reasonably priced sebastopol goslings?

[spectrumranch]

Quote:
Wish I was rich like others that can give birds away free or sell for $10, but unfornately I work for every penny I have and it takes alot of pennies to cover a $2000+ feed bill each month.

 

[Jenifer Kraus]

Congratulations to the people who have contacted me and are getting a nice pet or pets and some have even said they looked just as nice as some they have seen priced so high they couldn't afford it. I hope I never have the Luxury of have a 2000.00 feed bill and expecting my animals to pay for it. I think I would get another Job.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Quote:
Umm Jenifer, all this talk about high priced Sebastopols has got me curious.
Would you please clarify what people are selling Sebastopols that are priced "so high they can't afford it".
The only person I know that sells Sebastopols at high prices is Dave Holderread whom you supposedly respect so much.
I couldn't help but noticed you had nothing negative to say to the lady that bought culls from Dave Holderread.
I thought in your opinion people are suppose to only give away culls and pet quality birds but somehow
its okay for Dave H. to sell culls. Interesting.
Its really wonderful that you have such a high surplus of geese that you are able to give them away for FREE but folks
like Spectrum Ranch, myself and many others people have a feed bill that needs to be paid and we're not all married to
farmers like you are that grows crops that you can feed to your geese.
I've never made any profit on any animals I have ever raised, bred, sold and given away for FREE.
In fact I'm probably in the hole every year.
I never expect something for nothing.
I gladly pay breeders for what they have for sale.
So get off your ridiculous bandwagon that its somehow unethical or bad to sell pet quality animals.
Its getting old.

 

[Lund121671]

Love the posts from everyone! We are a small family having fun with all of our chickens and waterfowl and I usually try to spend the money to get great birds because face it feed is expensive and a bird that has great qualities eats the same as a bird someone is selling because of a fault! Cottage farm (I drool every time I look at your sebies) In a few years I would LOVE to get some TOP NOTCH geese from you, but for now we are busy building housing and more pens etc...... you know how it is (never enough room)

 

[Jenifer Kraus]

Cottage Rose , there is absolutely nothing wrong with selling culls , and I am sure they went out at a cull prices . Most all breeders produce some. I am not sure what you are getting at. The original poster wanted some goslings and felt the prices were high for them and I posted that I had some geese for the price of the shipping and box and you felt you needed to respond. If I choose to let some people get a sebastopol that otherwise my not be able to purchase one, then that's ok. And just to clarify again, my farmer husband does not produce goose food. I have to purchase it at the mill the same as anyone else . I have it mixed and bagged there , but I still have to purchase everything that goes into it. When we harvest crops it goes to the Coop elevator. Sometimes there might be a bag to milo or soybeans left over in the combine.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Thank you Lund and best wishes with your building projects.
I'm getting a new goose shed today!
I was just telling a friend its kinda funny how sheds excite
me more than diamonds.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Oh! I'm jealous! Where did you get it? I'd be interested in seeing pics as that's one of the things on my hubby's honey-do list for next spring!

 

[Cottage Rose]

An Amish man built it for me.
I bought another shed from him last year as well.
I'll post pics on the Sebbie forum soon.

 

[DaveK]

Spectrum, I think it was the poster calling themselves Cottage Rose that mentioned $10 goslings and I didn't think they were suggesting that that was a realistic price at all. As for your $2000 a month feed bill I can understand and sympathize with your concerns. My wife owns a small business in the service industry and luckily had downsized and refocused before the current economy started to roll into place. End result is that a very nice income has been replaced by a business that is at least paying it's way even if not generating an income with some light at the end of the tunnel. This is not a complaint as we feel very lucky that things did not crash and burn as so much else has. Earlier this summer 32% of the available retail space in Ann Arbor, Michigan (home to the University of Michigan) was vacant. So I understand things being tough. All I can say is that if the feed bill and other overhead associated with your business are not resulting in a satisfactory return on your investment divest yourself of your loosing proposition and find other employment or income. If you are able to survive, happily or not, on your current circumstances and already know that there is nothing better available to you then you are still way more fortunate than so many who are highly skilled and motivated to work hard if only there were actually work available. Being in the industry you are you must surely agree that what is fashionable, especially if marketed and hyped the right way, can bring in income way overboard with a realistic value for that animal. Look at some of the Marans "breeders" who have already quit their "great love for the breed " and given up their intention to breed "for the betterment of the breed" whatever that is. The $$$ are not there for them so they are done with it - period. I can't imagine anyone would have any problem with your concerns as you are set up as a business and must generate a profit to both survive and thrive.

 

[DaveK]

Quote:
Umm Jenifer, all this talk about high priced Sebastopols has got me curious.
Would you please clarify what people are selling Sebastopols that are priced "so high they can't afford it".
The only person I know that sells Sebastopols at high prices is Dave Holderread whom you supposedly respect so much.
I couldn't help but noticed you had nothing negative to say to the lady that bought culls from Dave Holderread.
I thought in your opinion people are suppose to only give away culls and pet quality birds but somehow
its okay for Dave H. to sell culls. Interesting.
Its really wonderful that you have such a high surplus of geese that you are able to give them away for FREE but folks
like Spectrum Ranch, myself and many others people have a feed bill that needs to be paid and we're not all married to
farmers like you are that grows crops that you can feed to your geese.
I've never made any profit on any animals I have ever raised, bred, sold and given away for FREE.
In fact I'm probably in the hole every year.
I never expect something for nothing.
I gladly pay breeders for what they have for sale.
So get off your ridiculous bandwagon that its somehow unethical or bad to sell pet quality animals.
Its getting old.

I might not be reading this right but I don't think the issue of exchanging $$ for known pet quality is the issue here nor do I see that any one individual needs to take offense and become defensive. I am quite sure that the poster with those pretty culls (meaning not suited to breed improvement) knew and understood ahead of time just what they were getting and didn't pay a price that would be consistent with the birds being well bred, good quality breeding stock. Selling pet quality as the most fabulous breeding stock to come down the pike could be an issue as that does get talked about in the real and wider world. But there's a lot about the seller's hype in regard to Sebastopols that is noticed by a number of waterfowl breeders in general. As far as feed bills etc. there is a real difference between Spectrum Ranch and folks who claim they breed as a hobby. Spectrum is running a business and must generate profit and income to survive. We all have these birds supposedly because we love them and are able to afford the luxury of a hobby. Our own may be poultry and waterfowl while others golf, go sailing, travel or whatever. The point is that we CHOOSE to have these birds and if we can't feed them without selling everything we can possibly produce for as much as can be gotten from folks with more $$$ than sense then maybe we can't afford this particular hobby. It has been stated right here on BYC that there is nothing "unethical" about wanting to be reimbursed for the time, money and effort that might get put into an animal. Absolutely not if I am in the BUSINESS of horse training, professional dog handling, dairy farming etc.. If it's my JOB I expect to be paid for my time and effort just like anyone else. At least to me a hobby is a CHOICE and for some a luxury that allows a bit of respite from whatever else life may bring us in the course of the day. I feel very thankful for the bit of time I have to devote to different interests and it never occurs to me to think I should be reimbursed for the time I choose to spend or the effort I enjoy as far as these birds are concerned. If my little goosey barn had a timeclock on the side that I could punch it'd seem too much like going to work for me. I guess we could extend this line of thought to another choice, our children, and suggest that they ought to be presented with an accounting of the time, effort and money that went into them so that we could be reimbursed for that as well. If those almighty $$$ matter that much then I wish you luck retrieving every last one of them. As far as this poster is concerned it's just a fun thing.