To
look only at the yellow ones, it's not immediately clear that something's
wrong. Widen the scope to include the other 38 spunky baby chicks,
and the truth becomes grotesquely apparent.
Purple. Red. Orange. Blue. Even pink. Each peep is dyed a garish
hue that would horrify a rainbow.
The
group of 49 came to live at Farm Sanctuary's New York Shelter in
early April, after New York City ASPCA humane agents seized them
from a Brooklyn pet store. The business owner was offering the animals
for sale as Easter novelties.
New
York City law bans the sale of chicks displayed or characterized
as "dyed." It also outlaws the possession of roosters
within the city—and half the peeps are male.
The
ASPCA agents acted after receiving an anonymous call. They removed
the chicks from the store, then contacted Farm Sanctuary to see
if we'd provide a home for the motherless peeps. The case against
the pet store owner is pending.
The
sale of animals—specifically baby chicks and rabbits—is
commonplace around the Easter holiday. To many parents, a peep seems
like the perfect gift for a child. But when "peeps" turn
into "clucks," most families find they are ill equipped
to provide a proper home for a hen or rooster, who can live between
10-15 years.
Unfortunately,
many grown-up "Easter gifts" are given away or dumped
in the wild where they stand little chance of survival.
But that won't be the fate of our 49.
Since
arriving at our New York Shelter, the peeps have enjoyed
all the comforts of home. They spend their days scratching and pecking
together, and all have been given health checks ensuring that the
only thing out of place is their bizarre plumage.
Peeps
with stained feathers can be produced by injecting a dye into the
egg as the chick embryos develop. This puts the gaudy color only
on their down—not their adult plumage. Already our birds' wing
feathers are beginning to fill in, and soon the rest will follow
suit.
Once
they do, the Easter peeps will look more like adult chickens—white,
brown and tan—not holiday-hued products used to make business
boom.
And
that's a common thread that binds the histories of all of our farm
residents: Their value was defined by their commoditization; their
worth measured in pounds of "white meat," gallons of milk
or dozens of eggs.
But
at Farm Sanctuary, these 49 souls, like the other rescued animals
who came before them, will find something different: a lifetime
of care and affection-even after the "novelty" wears off.
Chickens Saved from School Slaughter Project
Not long ago, Andre was living in misery at a school in Canandaigua, New York, where he and 18 other chickens were being used as teaching tools in an ecology classroom unit for which students reared and slaughtered live birds. Read the story.
The
group of 49 came to live at Farm Sanctuary's New York Shelter in
early April, after New York City ASPCA humane agents seized them
from a Brooklyn pet store. The business owner was offering the animals
for sale as Easter novelties. 
The
ASPCA agents acted after receiving an anonymous call. They removed
the chicks from the store, then contacted Farm Sanctuary to see
if we'd provide a home for the motherless peeps. The case against
the pet store owner is pending.
Since
arriving at our New York Shelter, the peeps have enjoyed
all the comforts of home. They spend their days scratching and pecking
together, and all have been given health checks ensuring that the
only thing out of place is their bizarre plumage. 
Once
they do, the Easter peeps will look more like adult chickens—white,
brown and tan—not holiday-hued products used to make business
boom. 
Good News for Teachers! The Cultivating Compassion program makes it easy to bring compassion to the classroom.