In fact, he never even thinks about it, even when he is having his bacon and egg and sausage and steak breakfast. Or whatever he has selected at McDonald’s.

Chickens are very easy to keep if the local laws allow them. They don’t take up much space, are inexpensive to feed, and provide an endless supply of fresh eggs. And they are sweet, know their names, respond to petting, and recognize their owners. Isolated from other chickens, they are unlikely to get avian flu. Not an option in a city apartment, of course, but if one has a small area of back yard, get a couple of hens!

(I know, a tad off-topic for your post, but I wonder if people concerned about egg prices realize how fun chickens are to have… and the eggs are free.)

My grandma kept chickens when I was little, and I loved them. I have fond memories of going out to the hen house with her to "help" feed them and gather the eggs. I never had the nerve to reach under a hen that was sitting on a nest to feel for an egg the way she did, but I had loads of fun running around and checking all the unoccupied nests for eggs!

I also enjoyed lying in bed on summer evenings when we stayed over and listening to the chickens cluck to each other as they settled down for the night. Most soothing sound in the world to go sleep to, imo.

I've never lived any place where I could have chickens, but I can vouch for how nice they are to have around.

That soft clucking is very calming. They are so wonderful to have around. Only downside is they do poop a LOT. But if one had a grassy area for them to live in, they would eat the grass and bugs and the poop would fertilize the grass, so it all works out. If we sit with ours, they will jump on our laps to be pet. And the eggs are superb—deep golden yolks, and perfect for baking breads and so on. It would be nice if more people would consider them as pets and a source for healthy eggs. I would much rather have an egg from a chicken that I know is happy and gets good food than a random one living on a concrete floor...