My "Penguino"

When my husband and I lived in New York City, we lived in an apartment that was built before World War II and was not wired for air conditioning. Residents were not allowed to put a portable unit in the window, and summer was hot, hot, hot. We used to meet at enclosed ATMs on the corners after work just to cool off for a bit.

So, in the middle of that scorching summer, my husband passed a neighborhood hardware store--the good, old-fashioned type where folks knew your name and knew what to sell you to solve your problem--and in the window was the thing that he wanted most. Penguino (well, acutally, I think it was Pinguino, but we liked the penguin reference better). It was a cute, cylindrical, free-standing, center-of-the-room, R2D2-like air conditioner. It was also way more than we could afford, and not allowed. My husband used to stand there and just look at it, wanting, wanting, wanting.

And so it is with my chicken fixation. No, this isn't a picture of us with our new chicken coop and run. This is a photo from a website I fell upon that has what you have to admit is "my Penguino." Just look at this portable little coop and run. And it comes in fun fashion colors, including red, my favorite! If the computer screen were a large glass window, and my seat were 1st Avenue, you'd think we were back in New York again that summer as I covet this cute contraption.

And so, I decided to share it with you in case you're right on the edge of keeping chickens but don't know where to start. Just like you can buy a complete Make Your Own Gingerbread House in a kit, you can also buy a complete Keeping Chickens kit from this website, www.omlet.us (this photo is from the site). It's expensive (especially considering that Lou, Bill and Allison built their whole gorgeous coop for about 400 bucks) BUT you get everything you need in one fell swoop (or shall we say, coop)! Plus, I like the Joel Salatin-esque portability of this coop, which would make it perfect for moving around the garden and yard, keeping it out of the direct sun, and, okay, sort of hiding it a bit from the neighbors :)

Seems small? Seems small to me, too, but it's enormous compared to what factory farm chickens are used to, and you can also free-range the gals for a bit each day when you're outside or if you have a securely fenced yard.

Check out the list of breeds at the site. The Araucana breed is the one that lays the pretty blue green eggs. Check out the Silkies, the Polands, the Frizzles, and more (including ducks and rabbits, by the way) if you can restrain yourself from picking out your fun fashion color first.

As for me? There's hope (there's always hope). We live in a house with central air conditioning now. Maybe, one day . . . the chickens. As for now, I'll put it to rest (or roost).