Back in October I ordered 25 each of Golden Comet pullets and a mix of ducks. The time had come to revamp and cull our existing small flock and look forward to having some serious eggs again. We had about a dozen chickens all of which were getting older - like close to 3 which for a hen is old - and I wanted to add some ducks to the mix. Duck is tasty and duck eggs are great for baking! When I saw that Ideal Poultry had a sale going on I went for it...(Ideal is close to us and they do a great job!)
They came, everyone except one was thriving and a month into it I had to go pick up a new bag of starter crumbles for them. So, I did, I brought it home and into the dining room where I brood them and the next morning it went seriously down hill...
I got up as usual, cleaned out the brooders and refreshed their food and water the same as always - the only thing different was a new bag of feed. The one I had just bought the day before. Not a new type of feed - same brand they had been getting - just a fresh bag of it. Same feed mill, same feed store...so anyways, out I went to feed and milk the big critters.
An hour later I came back in the house to literally find almost half each of the ducks and chicks BELLY UP! Legs flailing in the air, kicking, struggling to survive...some already dead...I was devastated...I didn't know what to do for a minute.
As I pulled dead birds from brooder boxes I also pulled the water and food - water which everything else including the humans here had been drinking and nothing else was sick - and then it hit me. NEW BAG OF FOOD! I called the feed store, and at their insistence I brought back the bag of feed...I shouldn't have, I should have saved it and had it tested. But I was too emotional to think about all that at the time. How could you not be when you see such vibrant young life literally snuffed out in an hour?
I also called the feed mill that afternoon once I was calmer from where the feed was made and do you know their comment? And I quote "Let me know how that goes" the nutritionist tells me on the phone after I explain what had been happening and asked if they had made any changes to the formula or had any other calls...Not "I'm sorry for your loss"...just let him know how it goes...gee thanks, guess who will never ever over her dead body buy that brand again! (Also, I did let him know how it went, I packaged up a few dead birds and mailed them overnight to his office...was I mad? Bitter? Oh yeah baby, you bet..."That's how it went you baffoon, THEY DIED!!!" read the note I had written and placed in the box - what a moron...)
I got no apology, no I'm sorry, no money back on the feed which I tossed to be safe, and no refund on my poultry (which eventually except for one - yes just ONE - bird within a week they all died, even after switching to a different brand of feed) and get this:
Long story short the claim was there was nothing wrong with their product...yeah right...if your freshly bought bag of feed was the only difference in their little feathered day, how am I to truly believe it was not your product? Of course they claimed to have it tested for everything blah blah blah...great, because I unwittingly took it back for them to do that without reserving any for myself. I was blind and naive to think I would get an honest answer as to what ever happened. I do know I will never make that make again because the entire incident eventually led to another path for me to follow, a journey of sorts into fodder...
Stay tuned to see and hear more about our venture into a new method of feeding. I made the switch because I was over producers and their attitudes. Sure, you work there, you may own the company, and you THINK you have a great product - but clearly it was killing stuff here...I'll take my chances growing my own feed thank you! And don't worry folks...I'll be getting more chickens soon...one day at a time right?
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