Life on a farm is very busy. Many animals live there together.
One special group is the chicken family. The father is called a rooster.
He is very big and brave. He has bright red and orange feathers.
The rooster wakes up very early. He stands on a wooden fence.
He says "cock-a-doodle-doo!" loudly. He tells the other animals the sun is up.
It is time to start the day. The mother is called a hen.
She is very busy too. She has soft feathers and a small beak.
The hen spends time in the coop. She lays eggs in a nest of hay.
The eggs are white or brown. She sits on them to keep them warm.
This is a very important job. She waits for many days for them to hatch.
One day, the eggs begin to wiggle. You might hear a tiny "tap-tap" from inside.
A small beak pokes through the shell. Soon, a baby chick comes out.
The chick is tiny and yellow. It has very soft feathers called down.
They feel like a fuzzy cloud. The baby chicks say "cheep-cheep" to find their mother.
They follow the hen everywhere she goes. The hen teaches her chicks many things.
She shows them how to find food in the dirt. They use their feet to scratch the ground.
They look for seeds and small bugs to eat. The chicks stay close to their mother's wings.
If they are scared, they hide under her. The rooster watches over his whole family.
He makes sure they are all safe. When it gets hot, they find a shady spot.
They love to play in the cool grass. At night, the family goes back to the coop.
They huddle together to stay warm and sleep. The farm is quiet until the next morning.
Then the rooster will wake them up again.
