Ohio swaps

mandelyn said:

We went once several years ago, it was neat! Bring cages, and be picky! If you're going for trade dates and not a poultry specific function, it will be vendors as far as the eye can see with about anything you could hope to find there. When we went there was extensive poultry, some clean and healthy and others fresh out of a filthy pen... lot's of different types. There were also small horses, goats, pigs, baby raccoons, puppies, etc.

I do my best not to buy from swaps, but every once in awhile I stumble across some neat birds. That trip I bought 48 Wheaten Marans eggs, 2 hatched. (it was late on a hot day, had the idea to haggle so it ended up costing me $20 for all) Bought 4 Silver Spangled Hamburg pullets because my husband wanted them and I wanted to encourage his involvement.

Chicken Swap Do's and Don'ts...

DO:
Bring cages, and if you're a professional you'll also bring a cart to carry them on.
Bring water dishes, it will take you ALL day to walk the place and you need to keep your purchases hydrated.
Bring hand sanitizer or wet wipes.
Bring cash, expect $5-$25 for hens depending on age and breed.
Get there early!

These Do's are why I try not to buy from swaps...

Do some poop picture viewing, so that you can look at the poop in the cage and tell if they're wormy or sick.
Look at their eyes, they should be bright and clean and consistently colored.
Look at their nostrils, they should be clean and open and not caked up
Look at the feather quality. In April, it isn't molting season. Look for signs of insect damage, which means the feathers look eaten on by something with a small mouth. Big chunks missing can be from other chickens.
Check the bottom of their feet, no open sores or anything. The leg scales should be smooth and laying flat, not bumpy or raised up.
Check the butt feathers under the vent for bugs.

DON'T:
Ask for hens only out of baby batches, you'll be getting best guess. Look for birds you can tell the gender on yourself. More often than not though, sellers will take advantage. Especially if they can get a female price on a male chick. What are you going to do about it they were wrong or dishonest?

Assume sellers have boxes/cages. Some will in the morning. Others are set up selling only cages to those who didn't bring any. LOL

Don't try to haggle a lot prior to 10:30am, they can wait you out for another buyer if they have something good. The later in the day it is, the more you can haggle.

Don't wait too long to make a decision, someone else could be paying for them while you're thinking on it. I missed a beautiful pair of Turkeys while talking it over with the husband, I turned around to say we wanted them and they were already gone.

Don't shop when you're hungry. You need to be focused!

Don't put new purchases straight into your coop unless they are the first. It's best to do at least a 30 day quarantine.

I was amazed at the size and variety of it!

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Amber's loving chickens said:

Hi, is there a swap in ohio any time soon? Have two roosters we can not keep due to neighbours:/ thank you very much

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