The children were enchanted. All of us love tiny creatures and especially fluffy ones like chickens but for the Pikkewyntjies who never come into contact with animals, excepts dogs, they were a marvel. They couldn't get enough of them and their faces were a treat to see when their teachers let them hold them, very carefully, in their hands. 

There were eight chicks but birds of prey, we think, took two of them because they vanished without trace. The six chicks to the interest of the children slowly lost their soft yellow feathers and now look like junior versions of their parents. They are not as pretty as they were but there are some characters among them whom the children love.  

There's just one problem, Kakoo's egg which she lays faithfully each day disappears unless it is collected smartly. Now some extra security is needed to keep out the thief. There is a stout boundary fence but it isn't designed to keep out a mongoose.