dying Chicks different colors?

[colbye12]

Does anyone know how to do this? We are over flowing with fertile eggs and the local FFA at the school my dad teachs at are whating to Know how to do this. What supplys doe we need? Thanks

 

[pefferlawchicken]

If i were you i would NOT do this , i dont think it would harm the chick but is un natural and shouldnt be done , people buy these coloured chicks for their children at easter and they keep them for a week or so and dont know how to care for them. Besides that point its against the law in some parts of the world.

 

[Chosen Chickens]

Regardless of my personal opinion wether this is humane or not, you didn't ask for it.... all you asked for is how to do it, so here are two links that go into detail on how and when to dye the chickens. Wildlife and research teams have been dying chick embryos for a long time and if you use a harmless dye like food coloring then you should be fine! Good luck.


http://www.poultryhelp.com/coloringchicks.html
http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/resources/egg_to_chick/coloring.html

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

you might want to ask the mods to close this thread now that you have the links, some of the chicks dying threads last year stirred up a lot of nastiness.

 

[pefferlawchicken]

It isnt humane atall , you think , would you like to be dyed bright pink or green , maybe yellow, no nobody wants that done to them . people who dont know how to care for these birds buy the chicks usally have no clue how to care for them and they just end up dieing or being mistreated, i rescue theses chicks when i see them , and 99 % of the time they are in bad shape!. think about it befor you do this to your chicks please.

 

[MuranoFarms]

Quote:
Though I am not the OP...I have in fact stood completely still for almost 2 hours while I was body painted for a fundraiser. While it took a long time, it was not unpleasant. So yes, I was dyed. Head to toe. It didn't hurt a bit.

For a chick though, I imagine it would be something like giving a chick a bath. We've all had to do that at one point or another. While I don't think it's inhumane to dye chicks, I do think you should provide a flyer or other information on them returning the chicks to you if they choose to after the 'fun' wears off.

I agree with Buck Creek...you should ask for the thread to be closed. This is a very touchy topic.

 

[JestersEye]

A few members of my kids' 4-H occasionally dye their white or light-colored chickens when they display them at the Fair each year. The chickens never appeared to suffer any health consequences and they seemed perfectly happy despite their colorful attire. (These members used food coloring or "Cool Aid", btw.)

I personally don't think people would be any more apt to buy a pet they were unfit to care for based on it's coloring, any more than having a dog groomed in a certain fashion contributes to an owner's carelessness. If someone is a bad owner and caregiver, it doesn't really matter if the animal is sold to them with a "natural" appearance or not. I think it is the responsibility of the seller to be cautious about informing and educating the new owners, regardless of how the pet is decorated for the occasion.

That's just my personal opinion. I know there are others who might disagree; but in all fairness, I just don't believe that one topic should necessarily be linked to the other.

 

[colbyisrocken]

Ok thanks but i was not talking about selling them.

 

[M To The Maxx]

Don't dye them. In my opinion it is in-humane to do it and just wrong. It can effect the life of the chick if it is not done right and you should love the chicks for their natural colors NOT a pretty bright yellow or pink!

 

[Matt A NC]

You best check your state laws. Several states have made dying chicks illegal. It is a misdeamenor animal cruelty charge for each chick.

It is not inhumane or cruel to a chick to be dyed if done properly. The cruelty comes from places selling them as living "toys". Then they lose the dyed fluff and the chicks turn into unwanted chickens. That is where the cruelty part comes in. Alot of these unwanted birds are tossed out or just left to die.

I am not saying that is what someone on here would do. Being on here, I am sure they would go into loving homes or farms.

Matt