BUYER BEWARE: Blue Star Chicken Ranch in Austin TX

[Winter Creek Coop]

Holy cluck. 1) Her website is like a box of crayons vomited and a toddler use the crayon vomit to write basic 90s HTML coding.

2) She writes:
"Fact: 90% of ALL chicks are carriers of Mycoplasma. (MG/MS) This is a known fact in poultry hatcheries."
So she clearly knows her birds have mycoplasma, and tries to make novices think this is normal to lose most of their flock to illness.

3) She also has an entire page dedicated to claiming all of the one-star reviews are fake.
https://www.bluestar-ranch.com/blue-star-ranch-reviews.html


Red flags. Red flags everywhere!

Any chance you reported your experiences to the Better Business Bureau? They actually do address complaints. I would consider reporting her to the Texas Animal Health Commission. Trust me, local government entities such as this WILL take these complaints seriously!!

I would write a report myself, but fortunately I have never dealt with her, so I don't feel it is appropriate to do so.

#1

 

[Castlewood]

Holy cluck. 1) Her website is like a box of crayons vomited and a toddler used the crayon vomit to write basic 90s HTML coding.

2) She writes:
"Fact: 90% of ALL chicks are carriers of Mycoplasma. (MG/MS) This is a known fact in poultry hatcheries."
So she clearly knows her birds have mycoplasma, and tries to make novices think this is normal to lose most of their flock to illness.

3) She also has an entire page dedicated to claiming all of the one-star reviews are fake.
https://www.bluestar-ranch.com/blue-star-ranch-reviews.html <---- so cringeworthy!


Red flags. Red flags everywhere!

Any chance you reported your experiences to the Better Business Bureau? They actually do address complaints. I would also consider reporting her to the Texas Animal Health Commission. Trust me, local government entities such as this WILL take these complaints seriously!!

I would write a report myself, but fortunately I have never dealt with her, so I don't feel it is appropriate to do so.

SO. MANY. RED. FLAGS. We were just absolute, naive noobies who took her to be a quirky, eccentric chicken lady and not a used car salesman chicken broker. Back when I first wrote this post I considered reporting to a state agency, then life got in the way and it fell off my to do list. Thanks for the encouragement to pick it back up.

 

[Kiki]

Really? We've had great experience with Melinda's hens! Has your experience been poor?

Yes really.
There are a ton of BYC members that have bought sick birds from her.
There are three ton Facebook users that have bought sick birds from her.
Thankfully I learned all about chicken diseases before I bought birds and knew better than to buy from her.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

SO. MANY. RED. FLAGS. We were just absolute, naive noobies who took her to be a quirky, eccentric chicken lady and not a used car salesman chicken broker. Back when I first wrote this post I considered reporting to a state agency, then life got in the way and it fell off my to do list. Thanks for the encouragement to pick it back up.

Yes, please pick it back up. If not for yourself, but for the poor birds brought into existence by that woman and the poor folks that kill their entire flock buying those chickens. It's despicable.

 

[Winter Creek Coop]

It would take a lot for me to rat somebody out to “the man” but losing most of my flock to a shyster would do it. You may be saving someone else from your heartache.

 

[Fallenone05]

I'd definitely report her - illness is not common with healthy birds, especially something so transmissible. The only inkling of truth I found was this,

"We sell all chickens "as is" and each customer chooses the chickens that they wish to purchase. There is some risk of loss in raising agricultural animals."

I lost my first birds this year with no proof of what even happened to them (I'm assuming hawks or my neighbor's damn cats) so there is a risk when you free range and sometimes even just visiting another flock can bring something to your birds.

but openly lying like she is to naive people is horrible

 

[cinnamoncockatiel]

Holy cluck. 1) Her website is like a box of crayons vomited and a toddler used the crayon vomit to write basic 90s HTML coding.

2) She writes:
"Fact: 90% of ALL chicks are carriers of Mycoplasma. (MG/MS) This is a known fact in poultry hatcheries."
So she clearly knows her birds have mycoplasma, and tries to make novices think this is normal to lose most of their flock to illness.

3) She also has an entire page dedicated to claiming all of the one-star reviews are fake.
https://www.bluestar-ranch.com/blue-star-ranch-reviews.html <---- so cringeworthy!


Red flags. Red flags everywhere!

Any chance you reported your experiences to the Better Business Bureau? They actually do address complaints. I would also consider reporting her to the Texas Animal Health Commission. Trust me, local government entities such as this WILL take these complaints seriously!!

I would write a report myself, but fortunately I have never dealt with her, so I don't feel it is appropriate to do so.

I want to also file a report, but agree. I have never dealt with her and I just learned about her today.

She also loves to talk about the old days, and how chickens were disposable and still should be.
And a review said when she was purchasing the owner grabbed the chicken she didn't want and thrust it at her saying thing one is better, that chicken was ill and died.

 

[cinnamoncockatiel]

Yes, please pick it back up. If not for yourself, but for the poor birds brought into existence by that woman and the poor folks that kill their entire flock buying those chickens. It's despicable.

Agree!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'd definitely report her - illness is not common with healthy birds, especially something so transmissible. The only inkling of truth I found was this,

"We sell all chickens "as is" and each customer chooses the chickens that they wish to purchase. There is some risk of loss in raising agricultural animals."

I lost my first birds this year with no proof of what even happened to them (I'm assuming hawks or my neighbor's damn cats) so there is a risk when you free range and sometimes even just visiting another flock can bring something to your birds.

but openly lying like she is to naive people is horrible

I think the 90% of all birds are carriers is the worst. I'm more believing 90% aren't

 

[Fallenone05]

I think the 90% of all birds are carriers is the worst. I'm more believing 90% aren't

I agree completely. Are some birds carriers? Sure. I'm willing to believe that. But 90%? There's no way.