Animal Abuse in Technicolour

In one of the markets we browsed in Mexico, we came across this box of dyed chicks. At first, it didn't look real -- like a box of stuffed toys. But as we got closer, these brilliant forms were cheeping and crawling all over each other! It was a huge attraction for the local kids, and for we gringos who couldn't believe our eyes.

Obviously a novelty item. This is what it takes to set your baby chickens apart from your competitors, I suppose. Bethy witnessed a transaction in which two birds were packaged by tossing them in a bag, bunching it up, and handing it over! Yikes!

We didn't buy any of these chickens. Instead, we opted for the full-grown, already-slaughtered and BBQ'd kind.