Wow, its been so long since I've been on here. So much has changed. I started raising chickens last spring (2012.) I have learned quite a bit since then. I learned not to buy straight run chicks if you just want hens. I played the guessing game for so long. It turned out that out of the 6 chicks I got, 3 were pullets and 3 were cockerals. Just about a week ago we gave two of our roosters to a friend that needed more roosters for all of his hens. I was sad at first, but I had to get rid of them because they got really mean and were attacking the kids. Now this spring is another story! I made sure to go to Tractor Supply and buy pullets. I got them at the end of February. I also know that they could be 1 of four red breeds (RIR, NHR, RP, or RSL.) The ones that I bought last year were who knows what. The lady at the feed store said that they were a mix of different breeds. They turned out to be good layers. I'm sure I will learn more from this group of chickens also. I look forward to my second year of raising chickens!