That was a great story.

It's a beautiful thing, it is

There will be chicken cheerleaders at this year's Puppy Bowl.

I really want chickens. My neighborhood does not allow them, and I'm an obsessively law-abiding citizen, but I reallllly want to have chickens.

We raised 4 hens from chicks when our daughter was about 13. Each one had a different personality, especially the one who learned to crow just like a rooster. They drove the dog nuts (she kept trying to herd them). With their human nannies, they roved all over our 1 acre lot during the day, while at night they lived in a lean-to pen surrounded by (what else?) chicken wire. I kid you not when I tell you that we used to sit on some railroad tie tiers on the slope to the side of their pen and drink wine while we watched their antics (and yes, friends told us we'd been living in the country too long).

We had 4 eggs a day for the better part of 4 years (the neighbors loved those chickens!). Not all that surprising, since we made and fed them hot mash and dug up our hillside to supply 'em with a steady diet of earthworms too. But we loved them as pets long after they stopped laying eggs.

Eventually they succumbed to drift from pest spray, old age, and one to a dog attack that came out of nowhere. Although I loved its use of euphemism, I could never have brought myself to follow the advice of the 4H Book Chapter titled: "Recycling the Flock". ( )

Thanks for sharing the story, Addie. It really brought back some great memories.

I've never owned chickens, but I had a friend who had a couple pens of chickens when I was in high school. I'd make sure they had food and water and collect the eggs when they went on vacation. All I remember clearly is that the rooster in the breeding pen was an @$$hol3!

That said, I'm making chicken and rice for dinner tonight. Just sorta worked out that way.