Maggie Fergusson

The company of hens could be the best cure for depression

Their jostling energy and distinct personalities bring joy not only to their owners but increasingly to children in therapy and lonely pensioners in care homes

[Getty Images]
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  • Chicken Boy: My Life with Hens

    Arthur Parkinson

    Particular Books, pp. 233, £22

  • Under the Henfluence: The World of Chickens and the People Who Love Them

    Tove Danovich

    William Collins, pp. 219, £16

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