My chicks are dieing!

[Blueberryfairy]

Since the company you bought them from has been selling other meat crosses from that hatchery, surely they should be getting calls from other customers by now. You could ask them, although you might not trust their answer, particularly if you talk to management. It depends on the relationship you have with them...

I have to say that this is the first I have heard about GMO causing wide-spread sterility. Considering the number of years that GMOs have been used both as animal feed and in human food (without our knowledge for the most part), I am skeptical. I think that they can cause many problems, and shouldn't be used, but if sterility were a direct result, we should be seeing some fairly drastic drops in fertility for both animals and people - and the farmers who raise the stock would be up in arms.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Hi,

I wrote to the Freedom Ranger hatchery and asked about their GMO use, here is their reply. This may help others make their decisions. Wow, is all I can say to this. We, as people, must make our own choices, but we must educate ourselves too. I think that all hatcheries should make it known that the parent chicks are either "non-GMO" or "GMO"! I think this will happen in the next couple of years. People are waking up slowly. GMO is bad for us and our pets, end of story.

So, I will BUY ONLY GMO-free chicks out of GMO-free parent hens. I have learned my lesson the hard way. I hope no one else goes through what I have gone through.

Hi,

I’m sorry, our parent stock is not GMO free. We did offer GMO free chicks this spring, but there was not enough interest in the chicks to keep doing it. Many of our customers do raise these chicks organically and GMO free and have good results. That’s the best I can offer at present!

Thanks & God bless,

Lisa Detweiler
Freedom Ranger Hatchery, Inc.
(717) 336-4878
[email protected]

I don't worry so much about the animals I'm using for food but I am concerned about breeding birds.

Since the company you bought them from has been selling other meat crosses from that hatchery, surely they should be getting calls from other customers by now. You could ask them, although you might not trust their answer, particularly if you talk to management. It depends on the relationship you have with them...

I have to say that this is the first I have heard about GMO causing wide-spread sterility. Considering the number of years that GMOs have been used both as animal feed and in human food (without our knowledge for the most part), I am skeptical. I think that they can cause many problems, and shouldn't be used, but if sterility were a direct result, we should be seeing some fairly drastic drops in fertility for both animals and people - and the farmers who raise the stock would be up in arms.

I think there is flawed science being cited by both sides which clouds the issue more.
There is enough concern even if anecdotal rather than purely scientific that causes me to limit GMO going into my breeders as much as possible.

 

[ten chicks]

Did anyone else buy Cornish Cross chicks (or any meat chicks) to raise to butcher?? I bought 25 of them, and they are dieing off at about 1-2 per day now. I contacted the company I bought them from and explained the situation and here is their answer: We purchase our Cornish Rock eggs from a company who specializes in meat bird crosses. We do not do any of our crosses here. We would assume they are being fed GMO products.

WOW - THAT EXPLAINS THE DEATHS OF THESE POOR LITTLE CHICKS - THEY ARE from GMO-fed Parents - and another thing is that they have not grown at all - they are STUNTED. I should take a picture of them before they are all gone (due to death)! BE AWARE backyard chicken producers - one more example how Monsanto has ruined our food chain supply.

Today, May 27, 2013, my chics are 1 month old, and they are the size of 1 week old chicks. Anyone want pictures? I still have about 8 left that haven't died yet. The chicks SHOULD BE at least 4-5 inches tall by now!

I have raised the Cornish Rock's for about 4 years now and butchered them for meat. My protocol has NOT changed - I follow the same method every year, because IT WORKS! BUT it isn't working this year, and there can only be one reason, as stated above!

I am VERY upset about this.

Have you considered that your chicks may have had cocci? When you start having chicks die everyday you have a problem. If it was solely due to GMO products,then wouldn't everyone else who purchased said chicks be dead or dying also?

 

[MontanaGal]

Well, get ready, because the news will be coming out sooner than later. The studies that are being done now will be coming out soon, and then you will understand more about the sterility of the animals and us.

I know GMO has been around for a long, long time, and up until the last few years, I think it was safe. NOW is a different story. Since they started making the RoundUp Ready crops, things have changed in the GMO world, and they continue to get more and more scary to me.