Chickens have been a hot topic at our house this week since Snacks is at "farm camp" at Dodge for four days taking care of the chickens and other animals. Snacks and Sissy are currently sitting on the living room floor building chicken coop templates out of Magna-tiles.

John and I are signed up for Urban Chicken 101 at the co-op in September. Snacks declared that is "like a year" away and can hardly wait for us to return with all the information.

Having overcome the hurdle of who would take care of our chickens if we went out of town (neighbors on both sides have enthusiastically volunteered in exchange for free eggs), our current hang-up is what to do with the hens when they are no longer laying.

If they have become like pets, how can we eat them? But if we have all these "old hens" milling around, how will we have room for hens that are actually laying? Snacks is already thinking up names...

We could be in trouble.