Despite their popularity in the fried and oven-baked variety, chickens actually make pretty good pets.
My family had a chicken coop in our yard for a little while, and every morning we'd get to wake up, collect fresh eggs, and sprint away as fast as we could while ten angry hens tried to peck through our socks and steal our shoe laces.
You never realize how much chickens like human interaction until you take care of them yourself. They like to be held and petted; they have different personalities, moods, and attitudes; they have preferences for foods, sleep in different ways, and can be just as emotionally complex as any cat or dog.
