Can I hatch eggs and keep the chicks as pets???

Question

Im trying to teach my sister and my parents that animals are not for eating so maybe instead of buying an egg IM going to buy the little chicks they sell them for 1 dollar and im going to raise it and then no one will be able to eat it and they will realize that animals have feelings too. Can you imagine my dad trying to take a bite of his KFC while watching the little chick run around the house? i'd love to see his face! maybe i'll buy a tank of fishes and other animals.. is it a good idea??? im not in favor of pets or keeping animals in jail but its for a good cause..

Answer 1

A "little chick" is a lot of responsibilty. They need to be kept warm with a light and soft bedding. The cage needs to be changed often as chicks "squirt" a LOT! They need clean water and feed. They need a cage large enough to grow in with a soft bottom that won't hurt their growing feet. You will need to clip her wings so she will not be able to fly over the fence, and because she will not be able to fly you will have to keep her safe from dogs and cats. You cannot let your chick run all over the house because it will poop whenever it needs to poop. You cannot potty train a chicken or any bird for that matter. That's why parrot owners put a cloth or something on their shoulder when they are putting their bird there. Basically this is a bad idea.

Better to lead by example. Show them how strongly you feel about not eating animals by just not eating them. If they ask questions, have smart and informed answers for them. You may change their minds yet.

Answer 2

As far as the hatching eggs idea, you can't just go to the store, buy a dozen of eggs, stick them in an incubator, and expect them to hatch into healthy chicks - or even any kind of chicks at all. Reason being that, first of all, egg companies wash their eggs before sizing them to sort into categories (regular vs. large). This washing removes a special enzyme that would start the growth process of the chick. No enzyme, no chick. Second, the eggs you get in the store are already 3 weeks old before they are made available to consumers. Both of these steps are used to prevent any chicks from getting into your dozen.

Your best bet, if you still want to go through with this, is to go to a feed store and ask if you can order chicks - not eggs. This will save you a headache later for buying an incubator and all the items attached. I would recommend getting some bantams or another smaller breed, as these are easier to keep.

Make sure that the water is medicated against coccidiosis. You shouldn't have to worry about this disease if the chicks are in a large area; protected and outdoors is your best option. If you are limited on space, change the bedding (shavings are best - and good for compost!) every few days to a week (when it starts to smell is a really good indicator).

You will need to get a starter feed for chicks (also available at your feed store) as well as a water container (must be always clean - wash/refresh every time it's not clear).

They will also need a heat source - the feed store will be selling heat lamps with long cords, and well as the bulbs needed - they will be a red color. Hang the light about 12-16" above the bedding and keep raising the light as the chicks get older.

Once they get old enough, they will need to go outside, otherwise you will have multiple messes to clean up - birds are not real good about being house-trained to do their business outdoors.

Overall, you may be better off with fishes, but they can be ignored - they don't get in people's way.

However, when all is said and done, I'm not sure I agree with foisting your beliefs and values on other people just because you think life should be this way. It's good to stand for your values, but forcing them down a person's throat is a fast way to that person being steadfast against whatever it was that you were trying to teach them.

No matter what, clear the entire pet idea with your parents (whether it's chickens or fish or even a cockatoo) so that you aren't stepping on too many toes.

Just go easy, and you will get your point across! Good luck =p

Answer 3

You could, but though there is nothing wrong with being vegan or vegetarian long ago you didn't totally have these choices and it would be just totally pushing your beliefs on others. So in some ways it would be a bad idea since animals eat animals, and humans are animals, it's the circle of life. But if you feel that you must do it than you should do it. You would have to have a rather large house or a coop of some kind, and a lot of food and necessities for the chick. You also have to make sure it is warm enough for the areas it is going to be in and just take good care of it.

Answer 4

Yes i imagine you can hatch eggs and keep the chicks as pets.

However, looking after animals is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly.

Also, animals have shorter life spans than humans, so dont get to attached.

Maybe you should ask your parents first : )

Answer 5

Srry but I don't think that it will work for your intended purpose... Putting chicks (which grow quick into chickens unless you mean ducks)...Anyways, be prepared to really want the full grown chicken or duck for possibly many years... Many yrs ago my now hubby bought me 2 baby Ducks. Since they were pets they were just looked at as exactly that ~ A Pet...Same as you see someones dog, cat, hamster, fish, etc...
Not~ KFC or anything of that sort. Plus no one thought twice about eating meat, chicken or fish, etc. of any kind for dinner just because I had a pet duck...
Also ~ Believe me... You won't keep a full grown chicken or duck running around the house for long as they don't potty train!
Good luck though.

Answer 6

You cannot impose your beliefs on others. Many people who raise chickens treat them as pets and yet slaughter and eat them finally. Unless you have a secure pen to keep the chicken in and are sure you will spend the time to take care of it, this is a horrible idea. Even if you will take care of it, it's not a great idea. Try leading by example instead.

Answer 7

to be honest with you I don't think it will work, the majority of people know where meat comes from but choose to eat it anyway or still don't make that link between the animal running round and the meat on their plate. If seeing the animals made people vegetarian all the farmers would be vegetarian and to my knowledge that's not the case. The most likely outcome of this is your dad will continue to eat kfc and you'll end up upset because of it.

Answer 8

Years ago my sister had a friend whose family owed a chicken or two and - no joke - occasionally fed them pieces of chicken nuggets. People will not stop eating meat just because they have a few chickens around. Think about how farms used to be - chickens, cows, sheep, pigs etc. in pens cared for by the farmer and farm hands. They interacted with these animals every day, and then they ate them or sold them. It may work on your family, or you may end up just being really bummed out when the chickens die, meanwhile your family is still eating meat. Good luck though...

Answer 9

Yes you can, but you need to be there the moment they hatch so that they can imprint on you as the mother. You also can teach them to use a littlet box as you would a cat. This is done by wtching very carefully and figure out the signs as to when they will poop and intervene when they will poop and take them to the kitty litter box. My grandma always had chicken which would run around her and she would have to pick each one up to pet them. It was funny to watch 15 chickens run around her in circles.

Answer 10

we used to have all kinds of animals in my grandpa's house and we eat the KFC, the Philly Cheese and every things else while the animals were running around. My grandma one time cooked one of the chicken pets that belonged to my sis and she cried for a week cause she eat her favorite chicken in with the rice, a week or two later she was over it...
so try it maybe it will work, but it might just extend to the animals you're keeping as pets only...