I'm no Chicken Fancier but get ready for the pedigree cocks and red-breasted chicks provided by this "Beautiful Chickens" book which I found for £2 in an Oxfam today. Because chickens are fun.

Impressive poultry fill the pages of Beautiful Chickens: Portraits of Champion Breeds such as the beautiful the Plymouth Rock Cock and Frizzle Hen.

Some are clearly chickens, other's look like their tyrannosaur ancestors. A few look like feather dusters with feet but all of them are caught in a pose filled with character.

I've never raised chickens and I couldn't name a single breed, but this book leapt off the shelf at me between stacks of dusty second-hand books.

I decided to add it to my photobook collection the moment I saw the words "Beautiful Chickens". Sold. Nuff' said as far as I'm concerned.

A book of the finest cocks for my coffee table.

The photography of these champion breeds by Andrew Perris has the hurried look of a probably frustrating photoshoot yet it still captures the spark of life in the eyes of these funny animals.

I cannot imagine that chicken portraits are easy. I hope they're not drugged. Let's not think about it. The photography is great and each characteristic detail is brought out so that every idiosyncrasy is highlighted.

Most importantly, the silliness of these jester-like birds is present in every picture.

Love it.