Chapter II

MIKE AND MUFFY VISIT A POULTRY FARM

      Mike and Muffy hurried along the road holding the treasure map they had found. They were eager to find the unusual treasure Mr. Alvin had told them about.

      "Now remember, " Muffy said, " He told us to look on a poultry farm in Cullman, Alabama. And look, Mike! There's a sign that says Pauline's Poultry Farm!"

      "He also told us to look for baby chicks, and I see some. This must be a good place to find treasure!" Mike exclaimed.

      When Mike and Muffy arrived at the poultry farm, they saw the baby chicks arriving. They were in boxes that the farmer called buses. "These buses don't look like our school buses," said Muffy. "They are white not yellow."

      "They're running to that big cover over there called a brooder. They can snuggle together and stay warm there. We give them plenty of food, make sure they are warm, and keep their house clean," Ms Pauline said.

      "After about six months they have grown much larger, and we call them pullets. Now they can start laying eggs for us to eat."

      "Would you like to hold one of the baby chicks for a few minutes?" Ms Pauline asked the two children.

      "I surely would," Mike answered, and Muffy chimed in with "Me too! Me too!"

      Then Ms Pauline handed one of the small, downy, yellow chicks to each of them to cuddle for a few minutes before putting them back close to the brooder house so they could run to join the other babies where it was warm.

      "Oh thank you for letting us hold the baby chicks and telling us how you care for them, " said the children as they started off down the road.

      "Come back again sometime," Ms Pauline invited.