Just curious...those dyed baby chicks for easter, do they ever live up to adulthood, and if they do

[donrae]

We do see birds on the "what breed or gender" section every year that were dyed easter egger chicks that have grown up. Most of the time they're leghorn cockerels.

 

[TXchickmum]

I'll have to find the pic of my grown chicken strutting around with the flock of turkeys and post. It is a hoot! (Polaroid pic ca. 1978) -think there is a pic of one of the chicks standing underneath my robe, roosting on my fuzzy slippers. Its little beak was the only thing showing in the pic - too cute! All of them reached adulthood and some mothered chicks of their own.
When I was a kid, I thought they were adorable......didn't have a clue that it was potentially harmful. Now, I couldn't imagine dying chicks in eggs (or otherwise). -definitely NOT what nature intended.

 

[AdilLucky]

Way back 10 years ago i purchased a pink and a creamy color chick they became adult roosters strong and angry lol

Now i again started raising them but they are not surviving more than 2 weeks

 

[newmarch2014]

Oh my how have I reached this age without ever seeing this bizarre idea? I would never but I see the draw that picture triggers. Very disturbing.

 

[crazyfeathers]

I went on YouTube and what I found is that they dump dye on a tote or crate full of chicks and then literally toss them like a salad. I'm sure the dye gets in their eyes and mouth, so cruel. I can see how people would think that colored chicks are cute but I bet they aren't thinking about what the process is to get them look that way. I hope it's illegal everywhere. :/

 

[midwest]

I I saw my first colored chicks over 35 years ago. Our classroom hatched them from dye injected eggs. Anyone that had parents permisson could bring one home. We had extras so I ended up with two.
They grew up like any other chick and lived normal lives. When I was young we bought some just about every year. Back then they were always white leghorns. They grew up and where kept as laying hens and my grandpa would butcher the males. That was what was the only disturbing part for me.
It did seem the trend died out for many years but is back again. My daughter picked up a blue chick that resembles a leghorn and a green feather footer that appears to be a cochin.
I'll let you know how they do.

 

[cakeconnection]

Back in the mid 1960's my sister and I got two dyed chicks for Easter. I think they were just sprayed with food color. As they grew they became completely white and were very healthy. When they grew up we gave them to some family friends who lived on a farm.

 

[dekel18042]

They actually inject dye in the egg during incubation. It just doesn't seem right to me. There has to be casualties.

Thankfully haven't seen dyed chicks in ages but they were common when I was a kid. We never got any but we lived in the country and had a laying flock. Many of the city folk got them for their kids and when they got older didn't want them. My mother felt sorry for them so over several years we wound up with a bunch......at least ten. And every last one of them turned into a white (leghorn) rooster that was MEAN. We had to carry sticks with us and that didn't even deter them from attacking us.
After that my parents wouldn't take any more, but we were told that was one way hatcheries disposed of their male chicks. So that would mean they were dyed after they hatched, because if dyed in the egg, some of the chicks would have been hens and none ever were...not ours or the others some neighbors took in.

 

[shelbyedith]

They are dyed in food coloring when hatched coloured. Food coloring is made to be ingested and is totally nontoxic. As long as they arent sold as toys i dont see anything wrong.

 

[melaniecooper08]

Been looking at baby chick pictures on google looool and i saw these color dyed baby chicks. Ive seen them on pictures way back too, and have always wondered what happens to them because there are never any pics of them when theyre older. Can someone tell me?

The chics lose their color as they grow and become their natural color. In many cases white tho some may still have a little color under the wing when fully grown but rarely.