The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Chicks The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Chicks
Showing posts with label Chicks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicks. Show all posts

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Why You Should Never Give Baby Chicks to Children as Easter Gifts


Fluffy chicks and ducklings are popular Easter gifts—they're adorable, soft and irresistible, but they're not always an appropriate gift choice. While spring and Easter cards, children's books and toys tell a sweet story of fluffy chicks, they fail to tell the whole story of these real, live birds and why they should never be given as holiday gifts.

Chicks and Ducklings as Pets

Chicks and ducklings are not novelty toys, they are live, domestic birds that require special care and dedication to keep as pets.

Unless you are experienced in keeping livestock or plan to raise the birds for food, it is important to realize that they require both indoor shelter and outdoor exercise areas. Ducklings also require a safe location for swimming. Both of these birds have special requirements for feeding that a typical pet store cannot meet, and they will also need appropriate care from an agricultural veterinarian experienced with farm birds.

If you are prepared to meet the bird's needs to keep it as a pet, first check local zoning regulations. Many cities consider chickens and ducks to be livestock rather than pets, and they may not be permitted in residential zones. Then, investigate the breeds of chickens and ducks available to be sure you are choosing one that you can properly care for throughout its life — these birds quickly outgrow the cute, "Easter" stage and will live for years. If you are not willing to make the commitment for the bird's lifetime, it is best to avoid becoming involved with animals you cannot handle.

Salmonella
When sweet, peeping chicks are offered for sale each spring, many would-be buyers don't realize the hazards that Easter chicks and ducklings can present, particularly to the young children they may be given to as gifts. These small birds have sharp talons and bills, and they can easily scratch and bite.

The more dangerous threat, however, is salmonella contamination.

Salmonella is a bacterial disease that can be spread through the feces of chicks and ducklings, as well as through contaminated water. When these birds preen, the bacteria can be spread over all their plumage, and simply holding or petting them can transfer the bacteria to humans. The disease causes a range of symptoms, including diarrhea, fever, aches, nausea and abdominal cramps lasting for 5-7 days. While hospitalization for salmonella infections is rare, the elderly and the very young are especially at risk, as is anyone with a compromised or suppressed immune system.

Avoiding any contact with chicks and ducklings is the easiest way to minimize the spread of salmonella. If you do handle these birds, even briefly, washing your hands thoroughly with an anti-bacterial soap immediately afterwards is necessary.

An Unfortunate End
Too many Easter chicks and ducklings are sold as gifts to people who succumb to the birds' cuteness but have no desire or intention to care for adult chickens and ducks. After a few days, children lose interest in the birds and the birds lose their appeal as demanding house guests, and they are often abandoned in local parks or fields to fend for themselves.

Unfortunately, these are domestic birds with no knowledge or experience at foraging or evading predators, and death is inevitable. Those that may survive become part of feral colonies of domestic and hybrid birds that cause problems for park cleanliness and native wildlife. Many cities have been faced with mandatory culls of the birds when the populations grow too large.

Easter chicks surrendered to animal shelters do not face better chances of survival. In the spring, many shelters and humane societies are overburdened with former gifts that have become unwanted chickens and ducks, and finding suitable homes for them can be a challenge. Many of the birds will eventually be euthanized because they are not adopted.

A Note About Dyes
One of the most bizarre practices surrounding Easter chicks and ducklings is dyeing the birds in bright colors to make them more appealing.

While many areas outlaw this practice, it is still possible to buy dyed chicks in the spring. The birds can be dyed in the egg when coloring is injected during incubation. The birds do not appear to be harmed by this practice, but there have been no extensive studies about the effects of the dye on chicks that are not fully developed. When the birds molt, the colored feathers are shed and their typical plumage colors return. Recent hatchlings may also be sprayed with bright or pastel colors that will eventually wear off, but could be ingested as the birds preen. The spraying process may also cause great stress to the birds.

The greater damage caused by dyeing these birds is that the bright colors turn them into a novelty item. This emphasizes the birds as a gift rather than a live pet, and encourages many people to make an uninformed purchase of a bird they will not want to care for when it is no longer pink, purple, blue or green.

Alternatives to Easter Chicks and Ducklings
Instead of giving a live bird that could be dangerous and requires a lifetime commitment of care, there are many more responsible alternative gifts to choose from, including:
  • Toy chicks and ducklings, including plush or bathtub toys
  • Chocolate and candy birds and eggs
  • A visit to a reputable, educational petting zoo
  • Spring or Easter-themed coloring books, storybooks or games
  • A bird house or bird feeder to attract wild chicks
  • Chick or duckling figurines or Easter-themed décor
  • Seeds to grow in the spring
By understanding the needs of chicks and ducklings, you can decide if these birds truly are a good gift choice. This allows you to make a better decision about celebrating spring and Easter without harming birds or risking the potentially unpleasant effects of owning unwanted pets.

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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Peregrines Are Nesting in Cities from Coast to Coast in the United States


Peregrines nest in towns and cities from coast to coast in the United States. The urban locations make the birds easier to watch, which leads to an abundant supply of photos and videos as the puffy progeny come out of their shells each spring.

Peregrines, like bald eagles, nearly went extinct during the mid-20th century because of exposure to the pesticide DDT. By the time the species was given federal endangered species protection in the 1970s, there were just 324 known nesting pairs, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Today there are 2,000 to 3,000 pairs, according to the agency, which took the species off the federal endangered species list in 1999.

Wildlife officials around the country continue to monitor the birds, however. Many cities make special efforts to manage local peregrine nesting sites, providing special structures and banding baby birds for future tracking. Partly this is good public relations, but with peregrine numbers still relatively low, the extra attention also helps biologists keep tabs on the health of individual birds as they grow up and find mates of their own.

This new peregrine family includes one baby male and three baby females. They live in a special nesting box set 215 feet up a tower of the Marine Parkway Bridge in New York City. City and state wildlife officials recently banded the chicks so they can be tracked as they mate and raise their own families.

Peregrine falcons have endangered species status in New York state.

In Lowell, Massachusetts, last week, a peregrine named Merri flew over the head of a staffer from the Massachusetts fish and wildlife agency, who had just returned her newly banded chicks to their nest.

This falcon family’s home is a rooftop nesting box atop the 18 story tall Fox Hall, a dormitory on the University of Massachusetts–Lowell campus.

One of Merri’s chicks, newly banded and ready for its close-up. UMass regularly posts video streams and status updates on this falcon family.

Merri has been raising chicks at Fox Hall for 10 years, according to the university.

These downy peregrine babies—two males and two females—are nesting 693 feet above sea level atop New York City’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Staten Island.

According to a statement from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which manages the city’s river crossings, 12 peregrine babies are in residence this season on three of the city’s bridges.

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Veterinarian Says Parents Should Resist the Urge to Give Live Rabbits and Chicks as Easter Gifts



A Purdue University veterinarian says parents should resist the urge to give live rabbits and chicks as Easter gifts.

Lorraine Corriveau, a pet wellness veterinarian, says the live chicks and rabbits available in many pet stores this time of year require more maintenance and care than most people realize.

"Often many folks think rabbits need only a small cage and don't need much attention," Corriveau says. "The truth is they have dietary requirements that include a balanced diet of pellets, fresh lettuce and other vegetables, and grass hays. They also require daily exercise and enough space to perform three consecutive hops in a cage. When you get a rabbit, it's potentially a 10-year commitment because the average life expectancy of most rabbits is 10 years."

Young children tend to be rougher and not understand that they can easily injure a rabbit's back. In addition, rabbits have long toenails that leave deep scratches if handled improperly.

Chicks can carry salmonella and E. coli, which can cause diarrhea and possibly even death to young children. Chicks also can be dangerous when they get older.

"Chicks grow into chickens," she says. "Roosters can potentially become aggressive when they hit sexual maturity. Roosters also tend to make a lot of noise in the wee hours of the morning before the sun comes up."

After Easter many shelters are overwhelmed by the number of rabbits admitted and have to euthanize several. Rabbits are the third-most relinquished pets to animal shelters, which are usually equipped to handle only a few rabbits and rodents at a time.

Rabbits also are often released to the wild to fend for themselves, and those that don't starve become easy prey for predators, she says.

"Those cute, long-eared, baby bunnies with their twitching noses and the soft, yellow, adorable chicks are not toys, and they grow up to become rabbits and chickens that carry big responsibilities," Corriveau says.




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