The PigPen's Resplendent Kaffeeklatsch

[milo]

I have chickens now, not sure why, but I love them dearly.  I don't have the heart to keep them locked up all day - they are birds and they love to run free.  Unfortunately, not all of my neighbors are on  board with this.  One in particular will park at the end of her driveway and honk until I come fetch my chickens out of her yard.

My solution is to let them out later in the day as it gives them less time to misbehave.  Unfortunately, the can see me through the kitchen window so everytime I pass, the rooster starts crowing like crazy - LET US OUT!  he says

and the hens start squawking.  I am ducking down trying to make my way to the coffee pot . . .

My neighbor two doors down has chickens and ducks (also bunnies, dogs, and a demon cat ... but those are inside). It's technically against the association rules, but I grew up on a farm so they look homey to me. (Also, they eat bugs and I would always rather see a chicken than a bug). They are always escaping and roaming and then all her kids tumble out of the house and scramble them back into the pen.  The neighbor in between is annoyed, but I love the drama.

People definitely have different feelings about it.  My one neighbor who is the percussion director for the symphony orchestra loves them.  He said he suffers from anxiety and that the chickens are so silly they help him relax.  He orders gourmet chicken food for them off Amazon.  I am starting to grow concerned they might like him more than me . . .