Easter chicks...small rant

[mjdtexan]

I've noticed that the local feed stores get chicks in the spring for some reason, maybe it has to do with Easter. I never looked at it that way. The smarter time to get chicks is when you can have them turn 20 weeks old when spring (longer hours of daylight) just arrives. That way your chicks will be more likely to lay eggs at 20 weeks old. ¿Que no?

 

[Katy]

This wasn't for easter, but about a month or so ago I had a guy call me looking for some chicks for his granddaughter and her partner's science project. They were only like 4th grade. He said originally the assignment was for them to hatch some chicks out and then do a report on the hatching and taking care of them. Then the teacher changed it to just find some chicks and take care of them for a couple of weeks. Needless to say I didn't have any available at the time.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
The last couple of years the Orscheln's around here have gotten chicks in in the fall too. They never used to do that.

 

[chickenpea]

are you kidding-I sell easter chicks because that is how I got my first chickens.I just tell the parents how to care for them and then tell them to bring them back when the kids get "bored".Which is usually about 3 weeks old (when they start to smell!) I have gotton quite a few families turned on to chickens and had many raised to 3 weeks old .

 

[animalgirl2010]

I had my first hatch of the year last week and never expected so many would hatch I have never had such a good rate. So I listed them on a local site and I had a woman call she sounded very educated on the phone. When she got here with her daughter (16) who was wanting them she (the mom) asked me some of the craziest questions I have ever heard. Are all 31 hatched out of one egg? I explain to her no 1 in each egg. Well do they have to nurse from a bottle or something when they are this young? Um no they are born drinking and eating this chick starter here. Well what does it mean when you say brown eggs? I say well when they get about 5 months old if they are hens they will lay brown eggs. She says really!! They will lay eggs.

They stayed here for a long time and I let them know all the basic things they both seemed willing to learn and I also told her that if for some reason she didnt want them they could bring them back. I took the add off for fear that worse people than that would come. So I guess we will have 25 new chickies

.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Get your bids in now! This one's on the way out!

 

[speckledhen]

So far, it's fine, Chris. We can at least be optimistic for 5 minutes, can't we?

For every person who is turned on to chickens when they get Easter chicks, there are 100's who buy chickie-toys and kill them or dump them withiin a week or two. Everyone knows that. We, who supply these chicks, probably should be the ones to say NO.

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
When I went to the fair last year, this little petting zoo had taken baby chicks and tie-dyed them, and other colors. . I thought then that wasn't a good thing to do, because I listened to the people who didn't know better and they wanted to try it at home with their own baby chicks for Easter . . .so those people didnt' think very far ahead of the game, starting a tradition like that. People are . . . well, I don't want to use the word ignorant, but they would use anything about the house to dye them, and that can't be healthy . . .remember the baby turtles back in the 60's I guess . . .where they painted their shells (you could buy them at the local 5 and 10 stores, and were finally outlawed because of salmonella?) this is sort of the same thing . . .I HATE the thought of what some of these little kids do to the peeps before they finally do either get rid of them or kill them. . .NOW, why doesn't local legislation do something about this???

 

[77horses]

I know! It makes me sooo mad!

I read a story that some family carelessly bought an "easter chick" that was colored, but then his colors came off and he turned into a full grown rooster. They left him in a dumpster with no food or water on the street. A lady found him and took him home, fed him, and cared for him. She put him with her other chickens and he turned out to be a very sweet boy.

Makes me so mad how some people think that animals are their "toys" or their "items".

Don't buy colored chicks or baby rabbits on Easter! It just supports them to do it more!

 

[The Poultry Peanut]

After reading this last night I decided that I would ask my mom if I could put an add in the paper to buy unwanted Easter ducks and chicks and much to my surprise she said yes

she said though to put it in the thrifty nickel. I agreed to that and checked out craig's list and I think it is free for an add and I want to put an add in our local feed store. Maybe buy them back for $5 ( she said $2 or $3 ) Maybe if we all do that we can save some unwanted chicks and ducklings from death, abandonment, or abuse. Is any one else doing this?