Pam Percy's chicken tidbits:
|
Pam Percy loves chickens. She loves real chickens, painted chickens, movies about chickens, even chicken recipes. She loves chickens so much that she has written her first book, "The Complete Chicken," celebrating the life of our poultry pals and in hope of raising the public's "chicken awareness."
For 15 years, Pam has raised hundreds of chickens on her mini-farm in Brown Deer. Almost all of Pam's chickens are raised to be pets, not dinners. Pam and her husband have between 35 - 200 chickens in their coop at any given time. She admits that once in a while she raises a chicken for food purposes, but claims she has never eaten a chicken that she has named.
And she has named quite a few. One of her most special chickens was named Lola, who, according to Pam, had a striking resemblance to a 1940s movie starlet. "She had this big, gorgeous comb that seductively fell over her face and it reminded me of Gina Lolobrigida," says Pam.
Another chicken was named "Car Chicken" because every time Pam opened the car door, the chicken tried to jump in. And then there was the rooster named "Old Fool" who attacked a number of men, but never a single woman.
Before long, Pam started to collect "chickenalia," meaning anything with a chicken image, from salt-and-pepper shakers to throw pillows.
With so many chickens in her home and in her yard, curious-minded Pam went to the library in search of more chicken-related information. She was shocked by the lack of material. "I went to the Milwaukee Public Library, and I found absolutely nothing, so I quit my job as the managing director of Theatre X," says Pam. "I felt chickens calling."
Pam decided to write a book that would educate people about chickens, and their significant artistic, pop culture and historical roles. "Chickens have gotten a bum rap over the years," she says. "In 1474, a chicken was put on trial in Switzerland after being accused of being an evil creature who was in with Satan. He was convicted and burned at the stake."
But Pam is quick to remind that in ancient times, chickens were deeply appreciated, even used to predict the future. And in the mid-1800s, Americans were obsessed with chickens and a pair of exotic, Chinese-bred chickens cost up to $10,000.
Pam also discovered that almost every major artist has at one time painted a chicken image, including Picasso, Monet, Manet, Rembrandt and many others.
So what does she think of the popular movie "Chicken Run?" "It's one of my favorites," she says.
{INSERT_RELATED}To research her book, Pam traveled around the United States and Europe. She visited a chicken training school in Arkansas, ran by a man who teaches chickens to turn in circles, walk up ladders and other "tricks." Why? Mostly, just for fun, but also, according to Pam, "They train chickens to develop the skills to train dogs. It's quicker to train chickens."
Pam and her husband also visited a chicken farm in France where they learned how to raise Poulet de Bresse, a very rare breed of chicken. They were able to bring a few eggs home, making the couple the only people in the country to own these unique white birds with blue legs. "They are really beautiful," Pam says. "The rooster is magnificent and huge."
Getting the 144-page book published wasn't an easy task. Ten years ago, she created a manuscript but the world wasn't ready for fowl literature, and Pam ended up with a stack of rejection letters. So, she put the book aside, and started Hotel Milwaukee, a comedy - variety show that airs on National Public Radio.
Three years ago, she told Jay Rath, a comedy writer who had been on the show, about her chicken book, and he mentioned that his mother, Sara Rath, had written a book about pigs and another about cows. He suggested that Pam call Voyager, his mother's publisher, and the rest is history. "It was one of those serendipitous conversations," says Pam.
Pam hopes to write another book (potentially titled "Chickens in Art"), and she recently started a free-range chicken and egg business called Pampered Poultry. But for now, she's focusing on her current book, and, of course, her chickens.
"Chickens have this sense of timelessness. When I look out the window, they create a gentle pace. It's really interesting to watch them taking baths, engaging in chicken sex. Some people love to sit and watch fish, well, chickens have the same time-wasting ability."
Pam Percy will read from her book, "The Complete Chicken," at the Schwartz Bookshop in Mequon on Tues., Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. Call (262) 241-6220 for more information.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
