2013 Sebastopol Breeding/Gosling Thread

[RURU]

You are going to have to wait until they are all feathered out to make good judgment on them.

 

[krisg]

I am a "newbie" to sebbies, but I agree with RuRu regarding the cost of a sebbie gosling. From everything I have seen I would question a $20 gosling and why a friend was selling the goslings for a owner. Unfortunately, you have learned you really need to do research on whom you are buying from to be sure of what you are getting. The plus side is that it is relatively easy these days to find out info on just about anyone.

 

[PsycoPeep]

Well I do have some answers for you!

I didn't know that she was selling someone else's bird. I didn't find that out until a week after I bought it. She never mentioned it, just had it on her sales list under her own name. I'm sorry, but if you're NPIP, can't you get in trouble for selling other people's birds under your name? What if she's brought in a disease into her property, now? Regardless of if it was hers or her friends, if you're selling something under YOUR name, then you are taking responsiblity for the sale and for the health and condition of the bird. (I'm not saying the bird's sick, it appears healthy to me, but I'm just making a generalized statement).

As for the breeder's reputation, she allegedly IS a reputable breeder! She's a big name, quite a few people know who they are, they're NPIP, so that makes me feel that they should have good, healthy, quality birds.

And as for the price tag of a mere $20, I have an answer for that, too. Yes, I did think that was a little on the low side, but I certainly would NOT have thought that it was due to it being a mix. Any dealings I've ever had w/her inthe past she has only ever sold purebreds, why should I think this one random bird in an isolated insident wouldn't be a purebred as well? {{shrugs}} And she and I have talked about the rediculous price that some people have on their birds. Case in point; tolbunt Polish. There are a lot of people out there asking $60, $75, even $100 PER BIRD! And when we were talking about it, she said she's trying to get into them right now, too, and that when she gets established w/them she's planning on keeping her prices reasonable. She said she was only going to sell them for $40 a pair! So....naturally....even though I sure did think $20 was cheap for a sebbie, I just thought she was trying to keep her prices reasonable and competitive.

 

[krisg]

Now that I saw you are in Wisconsin I am pretty sure who you are talking about-- I saw the same ad for the supposed Sebbie. She does not breed all of her birds, some woman in Park Falls or somewhere over there does, and she sell them second handed for someone else. I purchased chicks from them in February and in the next 7 weeks 12 of the 21 died. I sent one to the Barron Animal lab to be diagnosed ($90 my cost) and it was what I thought it was-- Marek's disease-- "goosers" can't get it. NPIP does not cover Marek's. When I put out on Facebook that I had sick birds from her, never stating her name or business name, she accused me of making it up and then had the gall to say I was drunk when I can to get chicks. I had initially after getting the chicks had a problem with coccidia and when I told her that she kept saying I didn't know what I was talking about. I am a licensed Veterinary Technician for 20 years and manage a 2 office vet clinic. Unfortunately, I was suckered as you were. I thought that getting local birds-- chickies-- they should be healthier than a huge operation like Welp or Stromberg's, etc. I have learned my lesson there. It's only after talking about this then several people chime in that she's been selling poor quality and sick birds. I like the daughter, I think she really cares about the birds, the mom is the money person and not truthful. So from my experience with this person I have Marek's disease now on my place and I have to watch my chickens close and if they are showing signs I need to cull them. This is part of the reason I thought I would get some geese, they can't get it. Also, if you do a search on the internet regarding this business-- no complaints show up, so there is no way you would've found anything. In the meantime all of the 4her's buy all their show birds there, they go to the fairs and thus spread disease all over. I guess that's enough of my ranting. Sorry you got suckered, too. I did try to see if there was somewhere I could report her too and I couldn't find anything. Also now in all her ads she says her birds are "Merek's" vaccinated and she can't even spell it right. Also, the vaccine comes in 1,000 dose bottles and I really cannot see how they can be vaccinated when you have a dozen chicks one day, then a few next day, etc. The vaccine is only good for 2 hours once it is mixed up.

 

[PsycoPeep]

Hmm....very interesting information. Sounds like the same people. Someone else told me that a lot of ppl say their birds are Marek's vaccinated even when they're not, just b/c it sounds good and makes ppl feel more at ease when buying. Aren't you supposed to give out a vaccination certificate? Well, at any rate, I didnt' really care for their attitude the first interaction/sale that I had w/them and I've since talked to other people and now that I am, people are coming out of the woodwork saying bad stuff about them, even if it's just something simple like not liking their attitude. One person had said that yeah, even tho they're always short w/people, they always have the kind of birds that she's looking for so she keeps buying from them. But what I want to know is how big of an opperation do they HAVE that they have this quantity to sell at every swap and never seem to run out? (even tho they say they had 'complete sell outs') Someone else (sorry, but I don't feel the need to start dragging all these names into it) told me that they think they're buying cheap from hatcheries and selling at higher prices at swaps for profit. Not sure if that's true, just saying what someone else told me. That would also explain the Marek's vaccination issue that you're talking about.

 

[krisg]

I do think they buy some from hatcheries and resell and then they are Marek's vaccinated. This is handy for those who just wanted a few birds and most hatcheries have at least a 15 minimum plus shipping. I went to the house. It is, maybe, 26 x 30 and old with several additions. The basement is where most of the chicks are kept. It is really clean, where the chicks are and actually a pretty good set up. To be NPIP is just basically saying that the day the birds were tested they were negative for Pullorum and the other 5 diseases, not Marek's. The problem with Marek's is that it is a herpes virus so it is basically everywhere. The key at my place was that the chicks were dying left and right and had never been outside-- they were in a brooder in my bathroom. Pretty devastating to have chicks dying or having to euthanize because you know they're suffering. I think the silkies I got from them is what brought it through to here. There are certain lines of silkies that are more susceptible and conveniently within the 2-3 weeks after I reported that I had sick birds, they were selling silkies that were "Merek's", wrong spelling, vaccinated. These chickens are now carriers and a reservoir. I purchased a few othe unvaccinated chicks and at 4 weeks, after they had been outside for less than 2 weeks, they have all died. So now I know that I cannot bring any chicks in that are not vaccinated. Without using names-- slander or liable-- try to let anyone you know what they pulled on you. Actually you may even find funny that the mom of the operation got "fired" from 4H when the daughter was younger due to her being to hard to deal with. There are no authorities that can intervene regarding false practices.

 

[RURU]

When I purchased my very first two Sebastopol's and I bought ducks with them. I went to Meltzer. I paid over 50 each for them 7 years ago. So if you find them for $50.00 that is a good deal. I have purchased adults and I paid anywhere from $150.00 to $300.00 Each for my birds and always ask for show type. So I know all of my are pure Sebastopol's. Plus I went to reputable breeders.
Not everyone out there selling Sebastopol goslings are pure bred but they know if they put Sebastopol on there as the first breed they will sell better. When you purchase any bird ask many questions. Ask if you can see pictures of the gosling for sale. Ask are they pure Sebastopol or a mixture. There should be a big difference in prices of half Sebastopol and pure. Then you can go on from there on questions you would like to know about them.

I have been raising Sebastopol's for 7 years now and always keep updating my breeders to keep them as healthy as possible and to ad color and work on good colored birds.
I answer all the questions ask of me because how are you suppose to know anything about a breeder unless you ask! I take pictures of the goslings I have for sale. I do not guarantee sex because I do not know how to sex them and do not want to hurt them trying to find out what they are. Which can happen if you do not do it right!
Hope this helps a little for you looking for goslings in the future.

 

[PsycoPeep]

krisg - what's funny is that I don't even have to use names. If someone's reputation is so bad that when you start talkign about them ppl automatically know who it is, then "I" am not the one ruining their reputation and giving them a bad name. They did it to themselves before I even came in the picture. What's funny is they actually ARE a big-name breeder. So I thought I was buying thru someone w/a good rep.

On another note...

I have gotten birds from someone else on the opposite side fo the state and nearly all have died...twice. The VERY FIRST chick purchase ever in my entire life was with this person back at the end of April. I bought 8, 4 died. Told her about it and she talked to me for awhile and said if I'm ever out by her again to swing by and she'd replace them. So I did like over a month later. I got the 4 replacement birds and then 3 more on top of it. So 7 birds total. 5 of the 7 have died. I haven't said anything to her about it this time b/c I don't want to keep going back. She, too, is a reputable breeder that everybody seems to know who she is and I've had random people at swaps refer me to her website. (I've also had birds die from the ladies I got the Seb mix from, but I'd have to think about how many. Maybe 6-8? So a lot died from them, too. But you can't say anything to them b/c they get all harsh on you and start laying the blame on you and make it out that it's your fault and then you start looking suspicious for having birds die and what's wrong with you and your husbandry and you aren't takign proper care of them, etc... So I just keep my mouth shut.

 

[RURU]

Are these people you are talking about all in WI ?

 

[Cottage Rose]

Concerning the above issues. Anybody can have a website and breed/sell livestock...that does not make one reputable, knowledgeable, honest or mean you have all high quality or healthy stock.
A lot of people think I'm some "big breeder" but I'm just a backyard breeder of Sebastopol geese for 8 years. That does not make me an expert and puts me in the same category as the majority of folks around here but for whatever reason some people think I'm an "expert" or big deal breeder apparently based on the fact that I have a website, forum and post pretty pictures.
That means nothing.

For buyers to make accusations against sellers is highly subjective and there can be so many variables. A LOT of people's management is severely lacking so sometimes it is the buyers fault if a bird dies and as a seller they can't be expected to replace everything that drops dead when they sold an apparently healthy bird in good faith.
Young goslings in down can die from being chilled and over stressed too much.
ON THE OTHER HAND I've had three different first hand accounts recently of a "big breeder" exercising highly unethical practices soooo...
as always CAVEAT EMPTOR.