Breeders/Sellers, Why Are You Stopping?

[Medicine Man]

I didn't mean to imply that the chickens themselves were filthy farm animals, but rather that's the level of stewardship most prevalent around here.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

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Thanks Tim - but please don't get me wrong - I *DO* get quite a few VERY NICE egg and chick customers, and its really satisfying when we're able to keep in touch!!! I have even developed long lasting close friendships with some of them.

But when you advertise on the internet, whether it be here on BYC, on eBay, on Craigs List, or wherever, you just never know what new people are going to be like when they respond to one of your ads, or win one of your auctions. Sometimes they're great to talk to and keep in touch with, sometimes they buy what you're selling and you never hear from them again, and sometimes they get all nit picky and become a royal pain in your butt. You just never know what you're getting when you deal with the general public. For the most part, the people I come across are good, down to earth folks, and are very pleasant to deal with - but the "bad eggs" can be very discouraging, and I sometimes feel like its just not worth all the aggravation that they cause, so I give it up for the season, saying I'm not going to sell anymore. But then I get hatching fever in the spring, then my hens start laying more eggs than I can hatch or eat myself, and I've got a hefty feed bill staring me in the face, so I start selling again! And the cycle starts all over again...

 

[ranchhand]

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I was "dreading" a remark like that. I do hope that when you say "most prevalent around here" you are referring to northern CA, where you are, rather than all of BYC.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

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Couldn't agree more!

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Culls are not necessarily a bad thing, and they're not necessarily impure. "Cull" just means "to remove from the flock", for whatever reason. A breeder may just not have room to keep ALL their chicks, and people that breed for show or that are otherwise trying to improve their flock are naturally going to keep the best of their hatches to grow out themselves, and they sell the rest. That's just how it works. That's why sellers need to post good, clear photos of their stock and clearly state exactly what it is that they're selling - and this is also why buyers need to pay close attention to those pictures and what is said in the ads. Better yet, buy in person, not thru the mail if at all possible - that way you can SEE what you're getting before you make the decision to buy. Not to mention, some people ASSUME (and we all know what happens when we assume...

) that just because the parent stock is show quality and that they are true to the breed standard, that all the chicks will be the same quality also. NOT SO!!! Some will be, some won't be, and some will be somewhere in between. The only *sure* way to get birds that are true to their breed type is to KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, KNOW THE SELLER, and to BUY GROWN ADULT BIRDS IN PERSON. When you buy chicks or eggs, or have started live birds shipped to you thru the mail (thereby not hand picking the birds yourself), it can be a crap shoot as to what you'll wind up with. You might get lucky - but then again, you might not.

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Without going into the whole Ameraucana vs. Easter Egger debate, hatchery Ameraucanas are not TRUE Ameraucanas - they're Easter Eggers. One may luck out and get some that are *similar* in type to true Ameraucanas, but in general, hatchery stock is not pure. If one wants TRUE Ameraucanas, breeders are the way to go, but again, one needs to know what they're looking for, who they're buying from, and to buy grown adult birds in person.

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Agreed here, too! But regardless of how much/often you tend to them, sh*t happens and its to be expected.

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Free range is ALWAYS best, but sometimes its not feasible for some folks. And if the price of KEEPING poultry is rising (and it IS rising, everywhere), why shouldn't the price of what they produce rise, too? Not to mention, our TIME is worth money, and some folks don't understand that. Of course, we all have to work within our budgets, regardless of how we keep our birds, because unless you've got a large scale operation, or can get top dollar when you sell, you're going to be in the red, no matter WHAT you do...

Again, JMHO!

 

[colby318]

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x2

 

[cashdl]

I sell hatching eggs and chicks. I worry constantly about hatch rates and living chicks. It is very stressfull. I have excellant hatch rates here on the farm, and I am happy if people hatch any of my shipped eggs. Araucana can be super difficult to breed and hatch when done without shipping. I make sure people know that. I do ask that people who buy my eggs, keep in touch with me. I want to know how the eggs looked when they arrived ( cracked or broken, air bubble and the like ) I want to know how many are showing development at each candeling, and I definately want to know how many hatched. If people don't contact me, I am emailing them to get updates. I am a worry wort.

I also send a letter about hatching egg expectations with every egg order shipped. I also have it posted on my website.

Now I have seriously kicked around not selling chicks or birds. It is very important to quarantine new birds and I find that few people do so. I do not vaccinate my chicks and I let people know that. Untill a chick is about 5 to 6 months old its immune system is not completely developed. If a chick dies they always assume it is the breeders fault. Fortunately I have only had to chicks die that people have bought from me, one the lady had for two weeks and all the others are healthy, I immediately contacted the other people who bought chicks from the same pen and all are doing well. Another person had them for just at 1 month when they all died suddenly. Both sounded like cocci to me, yet the mareks words was thrown at me. I get nervous when people started using mareks as a reason for death. 1) mareks can only be confirmed with an autopsy, 2) chicks and birds usually die due to either being smothered because they can't get out of the way, or starving because they can't get to the food bowl. I have never had a case of mareks here and I am super vigilant. Now cocci, I have had and this year is a wet one. I change my bedding often, and am fluffing up bedding every day. Water is changed several times a day. ACV goes in all water, and at the first sign of cocci, everyone goes on treatment.

I have a page on my website about quarantine and how important it is.

I am going to be adding a page to my website about the common causes of chick mortality and will be sending a letter with every chick that is sold. The more info people have, the hopefully better they can take care of their chickens, and hopefully the happier they will be.

I have cut way back on my chick sales, because it is hard to evaluate which chick may be the one to keep for next years breeding untill they grow out some. Everyone wants the rumpless tufted ones, and if I sold everyone it would leave none for me. Last year I ended up only keeping 3 birds for myself. So far this year I have about 30 that are in the maybe pen.

So my advice when sell eggs is send a note with every order on what they can expect. When selling birds send a note on quarantine and the most common health issues that can arrise.

I still worry something awful. I remember how difficult it was for me to get started in my choosen breed. It took years to get my flock where it is today and I have a really long way to go but am making steady progress. When I was looking to buy almost no one would return my calls or emails. I am very grateful to the breeders that did. I want those who are truly interested in the araucana to have an easier time of finding birds and breeders than I did. I always return emails and am happy to answer questions.

Lanae

 

[big medicine]

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Nicely put.

 

[big medicine]

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You ever get a nose bleed way up on that pedestal? Is there a course or series of classes one can take to become specially qualified to own your stock?

Pretty uppity for chicken farmer.

Just to make sure you all see the difference in the first poster's user name (and attitude) and mine, there has been confusion before.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

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You ever get a nose bleed way up on that pedestal? Is there a course or series of classes one can take to become specially qualified to own your stock?

Pretty uppity for chicken farmer.

Just to make sure you all see the difference in the first poster's user name (and attitude) and mine, there has been confusion before.

Oh, there's no confusion on MY part!!!!

 

[heathersboers]

We are almost selling out...our shipped eggs do pretty good but I am so tired of endless emails on 1 cracked egg and negative feedback on the color of the eggs....fertility...etc....they are in the pen...the rooster is breeding and the egg color does lighten.....marans......in shipping chicks...I add extras. If one or two dies on the trip it's either give me all my money back plus shipping or I'm going to take my money back through PayPal. I am sick of chick orders....they pay...something goes wrong...they don't hatch...or you Are short a few. Then when you do ship chicks or eggs....they get lost....dropped....etc. I give up.....we are keeping our glw....silver and coro Sussex and our English orps and buff brqhmas.I do have some project birds we will keep as well as our Lavender cochins.....other than that...I cannot afford to sell a sq cochin pullet for $3.....nor a blue orp chick for $1..that's what they sell for here. Heck I just sold all my rir for $ 5 each laying...it costs us way too much each week to not get any money back.