What is a pair?

[Snadger]

On the subject of my Minorca's ................I've been doing a bit of research on google. Apparently the cockerels are very quick to crow......which my suspected one isn't.

Also when I bought them at Auction I seem to remember they were sold as a 'pair of POL Minorcas' so the POL would signify they were point of lay pullets surely?

Top and bottom of it is ...................eventually I should have either a laying hen or a crowing cockerel!

[Eco-Chic]

I heard some strangulated clucking yesterday and a had a sense of panic for a few moments

Decided I had an over vivid imagination (fingers crossed)

[CoraxAurata]

It's actually the two men folk of the household that are struggling most about culling the Norfolk Grey....but they will stand at the run admiring him for hours!I admit he is an incredibly handsome chap,but I said to Andi,more than likely all NG boys are just as lovely.I've adopted a very strict approach with myself(and try to encourage the kiddies do the same)of doing the routine feeding/cleaning etc & then ignore them best I can.

Selling them was(is)just an idea to try a pull back a few pennies that we've spent on them all these last six months...lets just say they most certainly haven't paid for themselves!I wouldn't have the first clue of how to go about selling or trying to sell them.Does anyone have experience of selling at auction?

I haven't sold at auction.... yet but I have bought and will be selling several pairs of Muscovy duck this year, the other choice if he is a really good example of the breed is to take him to a local show and put a sale ticket on the cage after the judging - of course if he gets a first you may not want to sell him then.................

[Bramble-Poultry]

From my experiences of auctions, there are ones to sell at and ones to buy at. Maureen found the one to sell at, but certainly not to buy at. The prices are quite high during the beginning of the season, and i do know of several "respected" breeders who put seriously sub-standard birds (including free lice and mites) through the auction to clear them through. Usually these breeders put them through in a maiden name or friends name to keep up their "good" name

Traditionally, the sales terms are usually:

Cock - male bird over year old
Cockerel - male bird less than a year old
Hen - female - any age
Pullet - Hen, 20 weeks+
Growers - usually means under 15 weeks of age, both sexes - but normally you only find the male chicks in there.
AH - as hatched - usually for young chicks under 8 weeks that are unsexed, but strangley enough have more than their fair share of cockerels.
Pair one cock/cockerl and one hen
Trio one cock/cockerel and two hens
Quartet you can see the pattern!
U/R Should mean unrelated, but look at the sizings. if truly unrelated there will be a slight size difference unless they hatched at the same time from two different batches
Broody Usually means a broody hen with chicks, but do check as sometimes its just a broody hen without chicks. You pay a lot more money for a broody based on the fact that she has a few chicks with her. No point paying out extra if she has nothing under her, infact the trip to the martket might be enough to bring her out of it!

Also, if new to auctions, take a general poultry book with you, as some of the breed names on the boxes leave a lot to the imagination. some people state the breed type and when you look its nothing like it, so a good poultry book will help you work out if whats stated on the box is what is actually in the box!

Also remember, when buying and selling at auction, the prices are usually PER BIRD, not for the box unless stated otherwise by the auctioneer. Broody hens with chicks are usually sold as a price to include all in the box.

As a general guide, current prices for Light Sussex hens in auction is around £6 to buy, welsummer around £4, sebrights fetch a bit more etc. Dont expect a lone cockerel to fetch more than around £1 - 1.50 unless he is something special that a breeder is looking for.

Put the cockerel with a hen and you can sell them for about £15 for the pair if you are lucky!

[Suechooks]

Good post BP!
Can we have advice on keeping hands in pockets while bidding is on please!