spraying chicks purple? Why??

[FrankHomestead]

Went in to TSC a few hours ago for feed, and popped my head in to peek at the chicks like I always do...can't resist. one brooder had white chicks with a blotch of purple spray paint on all their backs, and one was flat dead.
I located an employee and asked which chicks we're painted purple? Her response was simply "meat birds." I asked CornishX? She said Cornish Rock. I said oh. well one is dead. she said OK. then called another employee over her walkie talkie and said "can you take out that Cornish please"
THAT Cornish. so they already knew there was a dead chick. and left it to rot with the other chicks I guess.
So anyways, any ideas why they would spray these DAY OLD chicks purple???

 

[Parront]

Went in to TSC a few hours ago for feed, and popped my head in to peek at the chicks like I always do...can't resist. one brooder had white chicks with a blotch of purple spray paint on all their backs, and one was flat dead.
I located an employee and asked which chicks we're painted purple? Her response was simply "meat birds." I asked CornishX? She said Cornish Rock. I said oh. well one is dead. she said OK. then called another employee over her walkie talkie and said "can you take out that Cornish please"
THAT Cornish. so they already knew there was a dead chick. and left it to rot with the other chicks I guess.
So anyways, any ideas why they would spray these DAY OLD chicks purple???

Just to mark them from the hatchery.

 

[kitkat5505]

Probably to tell them apart from similar colored chicks. Sad that they just left a dead chick in there.

 

[sourland]

They may very well have been marked by the hatchery for breed identification. The local TSC is notorious for mixing up chicks.

 

[The Moonshiner]

1I'm gonna guess its purple food color.
That's how hatcheries mark chicks. I've bought certain numbers of pullets and had a cockerel or two thrown in. That's how they marked the males for me. Mine were marked on head.
I would suspect they marked the "meat birds" just to help make sure they kept track of them. A lot really frown when they get the wrong chicks but more so if they get a short lived meat bird instead of a pullet layer.
Also you may be reading to much into the "that" Cornish. When I read it in you post my first thought wasn't that "that" meant they already knew.

 

[3riverschick]

I agree with Moonshiner. I don't believe they knew the chick was already dead. I think they were explaining over the intercom that it was a Cornish and not any of the other breeds that had died. Best,
Karen

 

[FrankHomestead]

Well my reasoning for thinking they knew, is because they weren't next to each other and she pointed showing her THAT dead Cornish. it's like it was already an understanding which chick she was talking about. and she didn't even go to look at it to make sure it was dead...Cus we all know they can look dead when they're sleeping and someone without chick experience might think a sleeping chick was a dead chick, and run to tell an employee. I'm 99% sure they were fully aware of the dead baby.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Perhaps they just hadn't gotten to getting the chick out yet. It's hard to say. Perhaps the chick hadn't been doing well and they knew it was likely that chick. They probably see some death occurrences in the chicks. Not that much different than being in a pet store and a fish has died in one of the aquariums.

I agree with the previous posters...the purple is to mark the chicks to tell the difference. I mark my chickens with livestock paint all the time when I need to to tell a group apart.. It's a very handy way to tell birds/animals apart if you have a large number.

 

[FrankHomestead]

Yes I agree about the fish, and I also track down an employee to notify them LOL you can't just leave it in there, it expels ammonia and other wastes that will kill the other fish.
I'm no animal rights activist by any means, I raise animals that are destined for my family table. But I do believe in treating them with respect up until the food is in my mouth haha and I'm glad you guys cleared up the purple paint...makes sense. I was a tad bothered to see that.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Yes I agree about the fish, and I also track down an employee to notify them LOL you can't just leave it in there, it expels ammonia and other wastes that will kill the other fish.
I'm no animal rights activist by any means, I raise animals that are destined for my family table. But I do believe in treating them with respect up until the food is in my mouth haha and I'm glad you guys cleared up the purple paint...makes sense. I was a tad bothered to see that.

Absolutely...I'm there with you in treating animals with respect. I'm sure some workers may not be on top of things as much as others...and they do have other tasks that can keep them quite busy as well. I know it's not always the case, but I try to believe that for the most part workers try to make a decent effort when it comes to living creatures in stores.