@tonyTK, it sounds like you are one of the good ones, and you are not charging an arm and leg.
ive heard from few good breeders i knew, that they wouldnt and decent people wouldnt sell to pet stores, especially chain ones, as their is no money in, and the places treat terrible, so unless bird mill like puppy mill, or selling rodents to them, the breeder makes no money, or only if taking the minimal care to keep their animals alive to breed. people here around my area, not on forum, even most supposed experts, say doves carry and infect other birds getting them sick, which isnt true, and wasnt what i was saying, as the doves are dropping from sicknesses they already were able to keep alive with, but then shipped with minimal or no care and then just shoved out suddenly in all new open are on display, stresses them to death then. if they do bring sickness its not going to kill other birds, but other birds having and not yet showing so bad, can kill doves quickly, then when rest get sicker and show or drop dead from probly same type breeders and conditions kept previous then shipped, then set on display with other birds with who knows what, then more slowly kills them. i over explain, but then apparently sometimes still not enough.. and accidently offend decent people. doves generally wont live long enough to pass on bad problems to or give to healthy birds of other types, if theyre sick and not taken care of properly by some.
plus ive seen most shops putting out new birds, some seeming ok, but some already very weak stressed or sick, and some dead just dumped in, or die right after put in the cages, that other birds were sick or just died in previously, and not even clean cages at all, and some had dead birds from before still in or laying stuck in or below the grates if have any.
carosel pets in morristown mall is notorious for this with birds especially but all around (though actual health dept stepped in twice after kids, adults, and other pets got sick after exposure to that place or animals bought from there), as these places get bundles of breeder boxes full of animals for so cheap, they dont have to even care enough to make profit, as if they sell a tenth of what they got in, they still make profit. these shops pay off the local officials in charge, or close temp then re open under new owner name with same exact people running, cause no one knows or cares about pets as anything more than furniture decoration, or toys, except a few.
