Day-old chicks, East Broadway 26 May 2010

Here are a pair of one-day old chicks at East Broadway, Milford on 26 May 2010. Four chicks hatched, but only 3 were around two days later. The precocial chicks are brooded by the parents because, as Divid Sibley remarks, "They have a relatively low metabolism and need their parents to brood them frequently for the first two weeks until they are able to maintain their own body temperatures" (Sibley Guide, p. 262).