Sy Montgomery is the author of several books on animals, ordinary and extraordinary. Her new book What the Chicken Knows tackles one of the most common birds on the planet, but she argues that chickens are truly exceptional creatures.

Today, Sy joins us for the hour to talk about her new book and her experience owning and raising chickens.

Although chickens have a reputation of being rather unintelligent creatures, they actually have distinct personalities and communities.

Later, we touch on a recent avian flu outbreak that occurred in Texas, and what poultry farmers and chicken owners in our state need to know about it.

If you have chickens, we want to hear from you this hour.

GUEST:

• Sy Montgomery: author of What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird
• Indu Upadhyaya: Food Safety Extension Specialist, at UConn Extension College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources.