Peeps anyone?

Have you ever been pecked by a chicken? I've been pecked by a goose, and I have to say - it hurts like hell. So I was really interested in finding "family friendly" chickens, breeds that I could feel safe letting our toddler play with. Not to mention that I will want to occasionally hold these fluffy, two-footed friends - so finding the right breed was important to me.

I had to get hardy breeds - since we live in New England and the weather can get cold in the winter, a breed that can stand the chilly temperatures. Thanks to a few great websites:
Tillys Nest, Backyard Chickens & My Pet Chicken

I was able to find 3 breeds that were perfect for us:
-Plymouth Rock
-Australorp
-Brahma

All of these breeds were rated as "friendly, cold temperature tolerant, good egg layers, and great huggabilty." But honestly, I picked them based on looks. I loved the barred Plymouth Rock with its white/black stripes, the silky/shiny black feathers of the Australorp and my husband really wanted "the chickens with the fluffy feet" - hence the Brahmas.

I found a hatchery online, selected the birds we wanted and chose a delivery date. (Its almost like having a due date for your pregnancy!) So, on April 2, 2012 our home will be blessed with 9 baby chicks from Ohio.

So this is REAL now! Its really happening! I guess we better get started on building a coop, or else these chickens will be living in our mudroom (not ideal!).

Thanks for checking in! More to come!