Chapter<br > 1<br > Peep， peep， peep， peep， peep!<br > The shrill cheeping of dozens of day-old chicks<br > rang in Valentine Taylor s ears as she gently snuggled<br > one of the tiny balls of fluff against her cheek. Val<br > h~d just finished helping her veterinarian father vac-<br > cinate Roy Miller s newly hatched Leghorns. Now，<br > while Doc treated a hen that had a mild respiratory<br >: infection， Val was enjoying watching the babies<br > scratch around in their warm， brightly lighted enclo-<br > sure. She had seen hundreds of baby chicks， but it<br > never failed to amaze and delight her that they looked<br > exactly like Easter cards come to life -- except that<br > Easter cards didn t make so much noiset<br > Very carefully， Val returned the chick she d been<br > holding to its relatives and friends. Only a moment<br > later， she couldn t tell which one it was. It had be-<br > come part of the little sea of yellow fluff-balls beneath<br > file low-hanging lights. Val hoped it was a female so<br > all it would be expected to do when it grew up would<br > be to lay eggs. If it was a male， sooner or later it<br >