4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[kayandrob]

Mother in Law has got 3 pekins, 2 from a lovely lady we got ours from, but as told really should keep them in threes, anyway ended up getting the third from a garden centre near the NEC Birmingham (not sure I can say the name???).

 

We popped over last weekend to see how things were going when hubby and I noticed there was something wrong with the pekin from the garden centre, picked her up and her feet were in the worst condition I have ever seen, her nails / claws were all missing apart from 2 which were so long she couldn't walk properly. I couldn't even tell what should of been a toe and what was what, she had growths all over them and what looked like scaly leg mite.

 

Rang garden centre next day, first bloke tried to fob us off, I rang back and demanded to speak to pet manager who rang me back pretty quickly, they said they have a vet nurse there (if they do they should be sacked as they obviously aren't doing their job!) they agreed if we took her to a vets they would foot the bill so we got an appiontment for the next day, I went with hubby's mum and vet cut her nails, treated her for scaly leg mite giving us medication for the other 2. He said it looked like two of her toes had died and would fall off!!!!! He wouldn't say it was neglect of the garden centre, he just kept avoiding the questions I asked about them being at fault etc but did say it had been a long time illness and hadn't happened in just a week which is how long hubby's parents had had her.

 

She is now on the mend scratching around and a bit more comfy but is still having treatment. The garden centre say they are in talks with the breeder and all their chickens are receiving treatment (whether this is true or not I don't know! as they had sold 2 pekins the day before and whether they contacted the owners I don't know, but I did tell them they would need too), there were other points I made to the garden centre too, they didn't even ask out just purchasing one chicken, no questions asked or anything like that! their food bowls were full of corn not layer pellets or mash (pointed all these out to the manager and hope this will be rectified as I was very cross about it!)

 

I just wanted to share the experience in hope it might stop this sort of thing going on!

[BeckyBoo]

Gosh, that sounds really awful, that poor hen. Well done you for spotting it and getting her treated. I really hope any others they've sold weren't in the same condition, any new owners, if they had no experience, might not even realise. If you feel so inclined might be a good idea to either follow it up or pursue it with the RSPCA. I don't like them for re-homing, but they're quite good at prosecuting in cases of neglect, they'd probably be VERY interested in a commercial business selling badly treated animals.

 

It's always like this isn't it? A "craze" of animal keeping comes in and people jump on the bandwagon to cash in. As if your average Saturday or Sunday staff worker would have any knowledge of hens or poultry welfare? Makes me SO cross!

 

BeckyBoo

[Patricia W]

I'm pleased to say ( fingers crossed) that our local garden centres, (south of Oxford,) don't seem to have jumped on this band wagon. I'd say go for the specialist every time. So good you spotted it though - poor little girl.

 

And why can't you say the name - you are only giving facts, not making up stories! But maybe the moderators will have a view.

 

Tricia

[Redwing]

Please can I balance this out a bit?

 

Your experience is horrible and the garden centre are obviously clueless and inept

 

Its shocking that they didn't spot that the poor chook was indistress

 

but

 

My local garden centre sells chickens, they are bright happy birds kept in proper housing and sold by knowledgable staff who can answer chicken keeping questions along with health questions, a range of good quality housing is on sale as well as food, feeders, rite mite powder etc.. and the poultry section staff can comment on all of these items in detail and confidently

 

Lots of garden centres have jumped on the bandwagon and don't realise that selling a chicken is a bit different to selling the odd pond goldfish but not all deserve to be called bad and that we should never buy from them.

[Egluntyne]

Sounds as if the garden centre is pretty clueless, but that they in turn have been fobbed off by an unscrupulous breeder who saw them coming, and all of them jumping on the bandwagon.

 

Why not draw up a list of advice on hen keeping for them and tell them that you intend to check up on them in future.

 

It is possible that they might listen.

 

Their alleged 'vet nurse' might have no experience of chickens.

[Guest]

Anyone selling any animal in poor state the RSPCA as was previously said are absoulutely brill and will investigate 4 u anonmously. Shame ur vet wasnt so supportive...they should have been interested in its welfare..even if ONLY a chicken...change vets next time???

 

Not good enough..lecture over sorry

inde

[tidygirlsuk]

Mother in Law has got 3 pekins, 2 from a lovely lady we got ours from, but as told really should keep them in threes, anyway ended up getting the third from a garden centre near the NEC Birmingham (not sure I can say the name???).

 

We popped over last weekend to see how things were going when hubby and I noticed there was something wrong with the pekin from the garden centre, picked her up and her feet were in the worst condition I have ever seen, her nails / claws were all missing apart from 2 which were so long she couldn't walk properly. I couldn't even tell what should of been a toe and what was what, she had growths all over them and what looked like scaly leg mite.

 

Rang garden centre next day, first bloke tried to fob us off, I rang back and demanded to speak to pet manager who rang me back pretty quickly, they said they have a vet nurse there (if they do they should be sacked as they obviously aren't doing their job!) they agreed if we took her to a vets they would foot the bill so we got an appiontment for the next day, I went with hubby's mum and vet cut her nails, treated her for scaly leg mite giving us medication for the other 2. He said it looked like two of her toes had died and would fall off!!!!! He wouldn't say it was neglect of the garden centre, he just kept avoiding the questions I asked about them being at fault etc but did say it had been a long time illness and hadn't happened in just a week which is how long hubby's parents had had her.

 

She is now on the mend scratching around and a bit more comfy but is still having treatment. The garden centre say they are in talks with the breeder and all their chickens are receiving treatment (whether this is true or not I don't know! as they had sold 2 pekins the day before and whether they contacted the owners I don't know, but I did tell them they would need too), there were other points I made to the garden centre too, they didn't even ask out just purchasing one chicken, no questions asked or anything like that! their food bowls were full of corn not layer pellets or mash (pointed all these out to the manager and hope this will be rectified as I was very cross about it!)

 

I just wanted to share the experience in hope it might stop this sort of thing going on!

 

i go to that garden center all the time, did you buy the 1 of the buff pullets ?

[Janty]

I bought Cyril the pekin cockerel from a pet/fencing centre and he had been pacing up and down in a tiny run for months...poor lad.

 

Cyril (for those who remember him) has gone to live with four pekin girls in the country. Lucky Cyril.

 

[Guest]

I bought Cyril the pekin cockerel from a pet/fencing centre and he had been pacing up and down in a tiny run for months...poor lad.

 

Cyril (for those who remember him) has gone to live with four pekin girls in the country. Lucky Cyril.

 

 

 

oooooh I remember Cyril......he was gogeous - how's he doing?

 

Louise

[kayandrob]

Its nice to hear not all garden centre's rush into getting chickens to jump on the band wagon, and some do know what they are doing.

 

I do hope they improve and did offer my number if they need any help, not that I am that clued up with chickens!

 

Yes she was one of the buff pekin's they had in, hubby had gone a few days ago to buy his parents coop from them and he saw alot of different pekins but they had all gone when this buff was bought.

 

Fingers crossed things change.

[Janty]

 

 

oooooh I remember Cyril......he was gogeous - how's he doing?

 

Louise

 

I don't know really.

 

I know that a girl who rides her horse past the farm at Little Hen rescue saw Cyril and told her Dad about him. Her Dad had hatched some pekin eggs hoping to get a cockerel and some hens but out of four eggs he got four hens in four different colours (it would never happen to one of us lot, would it ). He went to see Cyril and fell in love with him. Now Cyril roams the wide open spaces of his new family's garden with his little hareem of ladies.

 

I'm happy with that thought, bless him.

 

 

Here's Cyril for those who can't remember...

 

[furryelephant]

It's always the way isn't it... and so sad. "New" pet craze comes along, unknowledgable people who see it as a quick way to make a buck latch onto it and start selling the latest craze. Sadly, many people (with exceptions such as the original poster) will buy an animal that they have no idea how to look after, handle or feed... said animal will either be kept in awful conditions due to ignorance of new owners, or dumped somewhere after a few weeks when the owners realise that they aren't as easy/cheap/clean/huggable etc etc as they expected.

 

This isn't limited to chickens of course (although we all care about the little sweeties so much it'll upset us to see them being sold in this way)... I've seen parrots, lizards, fish and many other animals sold in pet shops and garden centres by people with absolutely no idea (or regard for) what the animals require and therefore unable to offer advice to people buying them.

 

I think a call to the local council or RSPCA would be in order if the chooks are kept in poor conditions or are suffering from illnesses or neglect as seemed to be the case in the original post... The council will licence the pet shop and it should be inspected regularly. I worry that people buying hens on a whim will cause problems for responsible hen owners like ourselves on this forum due to badly looked after chickens attracting rats/smells/general ire from the locals and therefore attracting council complaints.

 

I hope the hen from this garden centre makes a full recovery and that Cyril (who is beautiful!) enjoys his retirement in the country!

 

Paula (edited for spelling! )

[tidygirlsuk]

The coop that those pekins were kept in had 2 ex batts in there b4 maybe the scaley leg came with them. i don't know what they use to the clean run but they don't sell stalostan f or anything simlar, just bird cage spay. I might speak to them this week and make a few suggestions of good chicken products, health and care ect.... they seem to keep other animals in clean conditions but chickens i think are a little different to keeping rabbits ect.