BE VERY Careful of HOARDER Breeders!!!!

[destiny_56085]

I keep chicks in my basement and garage too. I don't consider myself to be a hoarder either. I live in town and have a farm just outside of town. I have to keep all the babies in town until they are feathered out at least or sold (whatever comes first). The insurance agent refuses to cover the farm if there is any heat lamps out in the barn. I live in MN and it gets cold here. I raise my silkies all winter and the rest of the stuff spring and summer. Therefore until I hit the Powerball and can afford huge heated Morton buildings, then I'm stuck with my current setup.

I also raise a variety of birds...peafowl, pheasants, quail, turkeys, ducks, geese, and chickens. Of course the ducks and geese are kicked out to the farm a little earlier than the rest because of how messy they are. You might find a lil dust and the carpets might have wood shavings here and there. The chick room is kept immaculate though. Brooder tubs and waterers are cleaned daily. The garage pen is cleaned weekly. If I want to continue to have my birds in town and no complaints from the neighbors, then I have to keep them clean. Same with my pens out at the farm. I raise silkies and standard cochins. If you want to keep those feet feathers in condition, the bedding has to be kept clean.

I also find it very comforting that I do live in town. I get to meet any potential buyers here. If I get the wrong vibes about them, they don't get a tour of the farm. I find that especially true about the people just wanting birds to raise up for butchering. Why do that have to see all the parent stock? Now if I have a fellow silkie breeder that wants to compare bloodlines and see which lines might cross well with theirs is understandable. I also learned my lesson last year. I will never again give a farm tour to anyone that pulls up with a whole minivan full of screaming kids and pets along. My place is not a petting zoo and 1-2 adults cannot effectively control that many kids. Did I mention the rat terrier they let loose to chase all my peafowl and turkeys?

All basement breeders are not necessarily evil! You also have to be a bit understanding. Anyone with waterfowl knows they are notoriously messy. You can put fresh bedding in a brooder tub and 2 minutes later then can have it all splashed full and stinky already again. All it takes is for a newbie to take a look at that and they make judements too. Look at the overall picture... are the birds overcrowded, do they have fresh water and feed available, anything moping around or sneezing, etc.

 

[19hhbelgian]

I understand where the OP is coming from. It sounds like a "chicken mill". She just wanted to make people aware that this type of thing also happens with poultry, and not just puppies. I am glad to hear that the authorities are looking into this person's "business". Hopefully they do something about the situation. In our area we have a lot of puppy mills

One man that had a puppy mill in our town had the authorities called on him more times than you could count. They never did anything about the poor dogs' situation because he had a "kennel" permit. I guess it's ok to keep mom & 6 puppies in a tiny wire cage with a door to a hamster wheel sized up for a dog!!

Well anyway, he wound up going off the deep end, and shot all of the dogs, including the puppies

The town had signs up all over in remembrance of the poor dogs... All because the

wouldn't do anything to stop this guy from breeding these dogs, and treating them like crap!

Ok, sorry for kind-of going off, but it just goes to show the ignorance of the "authorities" in some instances... Hopefully this one will be different!

 

[Lurch]

I guess you have to be careful of hoarder anything. All creatures are fair game.
I knew rescues that lined up the dogs in cages, and couldn't resist "one more".
Poor things lived their lives in a cage....with a couple of walks.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Oh my goodness, that is horrible, 19hhbelgian! Those poor dogs!

 

[LLCoyote]

I just bought three ducks from a breeder, and he wasn't a hoarder but never the less the conditions were not clean enough. The batch of ducks I bought all looked healthy, (and still are very much so) but the geese in another pen were missing all of the feathers on their backs. It was bad. Definantly not going back that way.

 

[onthespot]

I raise about a dozen varieties, does not mean I am a careless breeder. I know where all my birds come from, and I work hard on my breeding goals, and strive constantly to improve my stock. All my birds are in clean runs, most are on shavings, and have plenty of food available, and clean water every day. (sometmies every other day, depending on the weather) I feed Purina feed exclusively. Their runs are airy, their perches low and secure. They are all covered with chainlink, then metal roofing, and a big spreading tree over all of it. I think that does not make me a hoarder or chicken mill.

 

[klf73]

sorry, my birds cost me waaaaay too much money to let any Tom, Dick or Jane onto my property. I don't have anyone come to my house, ever(not since my first year). I don't sell birds, I usually give away what I am not using(have sold a few, but not enough to matter). I have my birds for my enjoyment. If down the road I decide to sell anything, I still won't let anyone on my property. If they don't like it, they don't need birds from me. I will take current pics if I need to but the other issue is my rare breeds, do I really need anyone knowing the physical address of where they are? Aside from biosecurity, I don't want to worry about installing an alarm system to go with all the darn locks

.
I have so many chicks right now it's insane...but to pick the best you need to grow them out(or sell the ones that don't fit your needs). I have 21 beautiful orps, probably only keeping 6 from this brooder(I have 5 brooders), I don't think it makes me a hoarder, I just want to get the best I can

, and those orps mess that brooder up within 24hrs....gotta get that darn new coop up and usable

JMHO

 

[onthespot]

LOL I hear ya! I probably have fifty orp chicks right now, and yes, they do need new shavings every time I turn around.

 

[scbatz33]

I get what the OP is trying to say, but the problem of speaking in generalities is they very rarely apply to people.

I have raised birds in a basement before. I wish I had a basement now, it cuts back on the dust in the house.

I brood inside. I don't have electric to my brooding shed yet so only babies out there have feathers.

I dont' let any buyer come to my house. I meet them somewhere. I had chicks stolen my very first year of breeding. Hard lesson learned.

I have has friends come to my place. I don't have intense bio security yet. I am looking into NPIP and then I WILL NOT have anyone entering my pens.

At the same time, I have seen really bad conditions for birds. I've seen sick and infested animals. I organize a monthly swap and we have had to be more stringent on what people bring because folks don't all have the same idea on what is appropriate housing and care for poultry.

I agree it is important to report animal cruelty of any kind. If you don't then you are as guilty as the person committing the abuse. And I also agree that sometimes the authorities dont' seem to be acting int he best interests of animals, but they are legally bound to procedure. Sometimes, as bad as a situation may seem, there isn't a legal standing and the authorities must act with in the parameters of the law.

When you're talking about animals and laws, nothing is black and white.

 

[cluckcluck42]

I don't let people into my property anymore, I've had some issues with people being pushy and alltogether creepy and will not do it again after reading of people losing their entire flocks from disease. Just safer to meet elsewhere, IMO. But- I make sure to have pictures of the birds available and would be comfortable showing the brooding area and also the breeding pens in pictures as well. I think any breeder should be willing and able to show you the birds and where they are housed.