Here are a few of our pretty chickens, doing what chickens do best.  These pictures were taken late summer of 2003, before we sold the last of our "spare" pullets.  We now have just one of each of the varieties you see in this shot, plus two others who declined to be photographed with the rest of the flock.  The girl on the right was probably after a slug, bless her!
 

   And here's their coop, of which I'm inordinately proud.  It's all cedar -- our chickens live better than some people's children.  Then again, our chickens behave better than some people's children.  And I don't know any children who lay nice brown eggs on a daily basis.  The door slides up and down (there's another at the back of the coop, for cross-ventilation), and it now has a sturdy latch, to thwart racoons.  The roof over the nest boxes (along the left side of the coop as you're looking at it) is hinged, and it lifts up to allow easy egg collection.
             

The roosts are along the right-hand side of the coop.  In the summer, that side wall of the coop (which you can't see in this shot) is screened with heavy wire mesh, so the birds don't overheat in the night.  In winter, it's fitted with a solid panel, to keep out the wind and weather.  Both side walls are removable, to make cleaning easier.

Here's Blanche, a Light Brahma hen, who came free with my original order.
Next to her is Penelope, who is much prettier than this picture might suggest.  She's also one of my best layers.

The chickens are really a wonder: they're constantly busy, always cheerful, and pretty to boot.
They trample the garden, and they dig holes in the turf, but that's a small price to pay for all that they offer.
I'm already planning a bigger coop for more hens, and hope to start raising turkeys in 2005!
Something tells me, it's not the cat who's crazy, here at Crazy Cat Farm.