People in Texas, don't buy from M&T Rabbits and Poultry Farm!

[IzzyEllie3]

Went here for the first time the other day and bought 15 chicks. I was overcharged a dollar per chick on one breed compared to the prices on their website and while there I heard a lower price quoted to someone else for the same breed chicks I was being charged more for. Wether on purpose or accident, I don't know.

There were dead chicks in the bottom of the cages, and when I pointed them out, it was shrugged off with a, "It happens." and no effort was made to remove the dead bodies. Furthermore, one of the rooms with chicks was hot, humid, and I could feel no air moving through it. The whole place was just a breeding ground of disease.

Also, I found out while there that they have already sexed most of their chicks so that they can sell just female chicks to people. They had no male chicks for sale and I was brushed off when asked what they do with their male chicks. So in other words, the other male half of their chicks are just wasted/killed somewhere on the property.

Needless to say, now that I've got them home, I've noticed some of them have diarrhea, most have poo butt, and one has splayed legs and can barely walk(most likely from walking on the wire bottom cages that the other poor chicks were getting their feet and beaks stuck in). I am continually having to clean off their vents so they don't get stopped up and die. I will be surprised if I don't lose a good number.

This place was THE MOST depressing place I've bought chicks at. It was the puppy mill of chick farms. Please do not go here and support the way that they are treating these poor chickens. There is honestly no reason to even if you don't care about ethical treatment of chicks. Their prices aren't cheaper than other places. They are heck far from everywhere, and your chicks will be sick. Don't do it.

 

[jtn42248]

Went here for the first time the other day and bought 15 chicks. I was overcharged a dollar per chick on one breed compared to the prices on their website and while there I heard a lower price quoted to someone else for the same breed chicks I was being charged more for. Wether on purpose or accident, I don't know.

There were dead chicks in the bottom of the cages, and when I pointed them out, it was shrugged off with a, "It happens." and no effort was made to remove the dead bodies. Furthermore, one of the rooms with chicks was hot, humid, and I could feel no air moving through it. The whole place was just a breeding ground of disease.

Also, I found out while there that they have already sexed most of their chicks so that they can sell just female chicks to people. They had no male chicks for sale and I was brushed off when asked what they do with their male chicks. So in other words, the other male half of their chicks are just wasted/killed somewhere on the property.

Needless to say, now that I've got them home, I've noticed some of them have diarrhea, most have poo butt, and one has splayed legs and can barely walk(most likely from walking on the wire bottom cages that the other poor chicks were getting their feet and beaks stuck in). I am continually having to clean off their vents so they don't get stopped up and die. I will be surprised if I don't lose a good number.

This place was THE MOST depressing place I've bought chicks at. It was the puppy mill of chick farms. Please do not go here and support the way that they are treating these poor chickens. There is honestly no reason to even if you don't care about ethical treatment of chicks. Their prices aren't cheaper than other places. They are heck far from everywhere, and your chicks will be sick. Don't do it.

have you filed a complaint with the ASPCA in Bexar County? If not you probably should.

 

[IzzyEllie3]

have you filed a complaint with the ASPCA in Bexar County? If not you probably should.

I haven't, no. I hadn't thought of that at all. I'll look into it. Thank you!

 

[RicGail]

I'm curious as to why you purchased birds from such a nasty place? I would have complained loudly about the conditions and certainly would have walked out.. They didn't deserve your money and I hope you have those babies quarantined.. Please call and report them.

 

[IzzyEllie3]

I'm curious as to why you purchased birds from such a nasty place? I would have complained loudly about the conditions and certainly would have walked out.. They didn't deserve your money and I hope you have those babies quarantined.. Please call and report them.

I did complain but was ignored. I guess I should have walked out, but I had called ahead and had them set aside the chicks for me and had driven an hour and half in my car with a broken air conditionitioning to get there, so I guess I was feeling obligated and angry at the owners for everything I was seeing and I just wanted to get my chicks and get out of there. Dumb. I should definitely have just left without them.

They're all quarantined from the rest of my flock in a brooder inside. And thank goodness. Four little chicks have died so far. And another one is sick in it's own little box. It's leg and wing paralysis followed by either wasting away or in the current one, the chest feels oddly round, so I'm suspecting internal tumors. I'm thinking Mareks. Soo…yeah… if any survive, and I put them outside, it'll be years till my flock and land will be clear of the disease now. But they can't live in that box forever and I've got healthy birds free ranging outside, so I'm in a bit of a pickle...

 

[IzzyEllie3]

Does anyone know how to file a complaint with the ASPCA? I've been looking, but have only been able to find how to file or call if you live in New York… which doesn't really apply..

 

[jtn42248]

Does anyone know how to file a complaint with the ASPCA? I've been looking, but have only been able to find how to file or call if you live in New York… which doesn't really apply..

Outside the city limits call

210.335.6000 and press Option 1.​

 

[IzzyEllie3]

Outside the city limits call

210.335.6000 and press Option 1.​

Thank you!

 

[cmfarm]

None of what you describes sounds ASPCA worthy. I have never visited this business so I don't know how they are run in person, but none of it sounds that bad. And why do you assume that they kill the male chicks? That is a huge leap to make when you have no idea. When I have chicks that I can sex at hatch I try to sell all the males in a big batch for cheap (maybe they do the same). I keep my chicks on wire and they suffer no ill effects. And sometimes chicks do die, so if you saw a few dead ones that doesn't mean it is a breading ground for disease.

 

[jillscoop]

I don't know what you would like for them to do with all the males. Every farm that hatches has this problem. Every hatchery tries to sell them or give them away. People don't want the males very often. You probably didn't want 10 male chicks either, but why not? If you feel it is everyone duty to keep the males you should do your part too, and have a few dozen running around.
For the safety of the female chickens we have to thin out the males on our farm. If you have a 1:1 ratio of hens to roosters on your farm you have rooster rape gangs that run in packs and attack your hens multiple times, remove their back feathers, break the eggs inside of them and cause there death, and just in general terrorize the hens. Or you have a dominant male rooster that kills all the other roosters. I gladly give away extra rooster to anyone that wants them. No one wants them... They are layer's so they don't have enough meat to make it worth while for someone to eat. It's like eating a pigeon.
So if its' wrong to kill a chicken, what was on your dinner last week?
Instead of complaining about the problems. I'm sure we would all like to hear how you would solve the rooster population problem.


It sounds from your post that you are actually more upset that you were over charged a dollar since that was the first paragraph of your post, and that the other things were just more of the rant. I went to their website. The place looks nice with lots of room for the animals and kids hanging out with the animals. Everyone seems happy and well cared for. I see the wire cage floor, probably not a good call but splady legs are caused more often by someone putting them on something slick like newspaper, or plastic instead of hay.

I see you're new to chickens and have had some problems keeping them alive from your other posts. When you have new chicks get a pack of 'save a chick' from the feed store. Put it in the water it will help the poo butt & hydrate them. Please feed them a high protein 'chick feed'.

Wish you good luck.