Fight against illegal easter chicks!

[EmmaRainboe]

I am mostly neutral when it comes to easter chicks, but I think there should be a separate thread on abandoning chicks on the side of the road. An alternative would be giving them away to a neighbor, or a person who could take proper care of it. They could also put it up for adoption or sell it. People do not talk enough about this problem.

It's a hard world for roosters, re homing is easier said than done. Most roosters that get left on the side of the road is because the owners don't want to deal with culling it.

 

[JoJoM]

How awful! I had no idea this was a ‘thing’.

 

[Lucy Brown]

It's a hard world for roosters, re homing is easier said than done. Most roosters that get left on the side of the road is because the owners don't want to deal with culling it.

I agree that people dont have time to look for people that will take them in.

 

[NatJ]

I have never heard of Easter chicks being illegal. Dying a chick a color does not harm it if you use proper dyes. And lost of people naturally buy Chris around Easter since it's warner than early spring

In some places, it IS illegal to sell dyed chicks, or dyed any-other-animal.

I agree that dyeing should not hurt the chick, but it does encourage the "wrong" people to buy the chicks. (People who buy a chick because it is cute, but do not provide proper care.)

As far as practical uses of dye: I wish TSC could get chicks with the sexed females dyed pink, so everyone could tell them apart from the unsexed chicks!

feed stores should raise the minimum amount of birds allowed to (maybe) help deter impulse buys. I think most people actually preparing to take home chicks or ducklings get at least three anyways because they are aware that two could turn into one, and a lone chick is never ideal.

Some states, and some chains of stores, have a minimum of 6.

That causes problems of its own, because 6 is just too many for some small flock situations. Examples: if someone has a flock of 6 total chickens, but 2 died so they want to raise 3 more chicks, or if someone hatched 1-2 chicks in their incubator, and wants to buy 1-2 companions for them.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

I agree that people dont have time to look for people that will take them in.

Yeah, or they don't want to deal with the emotional stress of killing it. They'd rather it die a painful death on the side of the road.

 

[Lucy Brown]

Yeah, or they don't want to deal with the emotional stress of killing it. They'd rather it die a painful death on the side of the road.

It's really a complicated thing. There is no "solution" to this issue. I don't think people will really care about this either.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I agree that people dont have time to look for people that will take them in.

Time isn't always the only problem. People are often too "soft hearted" to cull when it's the only kind option

 

[JacinLarkwell]

In some places, it IS illegal to sell dyed chicks, or dyed any-other-animal.

I agree that dyeing should not hurt the chick, but it does encourage the "wrong" people to buy the chicks. (People who buy a chick because it is cute, but do not provide proper care.)

As far as practical uses of dye: I wish TSC could get chicks with the sexed females dyed pink, so everyone could tell them apart from the unsexed chicks!



Some states, and some chains of stores, have a minimum of 6.

That causes problems of its own, because 6 is just too many for some small flock situations. Examples: if someone has a flock of 6 total chickens, but 2 died so they want to raise 3 more chicks, or if someone hatched 1-2 chicks in their incubator, and wants to buy 1-2 companions for them.

I actually really like the sexed female idea. Hard to miss a pink or green chick

 

[HawaiiCoyote]

I have been seeing these for sale on craigslist... poor things.

I have seen full-grown dyed silkies on Craigs this Easter. Poor silkies
(I mean I'm sure they miss that snowy white fluff of theirs)