HEY! Now that Spring's Here....Suggestion/Warning re: purchasing birds

[lockedhearts]

I agree! I have been both a buyer and a seller. I traded some healthy birds for some chicks back last year when I first started in Chickens, out of those 7 chicks I got for 3 adult healthy birds, I have 2 left. One I spent countless amounts of money on getting him healthy.

I am very careful when aquiring new birds, I segregate them and watch them carefully.

Also as a seller I always try to be honest when selling birds.

 

[speckledhen]

People, please read the first post here. We are getting many, many complaints of deals gone wrong and spring just started! I would suggest that you do not sell, buy or swap eggs or birds with anyone who does not have a clean record of finished transactions, someone with a good reputation on BYC. We've seen scammers come and scammers go and scammers return under new screen names. Please pay heed to this warning, folks. And do not spend more $$ than you can afford to lose.​

 

[bargain]

I think this is a very good posting. It is a shame that even among such a great group as BYC some persons are unscruptulous but a real fact of life. It harms the reputation of those that are good sellers and traders and reliable and trustworthy. Also buyers, please search for postings by the seller in categories - like emergencies. I think that the section on packing of eggs should also be reviewed as I've had many buyers pm me about bad packing or lack of packing care at all and disappointments about old eggs and rotten eggs.

Thank you moderators for bringing this up.

 

[stephenkeener]

I totally agree with Cynthia. I know that most people don't like confrontation but if you have any question of the flocks health or just don't know what to look for by all means just ask them flat out eye to eye and I believe you'll know the truth.

The biggest thing that worries me is it seems that most people just don't think something like this even happens or exists. But it does. And even worse there are people out there that are just to stubborn or greedy I don't know which to put down their flock when they know full well that they have a major problem.

 

[SportTees]

I totally agree! I am scared to get adult birds because of things I have read on here! If people were honest and forthcoming it wouldn't be as much of an issue

 

[speckledhen]

Folks, we now have a Feedback Form we are testing for BST. I suggest that you take some time to fill it out, whether you've had a good or bad experience with a seller or buyer. The link is in the following thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=165384&p=1

 

[()relics]

here is my opinion....Big time hatcheries and commercial egg producers have already tried to eliminate us; as backyard flock owners and poultry enthusiasts. They, if they had their way, would require everyone that owns even one bird to be subjected to blood testing....just in the hopes of finding some horrible disease...eg. avian flu,etc. If anything was found they would demand the government to make all flock owners have an NPIP certification or eliminate their flocks...How many backyard flock owners would be up for that??? Some of us are NPIP certified already and know the risk of that 1 sick bird that we got from "this guy" at a show who swore that he ran a clean flock....
Why would a commercial big time egg producer/hatchery care??? 1...elimination of the competition....2... the biosecurity of his own "million bird flock".....
This doesn't happen you say....then you don't know...every year at our county poultry blood testing day ; there is a representitive from a "major US egg producer that has 2 facilities in our county" present to donate his time to help the kids....NOT...he is there to MONITOR...just hoping for that 1 positive test...In Indiana we already have premise identification numbers that identify our premise and all animals that come from it....Big Deal??? The kids even have to have premise ID's for their 4H animals....Now Who is watching Who? If you read the fine print of the law: animals with no premise ID numbers bought /sold/traded could equal Them coming to get You...and bet if a poultry disease was uncovered somewhere in the state They would be at the door to test your birds, burn down your barns or whatever...Because they would already know you have birds...

So what it comes down to is US as honest poultry hobbists/hatchers/egg producers stepping up to police our own....before our hobby is taken from us....

Why this post here...Because this spring as we are out there looking for the next Midwest ,or whatever,Best of Show...We need to inform and police....More or less exactly what people here are saying....if you have sick birds...medicate/treat/whatever you do to them but Do Not Sell them or even transport them....Destroy them if you have to and start over...Don't prove "The Industry" right and be the next Typhoid Mary/Marty chicken owner.


So ends todays sermon.....

 

[1chickiechick]

thx for the great information

 

[chicken_china_mom]

I agree. I wouldn't dream of selling sick birds, and I would be both hurt and offended if I got sick birds from someone.

 

[speckledhen]

Still occasionally seeing "I bought these and now they have goopy eyes and snotty noses" type posts. At least ask if someone has had illness in their flock and in the birds you are buying so you can guage the answer/reaction. Dont buy them blindly!

(And when you do buy birds, if they become ill during quarantine, for goodness sake, please do NOT treat them. That is what you want, for a carrier bird to show symptoms, not so you can treat, but so you can cull! If you are only going to treat it and throw it into your flock anyway, then why bother to quarantine, right?)