*Chicken Auction (what to look for)*

[Tripp16]

Ok everyone!

Im going to a chicken auction tonight (Hopefully just to see what they have....) hoping chicken math is nice to me today. But what Im wondering what should I look for when I go?
lLike sickness, health?? I dont want to put my other girls in danger so.....

Any help is much appreciated! Thank you!!

 

[Oregon Blues]

Do you have a place to quarantine any new purchases for a couple of weeks before you add them to your flock?

 

[Tripp16]

Quote:
I have a medium sized dog kennel. Will that be big enough for two older hens???

 

[suzettex5]

The kennel may not be big enough. You will have to clean it out at least once a day, including food and water. And they would have to be in it for at least 2 weeks if not four (to be safest).


Honestly, and I hate to be the buzz killer here, if I was you, I would stay FAR away from a chicken auction. There are so, so many reasons why. If you think about it, WHY would someone send a healthy, egg producing hen to an auction? If it was worth anything and healthy, they would sell it locally.

There are usually many sick birds at an acution and they are not treated well while there. The birds are all usually in very close quarters to each other, thus the potential for cross contamination is VERY high.

Respritory issues are usually the ones that go around, so look for ANY signs of illness amoung ALL birds there- cloudy eyes, bubbles around the eyes, liquid of any kind around the nostrils, scratchy breathing noises, labored breathing, bubbly breath sounds and general listlessness of any bird. Look for any kind of leg issues, like raised scales, or tiny mites crawling on the legs (scaley leg mites). Look at the vents- make sure there are no signs of diahrrhea or poo build up, look for poo build up on the feet as well as that is bad and can transmit bateria and just screams of lack of proper care and sanitation.

If you cant see ALL the birds up for sale at the auction to check these things- DO NOT BUY ANYTHING!!!! Some illness can take a long time to show up and can be either deadly or at the very least, take forever to cure and also infect your current flock.

If even ONE bird shows any of the above signs of illness- DO NOT BUY ANYTHING!!! Chances are too high for cross infection. If they wont let you inspect each bird available, even the ones you dont want- DO NOT BUY ANYTHING!!

Sorry for all the caps, and for probably sounding paranoid, but I would HATE for you to think you were getting a wonderful bird for a great price and have it turn out poorly. Auctions well done can be a good thing, but unfortunatley, many, many are not and there are ALOT of posts here on BYC asking what to do for a sick chicken bought at an auction.

Good luck and I hope you have fun and have a positive experience!

 

[Tripp16]

Quote:
Thanks for all the advice!! You kind of confirmed what I was thinking! It may be best just to stay FAR away from it like you said.....

Thanks again!!!

 

[Kansas Gal]

I agree totally with Chicken Obsessed! I have gone to a local poultry auction a few times here. The last time I went a couple months ago, I swore I would never go back, nor would I ever buy anything from there!! It was over 100 degrees, people brought chickens crammed into small pens (I mean stuffed in there!) with no room to move around, and no food or WATER! These people brought their poultry a few hours before the auction began and just left them sitting (luckily, there was some shade) there suffering. I saw dead and/or dying chickens, geese, doves, guineas and a peacock close to death, due to the extreme heat and no access to any water. After just 10 minutes, I had to get out of there, and ended up crying on the drive home, as my heart went out to those poor things! I am sure there are caring poultry auctions out there, and caring sellers, but this ain't one of them! Apparently, the organizers of these auctions do not have rules on care of the animals coming to auction! Sorry, but I get angry all over again just thinking about it!

 

[Tripp16]

Quote:
To make you feel better, I didnt go. I thought why I am going to upset myself if I dont have to. Soo I decided not to go.

 

[Kansas Gal]

I know each auction is different. A guy I know who raises and sells guineas, travels three hours from here to another poultry auction. The auctioneer is adament that all animals there have access to water at all times, and limits the number of chickens in a cage. That is one I would maybe go to, but I would be too paranoid to buy anything from there. I have seen quite a few sick chickens as well. Probably best you didn't go if you had any reservations! There are plenty good folks out there with healthy stock! Good luck!