BUYER BEWARE: Blue Star Chicken Ranch in Austin TX

[theoldchick]

I learned to stay away from private breeders for this very reason. It's heartbreaking watching your flock die.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Better Business Bureau?

BBB is paid for by the businesses and only those who wish to be included are.. What a bunch of fake BS!

Call the county/state department of agriculture, or the state attorney general, state poultry vet, department of consumer affairs, etc.. and file a real complaint! Call the news station(s) and get them to write a human interest story.. about being taken during Covid by someone practicing shady business!

DON'T BUY FROM.. FEATHER LOVER FARM's in CALIFORNIA!!!

Shady thieves just worried about taking orders and money but not fulfilling them.. "Sorry we over looked and refused your $350 refund for months on end, our life is more important than yours!" Obviously, they remove ANY review they don't agree with SAME as AMAZON! Why won't google let me review them like it does SOME businesses??

Won't someone start an article/thread.. that includes a compiled list of those actually being shady and not facing a ONE time challenge. Make it a poll, NOT to include big hatcheries.. which generally run according to an "acceptable" business model.

WHY didn't I look at other reviews before placing my order.. and within days of doing so KNEW I would likely be facing the same.. it was too late, I was locked in to their policy.. which they DON'T comply with in the end.

Marek's doesn't scare me, it claims about 20% here so far.. vaccinated birds NOT welcome to HIDE symptoms beyond natural resistance, once I was educated about it.. I CAN accept my truth and ALL birds are sold WITH disclosure, also usually for top dollar. I breed to improve genetics NOT to improve pharma's bottom dollar. It's a huge sacrifice AND tough line to toe.. but sits best with MY heart and goals.

@Castlewood Sorry you had to go through this!

I've never seen MS/MG in my flock or had it come back on necropsy report.. YET. It does scare me a bit.. or at least keeps me from bringing in outside birds MOST the time. I do still buy NPIP chicks at times and recognize that there are literally NO guarantees, we can only do OUR best according to our current understanding!

WHY does NPIP only test for so few things and NOT the things that effect TOO many back yard flocks and are highly contagious! Ah, perhaps because it's about protecting people physical health (salmonella).. not chicken health/life or human mental health.. NO doubt ALL the industry "layers" of big chicken are vaccinated against this crud so it only effects back yarder's same as Marek's and does NOT impact our national food supply chain.. big pharma, big chicken, big grain, or big government/special interest.. SMH.. vent, vent, vent!

I feel like one of the breed club websites I have used mentioned their "show birds" being vaccinated for these types of things.. Maybe it's something we as whole community NEED to be MORE aware of AND consider.. My stance against Marek's vaccine does NOT translate across the board.. and ALL things should be taken with their OWN merit!!

These discussions are often very informative for me.
Thanks for sharing your journey with us!

 

[NatJ]

WHY does NPIP only test for so few things and NOT the things that effect TOO many back yard flocks and are highly contagious! Ah, perhaps because it's about protecting people physical health (salmonella).. not chicken health/life or human mental health

http://www.poultryimprovement.org
"The National Poultry Improvement Plan was established in the early 1930's... to eliminate Pullorum Disease caused by Salmonella pullorum which was rampant in poultry and could cause upwards of 80% mortality in baby poultry. The program was later extended and refined to include..."

It looks to me like NPIP was created to deal with a particular nasty disease--that I don't see anyone worrying about now, so it must have worked pretty well

And now they've moved on to test for some other diseases as well, but of course new diseases just keep popping up faster than people can work out how to deal with them.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It looks to me like NPIP was created to deal with a particular nasty disease--that I don't see anyone worrying about now, so it must have worked pretty well

I agree and value what little protection it DOES offer!

Also, after making that previous post, the research continued and it LOOKS like they may be have or TRYing or at least considering adding it into the testing.. MAIN issue, I can see (right now) is that each state sets their own requirements with SOME doing what is minimally required, Federally.

Thank you for drawing me back in to focus on what HAS been accomplished AND also the challenges I know ALL to well that are faced continually!

 

[sinutkomorgan]

Thanks for sharing this! I'm so sorry this has happened, We live in Austin and did get a few pullets from Mary several years ago now. We stopped going simply because her prices are way high and we found the breeds to be questionable, i.e., which makes sense because she doesn't separate out her breeds (or at least didn't then). My husband has left the tech world and now makes chicken coops--we'll make sure we don't send anyone her way. Also, fwiw, we've now been backyard chicken lovers for 8 years and we've never (thank goodness) ever experienced the loss of so many chickens due to illness and (knock on wood) we haven't had a case of mites yet. It's sad that so much of this information seems to be in the interest of protecting hers vs. education. And as a marketer myself, the website makes my eyes bleed.

I -will- say we had a very sick silkie (infected eye that was so swollen we thought she had lost the eye) and I used her "paid advice" service when all else failed and we do believe that her recommendation to spray with Chrisal Stabiotic mist did work. Our silkie hen fully recovered.

 

[Myrshine]

I'm so sorry that this happened to you. Upon reading their "review" part of their page, it looks like they are having bad reviews because of what the owner of the farm is putting on there lol.

 

[Hay Belly]

All of you know Marek's can be spread from up to two miles away by dander from wild birds, right? This is why I vaccinate all my chicks three times. It's not hard to do at all. How many people here harping on breeders that don't vaccinate only buy vaccinated birds?

 

[Kiki]

All of you know Marek's can be spread from up to two miles away by dander from wild birds, right? This is why I vaccinate all my chicks three times. It's not hard to do at all. How many people here harping on breeders that don't vaccinate only buy vaccinated birds?

Do you know that the vaccine does not prevent the bird from getting the disease?

There are many of us that do not vaccinate our birds nor do we buy vaccinated birds.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Do you know that the vaccine does not prevent the bird from getting the disease?

There are many of us that do not vaccinate our birds nor do we buy vaccinated birds.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

All of you know Marek's can be spread from up to two miles away by dander from wild birds, right? This is why I vaccinate all my chicks three times. It's not hard to do at all. How many people here harping on breeders that don't vaccinate only buy vaccinated birds?

I'm not sure I get what your question (I bold-ed) implies??

Vaccinated birds NOT welcome here to HIDE the disease. I advocate against it for BREEDERS.. Those "in the know" regarding Marek's and the vaccine, consider there to be NO alternative to breeding for resistance.

For those who WANT/NEED to purchase only vaccinated birds.. I accept/respect that they will find that elsewhere and I'm NOT competing with them.. funny enough, some breeders offer ONLY vaccinated birds.. I take my business elsewhere.. or contact them and ask about getting non-vaccinated chicks, if it seems a worthy venture... why do I both love/hate free market.. partly due to misinformation, false claims, false securities, human fallibility.

As far as I'm concerned breeders who keep vaccinated birds are the ones blindly allowing it to proliferate and maybe even mutate!! But each to their own (understanding and choice) until the government steps in and has their say.. with NO judgement on MY part.

Pet owners and backyard laying flocks should educate themselves and buy according to what they prefer.. vaccinating may be a good (not the same as wise) choice.

Marek's Virus FAQ

What good is vaccinating 3 times? Are all 3 given at the same time, different vaccine serums, at different ages, or what?? Do you use the same needle for every chick or each chick get it's own syringe?

Is your vaccine source include shipping at the correct temperature, etc. Are all serums shipped in the same box or from the same supplier to 'reduce' the human factor, multiple sources/shippers to spread out the human factor.. and which is better?? Things that make me go hmm.. that maybe one should consider in THEIR adventure! All questions are from TRUE curiosity.. what IF I were considering it? I'm NOT, but I still want to be educated about it.. thus easing some of the concerns I do have, and anyone else should.. IF ever!

Did you know that breeding for resistance is REALLY easy without vaccinating too.. Hatch a bunch of chicks, cull off anyone who doesn't thrive (the barn cat loves eating them), breed from those who thrive, repeat. It's a selling point!