When I picked up my patio furniture a year and a half ago, it was with visions of sitting on my back porch, sipping coffee in the sunrise, or having smores around a fire at night with friends.
And, although I admit we have used it occasionally for such purposes, it was swiftly appropriated by our backyard chickens.
Do they have hand-painted wooden roosts in their coop specifically for roosting on? Yes. But do they prefer the patio furniture? Indubitably.
Almost any time I look out the window, there they are, lounging like they're at their own personal chicken Air-BnB.
I had been eyeing this Ikea set for some time before I got it. I like foldable furniture, and all of this folds up very compactly, plus it has removable cushions that can be thrown in the washing machine.
But, by now I've resigned myself to the reality that our patio furniture is actually just a nice-looking chicken accessory that the humans borrow occasionally.
There is something appealingly roost-like, to a chicken, in the two-inch wide rails that form the arms and backs of this furniture. One can flutter up a couple of feet to the seat, then hop to an arm, then hop to the back where one is safe from marauding toddlers and puppies.
And the cushions make for a peaceful, elevated cuddling spot.
So, if you're considering which patio furniture to buy for the maximum comfort and relaxation of your backyard flock, please allow me to suggest Ikea's wooden folding set.
You might be disappointed that you get to use it so infrequently, but your birds will thank you!