Barn burned down - lost all our hens, need help with value

[CARS]

Sorry to hear that.

I know that my homeowners policy will not cover my birds. I would need a "farm" policy which is extremely expensive. If something like your fire ever happened, I would have the building insured but not the birds

 

[weirdmuse]

Sorry to hear of your loss.

As for replacement, Year old layers sell for anywhere from 7 to 15 dollars in my area (including show stock).

 

[PandoraTaylor]

sorry for your loss.

 

[greathorse]

Sorry about your loss, I agree that the replacement value of normal hatchery stock is where you would be. If I were charging the insurance cost I would for sure hedge on the high side of reasonableness. I

Your sons birds did well at the fair and that is awesome, but unless you were working with known strains and had "breeder" quality birds I dont think a blue ribbon is going to effect the value.

I dont think I would play the breeder card.

 

[KKatknap]

Heartbreaking. I just wanted to say how sorry I am this happened to you!

 

[daytonfarm]

Well insurance company said they don't cover the loss of any animal, regardless if it was a pet or livestock. The lesson I've learned here is that animals really don't need to drink at night, and to take pictures of what is in your barn. Not that the insurance company is needing the pics, but trying to remember what was in the cabinets and drawers is hard. Picking through the cinders I came across a leather hole punch, never would I have thought it was in the barn and I wouldn't have known it was gone until the next time I needed it. Medications, that just accumulate from having livestock.
So everyone just go and snap a few pictures and stick them in a drawer somewhere.
My son doesn't want to get chickens again, I do and I'm hoping he will change his mind.

Carolyn in Maryland

 

[bargain]

Although insurance doesn't count these, if you were planning on selling their eggs or selling the chicks or hens, you might be able to take a tax loss.

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Mahonri]

do you know the cause?

Please tell us it wasn't a heating lamp.

 

[ozark hen]

so sorry for your loss

 

[daytonfarm]

The fire was caused by a heated water bucket. Though the fire marshall will say it's "undetermined" because we had electricity in the barn it could have been anything. But I know that I plugged in the heated water bucket for the first time this year and the barn burned down. The barn burned to the ground so there was very little evidence left to know where or how it started. I used that bucket last year no problem. They did keep asking me if I was using a heat lamp, I wasn't, my girls were big enough and fluffy, mostly cold weather breeds. I did have the regular lights on. I would never use a heat lamp in a barn situation.
Carolyn