I'm so angry - I need to vent!

[Enchanted1s]

Last year, one little black pullet flew over the fence and chose us! This started all of this chicken madness ! Before we knew it, we had a flock of three hens and a rooster - all of which came to us! We never left the yard! Well, after realizing the amount of time and money these birds demand - I decided if we were going to do this - I wanted to choose what type of chickens we would keep. This spring, I sold all but one of our mixed breed flock and purchased Crested Cream Legbars and one 55 Flowery pullet. I chose these breeds, in large part, because they were auto-sexing breeds and I did NOT want to end up with a surprise cockerel!

I purchased, from what I felt was a reputable breeder, one Crested Cream Legbar Cockerel, to go with my two pullets that were just about to start laying, AND one 55 Flowery Pullet. When they were 4 weeks old, I sent the breeder a picture of the 55 Flowery and told her I was concerned that she was a boy. She insisted that I (and everyone else) was wrong. A week an a half later, CutiePie (the 55 Flowery) started crowing I sent the breeder a video showing BOTH of the birds I bought from her taking turns trying to crow! She stopped replying to me. We are only going to have 7 hens - we cannot have two roosters. The hens do not like Cupid (was CutiePie)! The girls tried to tell us, from the first day we brought the babies outside, that CutiePie was a boy!

Anyway - to make a long story a little shorter - the breeder finally replied to say this...
"Need to bring the bird back and we will put down for you. Will have a $15 check.
Need to come to the house before noon Sunday."! She knew that we were already attached to him and would not want to just kill him. PLUS, I paid her $55 cash when I bought the birds! It would cost us at least $15 to make the 150 mile trip to get the check!

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Sorry your having such a time, it can be tough to sex some of these so young hope
it all works out

 

[townchicks]

Such a disappointing reply. Sorry that you had that poor result.I hope you can find a good home for him.

 

[RWise]

We do have to make these choices, and sometimes it can be very hard (I have some pretty ones on the floor now). I hatch my own and that means 50% will be boys. I do sell birds from time to time, and have made the mistake of letting a cock out for a pullet. I called the buyer (next day) and replaced the roo, I delivered a pullet to the buyer. (I let him keep the roo which he traded for a turkey)
IMHO the seller should either give a full refund, or replacement of the bird/s in question.

 

[007Sean]

I agree with @RWise

 

[Enchanted1s]

We do have to make these choices, and sometimes it can be very hard (I have some pretty ones on the floor now). I hatch my own and that means 50% will be boys. I do sell birds from time to time, and have made the mistake of letting a cock out for a pullet. I called the buyer (next day) and replaced the roo, I delivered a pullet to the buyer. (I let him keep the roo which he traded for a turkey)
IMHO the seller should either give a full refund, or replacement of the bird/s in question.

I sure wish I was closer to OK - I would buy from you. We are fairly new to chickens, but I would like to think that I would operate as you do. ESPECIALLY with an Auto-Sexing breed! Now if it were not an auto-sexing breed and sold as straight run, but I think this is a girl - even that I would not be upset with the breeder. In fact, when I did buy the two birds from her - I REALLY wanted one of her Olive Eggers or Sapphire Gems - but those were straight run and I didn't want to take a chance of another rooster, so I did not but them.

I contacted her in less than 30 days a sent a picture with my concerns. If this breeder is as familiar with the breed as she claimed, then she should have known with certainty that myself and everyone else was correct - CutiePie is a cockerel!

I am really starting to feel that Chickens are NOT for me! I have given most of my time, effort, energy and money to these birds for the past year. Now... I guess I am just really frustrated!

Now I can't upload pictures to BYC I think I should go take a nap LOL.

 

[RWise]

I might reply to her "I know where NOT to buy next time!"
I read stories like this all the time. Places sell misleading named breads. And then they get males on top of that.
At least you can have a rooster!
Maybe time for a cold one!

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Is there a reason you don’t want two males?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... This spring, I sold all but one of our mixed breed flock and purchased Crested Cream Legbars and one 55 Flowery pullet. I chose these breeds, in large part, because they were auto-sexing breeds and I did NOT want to end up with a surprise cockerel!

I purchased, from what I felt was a reputable breeder, one Crested Cream Legbar Cockerel, to go with my two pullets that were just about to start laying, AND one 55 Flowery Pullet. When they were 4 weeks old, I sent the breeder a picture of the 55 Flowery and told her I was concerned that she was a boy. She insisted that I (and everyone else) was wrong. A week an a half later, CutiePie (the 55 Flowery) started crowing I sent the breeder a video showing BOTH of the birds I bought from her taking turns trying to crow! She stopped replying to me....

the breeder finally replied to say this... "Need to bring the bird back and we will put down for you. Will have a $15 check. Need to come to the house before noon Sunday."...

Contrary to popular fiction a so called breeder may not be any more knowledgeable about the chickens they sell you than the Kentucky Colonel is. However this breeder can do her math with the sharpest of the sharpies. Let the buyer beware.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Is there a reason you don’t want two males?

We only plan to have 5 to 7 hens - barely enough to keep one rooster happy.

Well it is done. We traded our Cupid for some sort of mixed breed pullet. Father was Flowery 55 and mother was ? I don't know, but I think Cupid will have a good home? At least he has a chance. I feel awful.
Best wishes Cupid.

I got her just before dark and put her in with the babies. I don't really know her age either but she is smaller than our 8 week olds. I will get to know her better tomorrow.
The new CutiePie