There are no UPA breeders in our state, I got mine from a 'backyard' breeder. I was lucky in that I feel she was very honest. When I got my first pair, there were no guarantees that they were indeed a pair. She told me that she thought one was a female and the other a male, but she wasn't sure (they were hatched that year and were half grown). Within days of bringing them home, the male got a swollen sinus. I contacted the seller who told me that she had a few with the same problem. The weather had just taken a drastic turn for the worse and probably brought the symptoms out. She did offer to buy the birds back, but I elected to keep them. When she recently list some black shoulder midnights for sale, I didn't hesitate at all to get them.
There are dishonest people out there trying to recoup their losses, no matter what the critter. Horse sellers drugging horses to hide that they are sick, injured, or flat out dangerous. Poultry owners with a disease going through their flocks who decide to sell all of the birds off before they all die. This is why it's important to quarantine new birds as far away as possible from your existing flock, and when in doubt, listen to your instincts.
There are dishonest people out there trying to recoup their losses, no matter what the critter. Horse sellers drugging horses to hide that they are sick, injured, or flat out dangerous. Poultry owners with a disease going through their flocks who decide to sell all of the birds off before they all die. This is why it's important to quarantine new birds as far away as possible from your existing flock, and when in doubt, listen to your instincts.