By the way, if their neediness is an imposition, if their noise is annoying, and if their outright barbarity and cruelness to each other is an assault upon your sense of justice ...
... savor it.
Just wad up the emotion and toss it in a pile, to be resurrected one day.
You see, they may be an annoyance, but this is one annoyance you can do something about!
That adage about “if life hands you lemons, make lemonade” could not be more true than in dealing with chickens. If life hands you chickens, make chicken soup, and fried chicken, and ...
Well, you get the picture. At first, they will be endearingly cute. But then, they will become teenagers, wearing leather jackets and chains, smoking cigarettes and hanging out at the mall and in back alleys and ...
Er, I mean, they will become less endearing.
You may grow tired of them. Savor it.
Revenge is a dish best served ... in hundreds of different ways, all winter long.
Chickens are mean nasty stupid poop machines who happen to taste divine. That is their only saving grace.
Ducks on the other hand have personality. I get a little sad over the ducks "as I sort out those who are largest in size, holding my pocket-handkerchief before my streaming eyes." Doesn't stop me. But I do feel some small twinge.