Easter chicks: why you shouldn’t buy them

April 8, 2011

No.

If you’re thinking about getting your kid an Easter chick this month, don’t. Here are just a few reasons you should NOT get a live chick:

  • Kids can inadvertently harm or kill these tiny, sweet creatures. That’s the most important reason to resist the urge to buy chicks for Easter.
  • A live chick doesn’t stay cute and fuzzy forever; it grows up into a chicken. And then what will you do?
  • Chicks also carry salmonella; in fact, several outbreaks of the disease were traced to chicks in the past few years.
  • It is illegal to buy a chick in some states.

If your children ask for cute little Easter chicks, consider it an opportunity to teach them to be good stewards of animals and nature.

  • Offer humane chick-related options, such as a wind-up toy chick.
  • Or give your kids Easter coloring books and let them color a chick. In fact, here’s a free download of an Easter chick they can color: http://parenting.leehansen.com/downloads/coloring/easter/pages/easter-chick.htm
  • Or ask them to draw one freehand. Wouldn’t it be fun to see how your kids interpret “baby chick?”
  • Allow your children to eat Peeps just this once. I know: solid sugar. Disgusting. But once a year the sugar won’t kill them. It’s not like they aren’t going to eat other Easter candy.

There are still so many fun Easter traditions for kids, like coloring Easter eggs and egg hunts. Focus on those to make a happier Easter for the chicks, you and your kids.

One comment on “Easter chicks: why you shouldn’t buy them
  1. Kelly says:

    why buy a real chick when you can buy a cute finger puppet. put your finger up a chickie’s bum.
    http://www.amazon.com/Folkmanis-2721-Chick-Finger-Puppet/dp/B001PBMATM/ref=pd_sim_t_2

    actually these are something I used to hide for my kids. whoever found him got to hide him next. it was just an ongoing game.
    almost as cute as real chicks, sans disease, chick poop, noise, etc etc etc

    http://www.amazon.com/Century-Novelty-Chenille-Fuzzy-Chicks/dp/B002K2EBGU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1302293704&sr=8-2

    your post reminded me of that game and I’m going to have to go find “Fred” or whatever we named ours so me and the kids can play again. 🙂

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