Pam Percy's chicken tidbits: Hens lay up to 300 eggs a year. Once a hen reaches sexual maturity, she drops an egg every 24-36 hours. The average lifespan of a chicken is eight years, although they can live well into their teens. Queen Victoria, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were all chicken fanciers. For a full list of chicken vocabulary, consult your chicktionary.

Pam Percy loves chickens. She loves real chickens, painted chickens, movies about chickens, even chicken recipes. She loves chickens so much that she has written her first book, "The Complete Chicken," celebrating the life of our poultry pals and in hope of raising the public's "chicken awareness."

For 15 years, Pam has raised hundreds of chickens on her mini-farm in Brown Deer. Almost all of Pam's chickens are raised to be pets, not dinners. Pam and her husband have between 35 - 200 chickens in their coop at any given time. She admits that once in a while she raises a chicken for food purposes, but claims she has never eaten a chicken that she has named.

And she has named quite a few. One of her most special chickens was named Lola, who, according to Pam, had a striking resemblance to a 1940s movie starlet. "She had this big, gorgeous comb that seductively fell over her face and it reminded me of Gina Lolobrigida," says Pam.

Another chicken was named "Car Chicken" because every time Pam opened the car door, the chicken tried to jump in. And then there was the rooster named "Old Fool" who attacked a number of men, but never a single woman.

Before long, Pam started to collect "chickenalia," meaning anything with a chicken image, from salt-and-pepper shakers to throw pillows.

With so many chickens in her home and in her yard, curious-minded Pam went to the library in search of more chicken-related information. She was shocked by the lack of material. "I went to the Milwaukee Public Library, and I found absolutely nothing, so I quit my job as the managing director of Theatre X," says Pam. "I felt chickens calling."

Pam decided to write a book that would educate people about chickens, and their significant artistic, pop culture and historical roles. "Chickens have gotten a bum rap over the years," she says. "In 1474, a chicken was put on trial in Switzerland after being accused of being an evil creature who was in with Satan. He was convicted and burned at the stake."

But Pam is quick to remind that in ancient times, chickens were deeply appreciated, even used to predict the future. And in the mid-1800s, Americans were obsessed with chickens and a pair of exotic, Chinese-bred chickens cost up to $10,000.