Five years ago, when the breeder dropped off six day-old fuzzy butts, and I installed them in a guinea pig cage sitting on a large blue tarp in the basement, I would never have predicted it. I was only in it for the eggs and maybe a chicken dinner.

The tarp was unnecessary as it turned out, but chickens have become a necessary part of my life. Intelligent creatures with diverse personalities and a complex social structure, chickens are quite entertaining to have around.

My wholly-unscientific theory is that chickens are interesting because they are highly evolved beings. Within the limitations of their physical selves, they  have reached an advanced state. After all, they have been around for a very long time. Chickens are the closest living relative to T. Rex.

My husband jokes that it’s a good thing I didn’t get chickens while our kids were little, the kids would have had to raise themselves. Mom would have been out with the chickens.