My current husband (I was widowed in my 40's) had never been around chickens when we got married. He was curious about why they needed roosts, so I explained. He said, "So, you're telling me they wrap their little feet around the bar, fall asleep, and don't fall off? What keeps them from...
Letting ours out to free-range four a couple of hours each evening that we're home to supervise has been our best experience. If we're not home, they don't get out, but that only happens once or twice per week. They LOVE their time out of the henhouse. Just a small amount of time each evening...
Ours, too, are often based on looks and matched to people they remind us of. We have two Rhode Islands named after redheads : Bette (Midler) and Reba. Then we have Fancy and Fluffy with feathered feet. We have Merle (Haggard) and Junior (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.). There's Goldie, after my grandma...