House-hen

This is the last of our tiny flock of chickens,a pure-bred Sebright bantam. She's the canny one who survives fox attacks, predatory tom cats and shrugs off illness. She was found wandering in a busy urban street just after Christmas a couple of years ago by one of Chris's friends , and was given to me as a birthday present. She spent several months largely indoors before being introduced to the rest of the flock, where she rapidly took charge of the roost.

We soon realised that she was a chicken of very strong opinions, who seemed as happy with her human, cat and dog flock as she was with the company of other chickens. Although she's now an only chicken she hasn't pined, though she does like to spend most of the day in the house. Until recently she would set off at dusk, using the cat-flap to access the garden, and would put herself to bed in her chicken house.

In the last week she seems to have decided that she should sleep in the house too, and has taken to roosting on an egg-box on top of the fridge - which seems to be preferable to the nest of straw we gave her. I have told her that the eggs won't hatch, not that she's ever shown much sign of being broody! But at least she's safe from foxes...