Last year, we announced the eagerly-awaited exhibition Uncooped: Deconstructing the Domesticated Chicken, produced by the National Museum of Animals & Society and sponsored by United Poultry Concerns. The exhibit, which opened in May 2013 to coincide with UPC’s annual International Respect for Chickens Day May 4, features a wealth of historical and contemporary documentation of chicken-human relations available for exploration on UPC’s webpage Thinking Like a Chicken at www.upc-online.org/thinking.

This year, we are proud to announce that Uncooped is now a book that can be ordered directly from United Poultry Concerns. Uncooped curators L.A. Watson and Abbie Rogers explain in their INTRODUCTION that Uncooped, over two years in the making, was first conceived of and published as a virtual exhibit for The National Museum of Animals & Society in May 2013. Later reimagined and installed as a physical exhibit for the grand opening of NMAS in Los Angeles, on January 10, 2014, the exhibit has been adapted for travel to various locations throughout the country and abroad.

“The book you are now holding in your hands,” they explain, “is yet another iteration of Uncooped, and while the information contained here is only a fraction of that included in the online and physical exhibits, it marks a pivotal moment in the exhibit’s chronology. It documents the lasting legacy of what we believe is a historically important exhibit, the first to take seriously the complexities of human-chicken relations, to confront the ethical implications that arise from a paradigm that views chickens as merely a means to an end, and to chart a changing consciousness.

“The National Museum of Animals & Society graciously thanks United Poultry Concerns for their tireless dedication on behalf of chickens and other birds in need, ongoing support of the many iterations of the ‘Uncooped’ exhibition, and sincere generosity which has made this book possible.” Order from UPC by check or Money Order, or by credit card at www.upc-online.org/merchandise. $14.95.