Chickens!

I really want chickens. Bad-ly! I’ve been talking about this to hubby for several years now and it appears to be close to happening. Four years ago we replaced the corrugated tin roof on our empty chicken coop because of a hail storm. Big hail. Three years ago we replaced the windows and repainted the outside of the coop a happy shade of barn red. Two years ago we cleaned out the inside, repairing woodchuck damage to our dirt floor. Big woodchucks. And last year we placed the fence-posts that will surround our chicken yard, to protect our little sweeties from ravenous dog packs and foxes and such. Don’t want to hastily rush into a big decision like chickens. We’re talking about a good sized “flock” of 8 or 10 birds here. I guess this summer we could actually put up the chicken wire. Build a gate. A gate that opens under the hand-painted sign bearing the name of our chicken coop: Villa Villa Coopa (think Pippi Longstocking).

The other thing I would like to do is decorate the coop. You know, with paintings of hens on squares of barn board. The kids will each make a painting of their dream bird and we’ll hang them up inside the chicken coop. It sounds very Americana to me. I might even make gingham or calico-print aprons for us girls to wear when we go out every morning to collect the eggs. When we go out into that beautiful early morning summer sunshine. Of course, if it does happen to be raining, we will just wear some adorable pink polka-dotted rubber rain boots with our homemade aprons.

I’m sure the boys would dutifully don their knee-patched denim Osh-Kosh B’Gosh overalls, lace up their leather work boots, toss a stem of oats, or wheat, or something… into their mouths (while whistling) and head out there to take their turn cleaning out that chicken coop. I can just picture them feeling all manly, very responsible and grown up as they pull their shovels down off the wall. We’ll all be proud of them. They’ll chat with the hens, playfully teasing them about… whatever a boy would tease a chicken about.

It’s all so dreamy. Fresh eggs, a cute little chicken coop full of happy little chickens, aprons, paintings, oh - and friendly neighbors who pop in to buy eggs! Of course the eggs that don’t sell we’ll just bring to the famer’s market. We’ll probably make a fortune. Who wouldn’t want chickens?