Buyer responsibility starts and sellers finishes

mummaroo · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:26 pm

Can anyone clarify when the buyer of poultry responsibility starts and the sellers finishes. Is it at the change over of the poultry. Is it when the buyer gets them home. Is it when the seller is paid is he not responsible anymore.What is reasonable. Always really wanted to know.Can the seller be held accountable a week after or a few days.

Ajacksonno · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:32 pm

Personally i think the buyer is responsible once the bird has been picked up/received, but if it falls sick say... within a week of getting the bird home i'd say the seller is responsible (as long as it can be verified (by the buyer) it was not one of their previous/current birds that was already sick and made the new bird sick)... don't know if that makes sense...

Peter16 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:41 pm

Ajackson wrote:

Personally i think the buyer is responsible once the bird has been picked up/received, but if it falls sick say... within a week of getting the bird home i'd say the seller is responsible (as long as it can be verified (by the buyer) it was not one of their previous/current birds that was already sick and made the new bird sick)... don't know if that makes sense...

I understand what you mean

Its a good question and should yield some interesting answers

Deans' Poultry · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:49 pm

Generally speaking,I think that a week is fair enough to be responsible for a bird from a selling point of view. By then the bird should display symptoms of being sick. although there are exceptions to this 'week'.
For instance if a chick is sold as a pullet and turns out to be a cockeral it should be replaced when the buyer realises this, and this could be up to a couple of months later for some beginners to chooks. Mistakes can be made. Especially when sold as a very young chick.
Another exception would be if it was was discovered to have a disease, cancer,scist or something that would have already been there prior to purchase.

That's my 2 cents worth anyhoo

Kylie · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:23 pm

I think it depends on the buyer and seller. I'v not had a very good time when it comes to buying but thats my own fault as much as it can be the sellers on some occassions, I have seen the conditions that the chickens are living in sometimes and feel sorry for them and ttake them anyway thinking i can give them a great home, some have died upto 4 weeks later from something they have had when purchased but hey thats just as much my fault for taking the risk when all doesn't seem right in the first place :-?

As Darren said with gender, i believe that if a pullet has been sold (sexed) then turns out to be a ckl that should be the responsibility of the seller having sold the chicken as the wrong sex to begin with but sometimes maybe the seller is genuine and makes a mistake with the sex but still should take responsiblity and exchanges it for what the buyer purchased to start with.

Just my opinion [smilie=a_bow.gif]

joc1 · **Joined:** Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:31 pm **Posts:** 35

It is a good question.

With regard to wrong sex, I think that is always the sellers responsibility unless they are sold as unsexed.

The other part is not so easy to answer.

The seller has raised the chicks/pullets/cockerals in their own environment and the birds have built up a tolerance or immunity to what is on that property.

Then the buyer gets them either stressed out at an auction (no comebacks at all in this scenario as you probably dont know who the breeder was) or picked up from a breeder and driven for X hours in the back of a car and equally stressed out.

Then the buyer has to follow some quarantine, it is to protect both sets of birds. The birds you bring home may have no immunity to the other 200 strains of cocci or the other 2 forms of Mareks even if they are vaccinated for the 3rd that are on the buyers property.

So, to me, the sellers responsibilty stops when the bird leaves the property. If the bird, that is sold, dies of something and the sellers flock are all fine and have no sign of the problem then how can you put the blame back on them.

This is all based on the truth being told by both parties of course and most reputable breeds are up front.

If you are buying a bird, sit down, watch it for a while, observe it going about its business in its home environment. Pick it up, feel it, go over it with a fine tooth comb (not literally) and make a decision to buy or walk away.

Observation is the biggest part of looking after a flock. When you know your birds, you will pick up on any changes very quickly.

J

mummaroo · **Posted:** Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:50 am

I am in the same opinion as Jocler on this. If a person goes over the birds individually like they are judging them and are happy with what they are paying for.Say checked eye colour and weight and size of feathering and so forth. Spends several hours checking and watching them,then they take them and travel several hours,well I believe that it is the buyers responsibility after that.If a bird falls sick after that then they should do something about it with medication. Not wait and see. If it dies it is there loss. The person they bought them of should not be asked to replace it.
However if they are bought as pullets and turn out as cockerels then that is different. They should be held accountable then.

County Lodge · **Posted:** Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:20 am

jocler1 wrote:

It is a good question.

With regard to wrong sex, I think that is always the sellers responsibility unless they are sold as unsexed.

The other part is not so easy to answer.

The seller has raised the chicks/pullets/cockerals in their own environment and the birds have built up a tolerance or immunity to what is on that property.

Then the buyer gets them either stressed out at an auction (no comebacks at all in this scenario as you probably dont know who the breeder was) or picked up from a breeder and driven for X hours in the back of a car and equally stressed out.

Then the buyer has to follow some quarantine, it is to protect both sets of birds. The birds you bring home may have no immunity to the other 200 strains of cocci or the other 2 forms of Mareks even if they are vaccinated for the 3rd that are on the buyers property.

So, to me, the sellers responsibilty stops when the bird leaves the property. If the bird, that is sold, dies of something and the sellers flock are all fine and have no sign of the problem then how can you put the blame back on them.

This is all based on the truth being told by both parties of course and most reputable breeds are up front.

If you are buying a bird, sit down, watch it for a while, observe it going about its business in its home environment. Pick it up, feel it, go over it with a fine tooth comb (not literally) and make a decision to buy or walk away.

Observation is the biggest part of looking after a flock. When you know your birds, you will pick up on any changes very quickly.

J

I agree with everything you say jocler1.

People I think need to understand that chooks as well need to build up immunities. Like when kids go to day care, kindy or school for the first time. The first year just seems like a write off as they are sick all the time from viruses they have picked up but were protected from at home. Chooks are the same they build up immunities at home from various viruses and then move onto different ground and whammo.

I always warn people to introduce the birds slowly at home for that reason. Freeranging I think also help birds build up their immunities. Sellers can not be held responsible if the birds gets a virus and gets sick. They just need to do their best to help the chook through it. One would hope that if the bird was showing signs of illness at the sellers home then they would leave the bird there and go home and wash up before touching their own or anyone elses birds.

pjh · **Posted:** Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:35 am

I too agree with jocler-----and as always, buyer beware----we need to make educated, well thought out decisions-------however, if a chick is sold as sexed and then turns out opposite, that should be replaced, cheers pam

Peacocks Australia · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2002 9:14 am **Posts:** 310755

Hi all, think it's all been said, and yes Sellers should replace birds sold as sexed if incorrect. We have a 7 day money back guarantee with all birds sold but do require an autopsy report. As mentioned above spend time with the breeders stock and ask questions, Vaccinated? Wormed? ect... And take the time to look at ALL the stock.

Thanks
P.A :lol:

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