Readers,

Next week, a surprise is coming! You’ll read all about it in the next post, but here are some hints: it’s small and fluffy and peeps a lot and is usually yellow…

Yes, that’s right! Chicks!

An Australorp chick. Picture from Wikimedia Commons

An Australorp chick. Picture from Wikimedia Commons

We are getting six little chicks sometime this week in the mail! They will be newly hatched. We are getting all hens. There are three Australorps and three White Jersey Giants. Australorps are black and fairly small. They are very docile and good egg layers. Jersey Giants can be white or black. They are very big but very docile. (Docile means calm or gentle.) Hopefully, they will grow up soon and we can have yummy eggs every day!

Since I’m trying to keep this post short, here are some good links for learning about taking care of chicks if you wish to get your own:

http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-care/chapter-4-caring-for-baby-chicks.aspx

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-raise-baby-chicks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens

http://www.tractorsupply.com/know-how_Chicken-Care_how-to-care-for-new-baby-chicks

And here’s a book we found helpful:

http://www.amazon.com/Chick-Days-Absolute-Beginners-Chickens/dp/1603425845

FOTW: Hens lay eggs without roosters, though the eggs won’t hatch if there isn’t a rooster around. Since we only want eggs to eat and not to hatch, we don’t need a rooster.

See you next week- with CHICKS!