKEN KEEPING 119 MATERIAL CULTURE AND CONSUMPTION PARAPHERNALIA 4.2.1 PALACES FOR CHICKENS 4.2.2 KEEPING CHICKENS SECURED AND CONTAINED 4.2.3 OMLET AND THE EGLU 2 4.2.4 DIGITAL CHICKEN KEEPING 4.2.5 REPURPOSING AND DIY CULTURE 4.2.6 MAKING SENSE OF THE PARAPHERNALIA OF CHICKEN KEEPING MEMORABILIA CONSUMING CHICKENS CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND CHAPTER SUMMARY 5 APPRENTICESHIP IN CHICKEN KEEPING 162 GROWHAMPTON PLANNING THE CHICKEN PROJECT CHICKENS ON CAMPUS FROM EGG TO DEAD ENSKILMENT IN THE CHICKEN HOUSE CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND CHAPTER SUMMARY 6 FEELING (FOR) CHICKENS 193 LIVESTOCK IN THE CITY SMELLING AND TASTING CHICKENS 6.2.1 CHICKEN POO 6.2.2 KNOWING FAECES 6.2.3 CORN, STRAW, AND CHICKEN BREATH TOUCHING CHICKENS 6.3.1 CATCHING AND HOLDING CHICKENS 6.3.2 TOUCHING BALLOONS WATCHING CHICKENS 6.4.1 OBSERVING AND WATCHING 6.4.2 SEEING AND LOOKING AT CHICKENS HEARING AND LISTENING TO CHICKENS FEELING CHICKENS CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND CHAPTER SUMMARY 7 EDIBLE PETS – TRANSGRESSING BOUNDARIES 237 LIVESTOCK, PETS, AND COMPANION ANIMALS LIVING ALONGSIDE CROCODILES, VANDALS, AND COMPANIONS THE PURPOSE OF CHICKENS FEEDING, HEALING AND HATCHING CHICKENS 7.4.1 FEEDING CHICKENS 7.4.2 VETS OR DIY CHICKEN HEALTH 7.4.3 HATCHING CHICKS AND CULLING COCKERELS PRODUCTIVE PETS 7.5.1 FREELOADING HENS 7.5.2 COOLING-OFF AND EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND CHAPTER SUMMARY 8 LIVING THE GOOD LIFE – NOSTALGIA FOR THE RURAL IDYLL 286 THE GOOD LIFE NOSTALGIA FOR THE RURAL IDYLL 8.2.1 LIVING WITH MAUD, MABEL, AND MILLIE 8.2.2 RURAL IDYLL IN LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS 3 8.2.3 A HOME, NEVER QUITE COLD SHIFTING MOTIVATIONS TYPES OF CHICKEN KEEPERS: ATTITUDE, APPROACH, AND MOTIVATION 8.4.1 PET KEEPER 8.4.2 UTILITARIAN PET KEEPER 8.4.3 FLOCK KEEPER 8.4.4 UTILITARIAN FLOCK KEEPER CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND CHAPTER SUMMARY 9 FINAL REFLECTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 310 HUMAN SPACES - CHICKEN SPACES KNOWING CHICKENS AND SKILLED SENSING THE FLOCK AND THE INDIVIDUAL USING CHICKENS AS PRODUCERS - OF FOOD AND OF THE GOOD LIFE THIS THESIS AND FUTURE RESEARCH 10 APPENDICES 322 ETHICAL APPROVAL NEWSPAPER RESEARCH CONSENT FORM SAMPLE GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR THE SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY 341 4 Table of Figures and Tables FIGURE 1 NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS IN 2-YEAR INTERVALS 2007/08 - 2015/16 FIGURE 2 FEATHERED LIFE MAGAZINE COVER FROM 1903 FIGURE 3 NGRAM - % OF ALL DOCUMENTS MENTIONING KEEPING CHICKENS (RED) AND KEEPING HENS (BLUE) RECORDED BY GOOGLE FIGURE 4 A SMALL SECTION OF THE CONCEPT MAP WHICH I USED TO IDENTIFY RELEVANT THEMES EMERGING THROUGH MY RESEARCH FIGURE 5 CLASSIFICATION OF CHICKENS BY SMALL-SCALE CHICKEN KEEPERS FIGURE 6 FOUR OF THE HENS OF THE INITIAL GROWHAMPTON CHICKEN FLOCK FIGURE 7 SPECKLED SUSSEX CHICKENS (GROWHAMPTON CHICKENS) FIGURE 8 EGGS IN DIFFERENT SHADES (GROWHAMPTON CHICKEN EGGS) FIGURE 9 SCREENSHOT FROM THE BARNEVELDER BREED PAGE (SOURCE: OMLET N.D.-B) FIGURE 10 OMLET'S BREED RATING TOOL (SOURCE: OMLET N.D.-B) FIGURE 12 BREEDING STOCK - SHANNON'S CHICKENS FIGURE 13 ‘OTHER’ CHICKENS FIGURE 14 THE NOGG (SOURCE: NOGG N.D.) FIGURE 15 CHICKEN HOUSE WITH BUILT-IN ENCLOSURE (SOURCE: FLYTESOFANCY N.D.-A) FIGURE 16 CHICKEN CARAVAN (SOURCE: FLYTESOFANCY N.D.-C) FIGURE 17 WOODEN CHICKEN HOUSE WITH HEART (SOURCE: FLYTESOFANCY N.D.-B) FIGURE 18 PLAN FOR A CHICKEN ARK (SOURCE: DIY CHICKEN COOPS N.D.) FIGURE 19 JILL'S CHICKEN HOUSE AND ENCLOSURE FIGURE 20 CHICKEN AVIARY (SOURCE: FRAMEBOW N.D.) FIGURE 21 CHICKEN AVIARY 2 (SOURCE: FRAMEBOW N.D.) FIGURE 22 THE EGG HATCH OF THE OMLET (SOURCE: OMLET N.D.-F) FIGURE 23 THE DROPPING TRAY OF THE OMLET (S: OMLET N.D.-F) FIGURE 24 THE LARGEST SIZE OF THE EGLU MODEL FIGURE 25 CHICKENS IN HIGH-VISIBILITY WESTS OFFERED BY OMLET (S: OMLET N.D.-D) FIGURE 26 CHICKEN ON SWING FROM OMLET (SOURCE: OMLET N.D.-D) FIGURE 27 SCREENSHOT OF OMLET'S CHICKEN BREED SECTION (SOURCE: OMLET N.D.-C) FIGURE 28 AN IMAGE SHARED IN A CHICKEN RELATED FACEBOOK GROUP IN MEMORY OF A HEN WHICH RECENTLY DIED FIGURE 29 YOUTUBE VIDEO BY WARWICKSHIRE CHICKEN CHANNEL (SOURCE: WARWICKSHIRE CHICKENS 2012) FIGURE 30 TREE LOGS, A SWING, AND A MIRROR FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT OF THE CHICKENS FIGURE 31 TRAMPOLINE REPURPOSED AS CHICKEN ENCLOSURE (SOURCE: PRELOVED) FIGURE 32 TREATING AN ILL COCKEREL WITH TYLAN 5 FIGURE 33 EGG SKELTER FIGURE 34 FRAMED IMAGES OF CHICKENS IN MEMORY OF CHICKENS WHICH DIED FIGURE 35 TABLE SETS WITH DRAWINGS OF A CHICKEN FIGURE 36 TWO DECORATIVE WOODEN HENS FIGURE 37 A PAINTING OF A COCKEREL FIGURE 38 LEGO FIGURE IN CHICKEN SUIT FIGURE 39 WINE GLASSES WITH CHICKEN FIGURE FIGURE 40 LEGO CHICKEN FIGURE FIGURE 41 DOOR-STOPPER CHICKEN FIGURE 42 DECORATIVE PLATE WITH PAINTED CHICKEN FIGURE 43 HOOKS FEATURING CHICKENS FIGURE 44 MUGS FEATURING CHICKENS FIGURE 45 BELL WITH A COCKEREL FIGURE ON THE TOP FIGURE 46 TWO MUGS FEATURING CHICKENS FIGURE 47 CHICKEN FIGURES FIGURE 48 EGG CUP FEATURING A CHICKEN FIGURE 49 JUG WITH CHICKEN DRAWINGS FIGURE 50 LOGO OF GROWHAMPTON FIGURE 51 THE POULTRY AUCTION HALL FIGURE 52 GROWHAMPTON CHICKENS WITH ENCLOSURE IN THE BACKGROUND FIGURE 53 GROWHAMPTON VOLUNTEERS SPENDING TIME WITH THE CHICKS IN THE OFFICE FIGURE 54 HOLLY'S CHICKEN ENCLOSURE AND ALLOTMENT GARDEN FIGURE 55 HOLLY'S EGG STORAGE PLACE FIGURE 56 PICKLED EGGS, WHICH I PREPARED WITH JAMIE FIGURE 57 FAECES MODELS, MADE AND USED BY STEPHANIE FOR HER CHICKEN KEEPING CLASSES TO TEACH THE PARTICIPANTS ABOUT ABNORMAL/NORMAL TYPES OF FAECES FIGURE 58 NOVICE VOLUNTEER HOLDING ONE OF THE GROWHAMPTON CHICKENS FIGURE 59 MARK HOLDING A HEN FIGURE 60 CHICK