My First Poultry Auction.........

[Suechooks]

Well I know one thing I'd never ever sell any of my birds at an auction. It was a local Poultry Auction today - the first one. So as it was only "down the road" I decided to go and have a look.
Plenty of space in the auction room and the usual sized cages for the birds so nothing out of the way there.
Lots of shifty looking blokes in flat caps and yuppies with clip-boards and posh Anoraks! Everyone going right up to the cages and the poor birds were all panting and twitching and trying to get to the back of the cages away from the iPhone photos and flashing digital cameras.
Once the selling started (45 minutes late) I soon understood how you could get carried away with "auction fever"!
Thankfully I hadn't registered so couldn't bid but really some of the prices were unbelievable - £15 for a trio of white Silkies, £30 for a trio of white Marsh Daisies, £15 for a pair of brown Marsh Daisies, and Leghorns of all colour under £30 for trios, quartets and even a quintet. At other end of scale the auctioneer was asking starting bids of £80 fo 3 wheaten Marans pullets and 3 Speckled Sussex pullets - he didn't get that price and both lots went for about £65 I think.
An experience indeed - I'll certainly go again and maybe even bid but I'd have a quarantine pen miles away from my others at the ready plus lots of Louse Powder!

[Glutton4...]

Sounds dreadful, Sue!

[petal]

you would imagine that just the stress would bring an illness on or at least make them more prone- also how can you tell how old the birds are - they could be clapped out and useless!(bit like me!!)

[Suechooks]

To be fair I don't think it was anything to do with that particular auction as the person organising it is known to me and has a lovely set up with some real quality birds.
Its just the whole idea of several hundred people staring in at the poor things. I used to go to an occasional Poultry sale held in a pub car park and that was much the same.
I felt most sorry for the young birds some only 8 weeks old. I just hope some nice people bought them and are now giving them lots of love and attention. A lot seemed to be going to the same few bidders numbers. I could only see a few close to me but the place was full.
Petal - they had the year of hatch in the catalogue. Most were this year but a few were 2010 and some were 2009.

[Gorsty]

Hi folks

I have a friend who breeds and shows Barnevelders - he does really well with them but last week he took 2 young cockerels to a local auction (one of which had been "carded" at a show) - he got £1 each for them.

He said when he got back that he wouldn't sell any birds at an auction again - he thought they had probably gone as someone's Sunday lunch ! Next time he has surplus cockerels he will raise them for his own table and save the poor birds the anquish of the auction.

I always "feel" for any animal which has to endure an auction sale - must be terrifying for them.

Gorsty

[its hilly]

I've been to a fair few now, and always have mixed feelings. Some birds seem really stressed, some are in tatty condition and some are so lousy they could walk off without using their legs. Others are glossy and calm. Lovely rare chooks sell for either silly money or nowt. I've seen pairs and trios af silkies and wyandottes of show quality sell for over £160 and trios of Iworths sell for £25.
I've also sold at auction, and privately. Still pass some chooks of mine that someone local bought at auction and they are in lovely nick. Some others I sold privately to a knowledgable home were later sold on to a distant aquaintance, who said they were kept in too small a coop and run in dirty mess. Took some young (10wk) birds to an auction, but didn't sell, didn't reach the reserve. They virtually snoozed through the whole thing, came home totaly chilled.
And Gorsty..most good auctions will not allow people to sell lone cockerals, because they will only ever fetch £1 or £2 as dinners. Better to put a card on their pens at the shows to say they are for sale (once judging is over mind) or stick an advert in the local paper.

[Snadger]

I've been to a couple of auctions before. Even had a bid at one of them.

I found that the high numbers at the end of the auction were the cheapest as a lot of punters left once they had 'won' a few chooks.

It's hard to keep your hands in your pocket at times!

[petal]

I've been to a couple of auctions before. Even had a bid at one of them.

I found that the high numbers at the end of the auction were the cheapest as a lot of punters left once they had 'won' a few chooks.

It's hard to keep your hands in your pocket at times!

I BET! Thank goodness there are no auctions near to us!

[Glutton4...]

Wot ^ Petal said!

[baldrick]

couple of days later I get a young lad at the door wanting a home for a leghorn coz the other has been killed and his hen with dayolds is having a go. Suspect the leghorns were from the auction as while he is a lovely kid animal life seems cheap in that house..............