Be careful about "reporting" someone...
We got some Jersey Giants from a "reputable" lady in Louisa VA.
All 100 of her chickens were kept in very very small cages. 3-4 chickens in a cage... Dogs tied to trees... Cages kept in the garage and sprayed with a hose for cleaning without removing the chickens.. It was heartbreaking
The 4 Jerseys we got were in rough shape, but my Gf and I decided we wanted to buy them, take them home and rehabilitate them.. We knew they were rough, but we dare not piss off this lady. Just take them home, to a better place, and make sure they receive proper treatment.
Regrettably we introduced them to our flock.... Now I am slowly culling chickens as they develop these symptoms..
Anyway, back to the point
I reported her to animal control after I found out how bad the chickens were. Puncture wounds, picked clean of feathers from when she let her flock "Play" with each other. Discharge from the nose and ears, the entire bottoms of the feet were scabs, the rooster never crowed he was so sick and gurgly...
Animal control did nothing except flag me for harassment...
I reported her to the Facebook Forum, PCOV, Pet Chickens of Virginia. Posted pictures of her chickens with a warning to all who were going to have dealings with her.
I was instantly ridiculed for being "Jealous Of her Expert Set Up" and immediately banned from the group with threats of a "defamation" lawsuits......
So... Just be careful... Raise your own chicks or go to swaps with people who actually care..
Currently treating flock with Tylan Injections. 7ml a day.
One gets better, another gets sick...
Not working well at all
Taking our sickest chicken in for a Necropsy tomorrow..
I'll let yall know what I find out but my hopes are not high
I honestly suggest starting over after decontamination...
Chickens are relatively inexpensive, but take a long time to mature... Just hatch like 50, and sell what you dont need...
-DCA
Unfortunately some places are still very backwards when it comes to animal care.
The problem we have is over zealous animal control laws that limit chicken ownership to only 6 birds if you have less than a 1/2 acre lot, a hard size to find even in the outskirts of our sprawling metro area. There is no space per bird requirements so people stuff their 6 birds into coops big enough for 2 chickens only.
One nearly universal problem is the ignorance of the people making the laws. I'm not saying they are stupid or in any way malicious people, it is simply that they are at best ill informed or more likely completely uninformed as to the requirements of chickens in Subdivision life. Part of this is that we don't have any voice on the local, state, or national level and commercial poultry does. Commercial poultry doesn't like the backyard chicken movement because we serve to highlight and advertise all that is wrong with their way of making a living. We need to organize and develop standards for suburban chickens that lawmakers can feel good about enacting into law. Standards like 4 sq.ft. of coop per bird and 10 sq.ft. of fenced yard per bird. Ventilation standards and sanitation standards that fit backyard and subdivision needs. As backyard chicken owners we need to strive to be the better neighbor and keep our chickens clean, dry, and quiet