Anyone know what they use to dye the chicks for easter?

[redhen]

 

[TexasVet]

The problem with dyed chicks from Ideal is not the dye... that's just food coloring and isn't harmful at all. However, all their Easter chicks are roosters. That's why people are so disappointed when their cute little babies grow up.

Kathy, Bellville TX

 

[dancingbear]

Gail Damerow describes how to dye chicks while in the eggs, as a way of keeping track of different breedings. For example, you breed hen A and hen B to rooster X, and want to see the difference between hen A's offspring and hen B's. The eggs will incubate together, hatch together, and how will you know which is which?

One method would be to (keeping the eggs separate in the 'bator, maybe hen A's on the left side, hen B's on the right) to dye the embryos of one of the hens. Or dye both sets different colors.

She advised using food coloring, which would not harm the chicks. Dyeing is done around the 11th day, I think she said. It's in The Chicken Health Handbook.

By the time the chicks start to lose the color, they'd be big enough to put identifying leg bands on.

I wouldn't dye chicks for sale, (because of the "disposable" live creature problem) but if you are keeping them anyway, dyeing embryos for ID purposes or to entertain your children wouldn't be a problem, IMO.

The embryos themselves are not even touched with the needle, the dye goes into the fluid portion just inside the membrane, and then you seal the hole with wax. If you are careful, and clean the injection site of the egg, and use a sterile needle, you won't harm the chick.

When I was a child, we got colored chicks every year, and when they grew up they just mixed in with our other chickens.

 

[Laura78]

Quote:
They lay different colored eggs, I've heard, blues, greens, yellows, pinks, and so on. But mostly blues and greens. Oh, also speckled.

 

[TexasVet]

Correction to my earlier post... Ideal is NOT selling only roos as Easter chicks. I misread the posting on their site, which said only roos are currently available.

My bad!

Kathy, Bellville TX

 

[Blueroo63]

thy use food coloring

 

[Laura78]

They might use food coloring and it might be safe for them. But I think it's kinda cruel to put them through even more either in the egg or so soon after birth and then the stress of shipping just to make a buck. But that's just my opinion. I think it's a little different to do it to your chick at your house that doesn't have to also deal with the mass production and then shipping.

 

[redhen]

so what do you do..just dunk them in food coloring?

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
Laura, I understand your objections, but think of this....the chicks don't feel anything in the process of color being added to the eggs. The color isn't injected into the chick. It's added to the liquid portion of the egg where they are growing, the egg white. So it isn't "putting them through" anything at all. They wouldn't be aware of it. They aren't dyed after hatching, at least not in the hatcheries. Some people might tint chicks after hatching at home.

Now the stress of shipping, that's real. But it's the same for any chick that's shipped. It's no worse for a tinted chick than any other.

The thing I object to in selling dyed chicks, is that so many people who are unprepared to keep a grown-up chicken buy them, then these chickens are abandoned or discarded at some point. A lot probably end up being dinner for somebody, (I don't have a problem with that, it's the abandon/discard thing that bothers me) which is the fate of extra roosters (including at my house) everywhere. Hens fare better, as folks are willing to keep an egg layer around.

Buying or selling animals for holiday gifts is just a bad idea, regardless of the species involved, whether they are tinted pretty colors or not.

 

[Laura78]

Quote:
Laura, I understand your objections, but think of this....the chicks don't feel anything in the process of color being added to the eggs. The color isn't injected into the chick. It's added to the liquid portion of the egg where they are growing, the egg white. So it isn't "putting them through" anything at all. They wouldn't be aware of it. They aren't dyed after hatching, at least not in the hatcheries. Some people might tint chicks after hatching at home.

Now the stress of shipping, that's real. But it's the same for any chick that's shipped. It's no worse for a tinted chick than any other.

The thing I object to in selling dyed chicks, is that so many people who are unprepared to keep a grown-up chicken buy them, then these chickens are abandoned or discarded at some point. A lot probably end up being dinner for somebody, (I don't have a problem with that, it's the abandon/discard thing that bothers me) which is the fate of extra roosters (including at my house) everywhere. Hens fare better, as folks are willing to keep an egg layer around.

Buying or selling animals for holiday gifts is just a bad idea, regardless of the species involved, whether they are tinted pretty colors or not.

I agree with you on the throwing away of pets, be it a dog or a chicken. I guess I'm so strongly opinionated about it because I foster dogs and deal with people 'throwing' their pets away. Because of that I've got 3 large dogs and 6 cats.