Thank you! I couldn't agree more. Here's a sampler of portraits.

@Behind-the-dog I’ve always wanted to have chickens. Maybe someday....

Fifteen acres! An acre and a half sometimes seems more than I can manage.

This manure does get a start at composting in the coop (I use carbon-heavy wood shavings as bedding to balance the nitrogen-heavy manure). I read once that manure composting in the coop helps to keep the coop warm in winter; fortunately, it never gets anywhere near 8 to 10 feet--I've never considered the fire danger! I spread it only on beds that I won't be planting until the end of May, and I'll dig it into the soil (when the soil finishes thawing), where the microbial environment seems to finish the composting quickly.

@Behind-the-dog We had several species of chickens, ducks, quail, geese, pheasants, guineafowl, and other miscellaneous poultry, 1,012 adult rabbits that's all the cages we had available, 23 to 35 goats, 10 to 20 hogs, 1 to 5 cows not to mention domestic pets like cats and dogs.
My father was insane and ran a death camp for animals in Alabama.

@Willow_Wisp Part of me says, "That's nuts!" But another part of me says, "What a wonderful blend of manures!"

Well, huh, I suppose that's true. I was thinking more along the lines of "I have a poor sense of smell," or "I would have made a good serf," but I like your insight, too.

I'm spreading the manure on beds that won't be planted until the end of May, so there should be plenty of time for it to compost. Polish hens are wonderful, but I only have one because they sell out very quickly from the breeder I use (My Pet Chicken). Here's a portrait of her (Pom-Pom) at six weeks.

@Behind-the-dog The Polish were bred to be pets. The sociability gene. Eggs are often pastel blue or green.