Which comes first, chicken or egg?

Around here, the chicks come first, then the chickens, then the eggs.  Thirty two-day-old chicks arrived safely this morning, and are now peeping away in the laundry room with the ducklings.  There are 20 Red Rangers (straight run) for meat, five Blue-laced Red Wyandottes (straight run), four Silver-laced Wyandottes (because the hatchery sent an extra roo), and one unknown exotic chick (also straight run) that looks like a Speckled Sussex (because that is what I want it to be, according to the Princess).  Actually it is a very brown chick, lightening into gold on its belly, and I couldn't find too many truly brown chicks on the website besides the Sussex, and possibly the Aruacana, since they can look like anything, from the pics online.  I'd be fine with an Aruacana, too, since I think the colored eggs are fun.  Anyway, I'm off to shove three of my Partridge Rock hens in the car to go to some friends, which will reduce my layers to eight, until the new chicks grow up.  Then I'll have to eat a couple roosters so everything will fit in the coop for next winter.  If that isn't counting my chicks too soon after hatching...