I remember the first time I saw her. She was a little gray ball of fuzz, no bigger than a mouse.
Our chicks arrived on Friday, and now there are 10 red-and-yellow peeps in the living room. (Their brooder makes a good light for when me ‘n’ Uzzi creep in at night to use the computer.)
Before you add these new peepers to your coop, give them a good start to life with these helpful hints.

A profitable egg business requires more than raising healthy chickens. Use these tips to get your egg business up and running.
The Shamo is an ornamental chicken breed that produces a good amount of meat; however, the meat has been described as tough and isn’t favorable to every palate. Hens make good mothers, but fare poorly as layers.
The ornamental Sumatra chicken breed was originally used for fighting. Indonesian Island residents would catch Sumatra cocks during breeding season, use them in combat and release them once their seasonal aggression declined.
The delicate White-faced Black Spanish chicken breed has a unique white face, making it popular as an ornamental. Hens are non-broody and prolific layers of large, pure-white eggs.
Dutch Bantam hens will lay small eggs in spring, summer and fall and will become broody in winter. Nowadays, the breed is used mainly for exhibition.
This hardy and vigorous Ancona chicken is a year-round layer of white eggs.

The dual-purpose Redcap chicken breed is a former favorite of the farmer’s wife. Hens lay 120 to 180 white (slightly tinted) eggs yearly and it has a long history of being a great provider of meat.
This chicken’s unique v-shaped comb qualifies it as an ornamental breed, though it has great dual-purpose qualities as well. The rarely broody hens lay well and produce large, white eggs into winter months.
The American Game Bantam chicken is a wonderful exhibition breed for beginning poultry fanciers. Hens are fine layers and make wonderful mothers.