Chickens are have to be one of the coolest animals on the planet. Everyday a fresh large grade A brown egg is delivered to a pile of dry grass behind the cutterhouse. I dont feed this chicken. She roams the farm during the day eating whatever she finds. Every evening she and her mate showup at the cattle feeder to pick up some spilled feed. I dont even have to house her, she sleeps in an orange tree outside the shop.
I have a horse, a mule, a dog, a bull, 34 cows, 6 calfs, and 3 chickens on the field right now and I can tell you the chicken is my favorite. Some people like horses, but to me they are just transportation. The mule, well, he is just a pain in the ass (pun intended). Dogs always need too much attention. A bull does not make a good pet. Cows are nice pleasant animals but are mostly just eating machines.
The chicken has an interesting personality. Always curious, pecking around and getting into surprising places. A while back I had a single young rooster on the property and he got pretty lonely. Pretty soon he decided to take up residence in the shop. He followed every move I made, getting his beak right up to where I was cutting with the chisel. Even cuddled up for a nap with me once. I was disappointed but not surprised when he left me to spend time with a hen I bought for him.
In addition to all this, the rooster makes a pretty good alarm clock not to mention a tasty meal.
