To me I think this is wrong even though no chemicals are used and it doesnt harm the Hens or the chickens,it's just a gimmick to sell chicks that maybe people will buy because they are coloured and cute,but what do you do with a chick when it gets to a certain age and gets big?
Mmmm just thought I would post this as it did shock me slighlty.
what do you think?
Multi-coloured chicks for Easter
The dye comes off as the chicks grow new feathersA farm in the northern US state of Alaska has given Easter egg decoration a whole new meaning.
Triple D Farm and Hatchery, in Palmer, injects the eggs with dye to produce multi-coloured baby chicks.
Children visiting the farm in the run-up to Easter were met with more than 400 orange, red, green, purple, pink and blue chickens and ducks.
Farm owners insist the non-toxic dye is harmless and temporary, disappearing as the animals grow their new feathers.
"It's something we've done at Easter time for the last few years," Phyllis Burney, fiancee of owner Anthony Schmidt, told BBC News Online.
"It's mainly for the children. They are quite in awe when they come to the farm and see the multi-coloured chicks.
'Blue mother'
"One little boy came with his kindergarten last week and when he was asked how the chick became blue, said it was because it had a blue mother," said Ms Burney.
The dye, which the farm insists does not contain chemicals, is injected into ordinary chicken eggs a few weeks before Easter.
The baby chicks are not hurt, but provide a psychedelic spectacle when they hatch.
"The dye doesn't last much more than a couple of weeks, once the chicks' new feathers come through," said Ms Burney.
The farm, near the city of Anchorage, annually colours around 200 baby chickens and 200 baby ducks.
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4 comments:
I understand your feelings. As well as it being a rather sick intervention in the chick's life, what bizarre message are they giving to children? In my experience as a reception teacher, children are very much in awe of chicks in their natural state. Why can't we foster that love of the natural, healthy order without interfering?!
I too work with children and the foundation stage children would love them,but I think it is giving a wrong message of 'arn't chicks supposed to be yellow'? in a childs eyes that is,in reality they arnt but....like the idea of green ketchup yak! very wrong isnt it?
Eeek, very wrong in my opinion.
Triple D Hatchery is where I purchase my new chicks every year, so of course I have a biased opinion... The thing is - with only a couple hundred of each going out and ALL the people around here that own chickens ducks, I'm pretty sure that the people that buy them "because they are so cute" don't have ANY problem getting rid of them once they get big or realize that it's a little more work than they had expected...Chicks, ducks, chickens, pheasants, geese, and the sort don't last long on craigslist around here - Even in the winter I hear a lot of people looking for chickens and a lot of people selling them. I think it all works out just fine. I also don't think it is any more unnatural than telling our children about the Easter bunny and Santa Claus, or taking them to Disneyland to hug Mickey and Minnie. As far as it being a "sick intervention" on a chicken’s life that's just ridiculous...a large percentage of chickens go home and are butchered 6-8 weeks later - is THAT sick? Get real. I think it's a wonderful community easter event...
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