so, last week i met these really hot chicks....

i have a confession to make. i like chickens.

i never really expected to enjoy chickens this much. chickens were always something that i saw once in a while, perhaps threw some blades of grass to at a neighbour's house, maybe saw at local agriculture events. they were enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable. having chickens is a whole different ball park.

when we picked up twenty little chicks last weekend i did it in the thought that this would be a good way to become a little more self-sufficient - you know, use up some food scraps and grow some eggs, live a little closer to the way our ancestors did.

now i understand how they lived so well without tv.

i've never been a tv fanatic. it's a good way to pass a few minutes in the evening after work and that's about it. i enjoy a little simpsons, sometimes a little david suzuki, but not much more than that.

having chickens is a bit like watching most extreme elimination challenge, the sopranos, and the parliamentary channel all at the same time - some of them are running a pointless obstacle course, some are plotting brutal revenge on their neighbours, and others are arguing over the leftover crumbs at the bottom of the box, all while someone else is falling asleep in the background.

of course, it's not that easy keeping these chickens. being but wee chicks yet it seems that every draft gives them a chill, that the pangs of hunger strike them constantly, or that their heat lamp is disturbing their beauty sleep. it keeps us on our toes. there are wood shavings mysteriously spreading throughout our house. my pockets are full of chicken feed. our cats have turned into death-plotting machines. but that's just a part of the fun.

so, i'll admit it. i like keeping chickens. you may scoff at me and my rural ambition, but i'm having a blast. besides, can you tell me when was the last time that a chicken crapped in your hand?

i can.