Baby Pics - dyed Easter chicks

[djwingo]

Ok i know it is so wrong but i love it !! they are so cute i wanted to get my son one that was dyed just because i know he would love it and i used to get them died and it would get a good home not in an apartment tillit gets big and thrown outside or something....poor things but they r cuties.......i did not know they died them that dark mine used to always be like pastels good luck we wanna see more pics as they grow.....

 

[Carole AM]

We went to a swap on Sunday and found some there. I had seen it on the news the week before. I wasn't going to, but at the end of the day, they sold for $1.00
I don't know what breed they are either-- I got a yellow, a purple, and a green! The legs are normal color, though.
Its an experiment to see how they end up....

 

[Llysse]

Actually some of them are dyed in the shell. They inject it while the eggs are still incubating.

<shudders>

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

OMG, I have NEVER seen that before! I maybe a re-newbie LOL to chickens, but I've been to about every feed store around here... I would NEVER have believed those pics weren't touched up!

I have to agree that they are cute, but the horror! They inject them in the shell? Forgive me for my ignorance, but wouldn't they kill a lot of chicks that way? I admit that my kids have, from time to time, painted on the dog, and I once painted a dog's toenails LOL, but I can't even imagine this operation!

As for purposely breeding ANYTHING that is doomed to a life as a cripple... why aren't there more laws regulating that type of thing? How can anyone (even chicken farms) think that is even remotely ok? Alright... I know... some chicken farms don't give a crap unless it results in major profit loss. How can people work at those places??

Off my soapbox.

 

[zimmy]

Quote:
They /are/ cute, but the idea of it is kind of scary. I mean, if we all had the reassurance that each of the colored chicks (or at least most of them) were destined to live happy lives, it wouldn't be as much of a horror.

Well, the idea of injecting the egg is still major-ly scary.

But they are pretty cute : P I just wish they all had nice, caring homes...

 

[justusnak]

Queen.....the cornish X are not breed to be crippled...they are bred to be slaughtered in 6 to 8 weeks. Fast growing + less feed and care time = more profit. I have 9 of the little "freezer pops" in a brooder....we bought them just for the freezer. They do grow fast, and with proper feeding...they will not get crooked legs. You have to manage thier feed...dont free feed..just watch them grow. At 3 weeks, mine are about 2 pounds already. Happy, healthy, and walking around just fine. To some it sounds cruel...but to us, they are food. Im sorry if it sounds crues...its just a part of farm life for us.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Quote:
I know. I'm so bummed, I thought I was 'saving' a few from a probably not-so-great life, only for what....?? now i'll have to kill them after I've raised them to 'save' them again from a horrible end? This was so NOT in my plans.

They are such cuties - the little blue chick finally decided I was ok after getting a moth treat. Now he/she comes running when I sit down by the cage. I sure hope I'm wrong about them being cornish rocks. (prays- please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong..)

 

[ameador1]

Quote:
I am new to this as well, but I did a fair bit of research on types of chickens I wanted before I bought them. I just got my batch of chicks this past Tuesday. I got 13 Jumbo Cornish-Rocks, 4 Black Australorps, 4 Buff Orpingtons, and 4 Barred Rocks.

I read on the Jumbo Cornish-Rocks, just what you said, they grow very fast to the point of outgrowing their legs and it can get to the point where they can't walk. They are breed for meat production - they say they are ready for slaughter at about 8 weeks, so the long term health issues are probably never seen be the meat companies, they are slaughtered before it is a problem.

However, I bought mine from McMurray Hatchery (www.mcmurrayhatchery.com) and I got a supplement that is to be added to the water for these guys to help keep their legs and bodies strong enough to handle their large size longer - maybe permanently. I don't know.

I figured I'd get it for them, because although I plan to slaughter them at around that 8 week range, I still want them as happy and healthy as they can be until that time comes.

Anyway, the supplement is called Broiler Booster - you might check on getting them some, it was pretty inexpenesive and may help them out quite a bit. However, it may also be too late for it to be used on your group though - my package says to use it on them for their first 2-3 weeks of age.

I'd call the McMurray Hatchery and tell them your situation and see what they suggest and far as their supplements go. Their number is 1-800-456-3280. They've been pretty helpfull to me so far and came highly recommended by the lady that runs our local extension office (they deal with this hatchery for many of their 4-H orders).

Anyway, I'd agree that selling these kind of chicks as pets is probably not a good idea, but for the meat companies they make perfect sense. I'm not defending any and all practices by meat farming operations, but not everything they do is 'evil' or inhumane. I do get prettty irritated by these companies dying chicks for quick sales to people that are going to let their toddlers kill them in a few days, or abandon them lat if their lucky enough to live that long.

As the others said, good save and good luck with them - at least they are in a good home!

 

[cookinmom]

I have 9 of the little "freezer pops" in a brooder

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Oh wow, thanks for the heads up! I'll call McMurray and see what they say. I'm on a mission now to find a 'diet' for these babies that will help avoid the overweight/leg issues.

I do think it is cruel to dye the chicks because of the life they are likely to have because they are so cute..(read: "Oh mommy, I want the pretty BLUE one..can i have it, can i have it??!!??")
I'm also a little ticked that this breed is chosen for the dyeing- being that it is possible that an unsuspecting person would buy them for themselves or their kids-intending to raise and keep the birds and find out what their fate is the hard way. Imagine how heart broken I and my children would have been to find one day that our poor baby could no longer stand! Oh Boy! What a frantic post THAT would have been.

That said, I am new to raising chickens and probably should have been more informed PRIOR to purchasing live animals. I could have saved myself some heartache later down the line. I did think that I had gained sufficient knowledge through lurking here on BYC to make the decision, but, apparently I had not learned enough- or read the right posts. This is at least one mistake I will not make again.

So, like I said, now I am on a quest to find a good feeding program for these birds. Hopefully, I will be able to give them a long, normal, healthy life. Any and all suggestions, tips, advise will be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Thanks to all of you wonderful people! It's almost like leaning on the fence talking to great neighbors around here!