The Easter holiday is full of symbolism of eggs, bunnies, and cute baby chickens. Every Easter in many places, adorable baby chicks are bred and sold to people who give them away as gifts to celebrate the holiday with their loved ones. Baby chicks are very cute and are a delight for children, but there are many reasons why it is unwise to give baby chickens as gifts to anyone. Read on to learn why you should never consider giving a baby chick as a present for Easter or any other holiday.
Chicks are a big commitment.
While baby chicks are small and innocent looking, they quickly grow into large chickens who have even larger needs. It is very difficult to keep pet chickens in most situations -- and it's likely that the person you want to give a chick to won't be ready. What if the person you give a chicken to lives in an
apartment or condo? Chickens need a sizable yard that they can exercise and forage for food in. Is the potential owner willing and able to build an enclosure for the bird? Ask yourself if the person that you intend to give a chick to can provide the right sort of habitat for an adult chicken. Chances are, they probably can't.
Caring for Chickens can be expensive.
Taking care of anything costs money, and chickens are no different. If you give a person a pet chicken for Easter, you are also giving them the responsibility of paying for the bird's feed, building a living space, providing
veterinary care, cleaning up after the chicken, and much more. What's worse, these responsibilities are theirs for the lifetime of the chicken. Consider whether or not the recipient would really appreciate getting this sort of burden as a gift before giving anyone a chick.
Chicks can cause trouble.
Even if you find baby chicks for sale in your community at Easter, it may not be lawful for you to give one as a gift. Many places consider chickens to be livestock or "farm animals", and some communities and entities like homeowners associations place specific restrictions on residents that prohibit them from keeping these types of animals as pets. If they are found to be keeping livestock on their property, they could be subjected to fines or other legal proceedings. Getting someone into so much trouble is hardly a good way to celebrate the holiday, so it's better to avoid the risk.Caring for chicks takes special knowledge.
Taking ownership of any
type of pet bird requires knowledge that isn't apparent to just anyone. Chickens may seem to take care of themselves, but that is not the case at all, and it is important that those who own them learn how to carefully interact with them and watch after them properly. If you surprise someone with a chick, they won't have time to do the proper research that they should do to learn to take care of it. Giving a chick to an uneducated person could doom the chick to an unhealthy life or worse.
Chickens can live for quite a while.
Under normal circumstances, the average lifespan of a chicken is around 7 years. No matter how you look at it, the chances that the person you want to give a chick to would really want to commit that sort of time to caring for a chicken are slim to none. The expense of keeping any pet builds up over the months and years, and many people are not prepared to
budget for bird care costs, especially without being given a chance to think it through. Financial issues aside, there are a variety of other situations in which chick ownership could inconvenience the person you want to surprise. Avoid embarrassing situations by choosing to give an alternative gift instead.
