Mt Hope, Ohio Swap This Weekend

[chicmom]

Sounds like it will be fun and interesting. I don't have a whole lot of money to spend, but I do have some chicks that I think I might take.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Quote:
No, I don't think it was you, because there were six in the pen I got mine from.

Did you have more than 3?

 

[BeccaOH]

Oh, oberhaslikid, I wish we had met up. I was there with Quail_Antwerp. It was a crazy busy weekend. I got 2 hours sleep on Thursday, and we were setting up by 7 am, but the swap didn't really get busy until noon or later. We stayed until around 5, I think. I got 4 hours sleep on Friday night. We had an awful morning trying to pack up and get going, then I didn't even take the right road to get there.

Arrived around 8, and it was already hopping busy with buyers and twice as many sellers. Thankfully our spot was saved from Friday. The business really dropped off after lunch, though, and we probably were on the road by 3:30.

I came home with a Brabanter hen and a New Zealand Red buck.

Considering going again in July, but I'm not sure how much I'll have ready to sell.

The vets/inspectors were coming around heavily on Friday asking about NPIP testing. I didn't see them on Saturday, though, when I actually had my papers in hand.

I did meet some others from BYC and SS. Wore my BYC shirt on Friday. We should put up signs about being forum members.

Now to recuperate.

 

[chicmom]

Hello!

I went to the swap meet on Saturday, and I really liked it but some of those chickens, and other poultry just looked awful! I was afraid to buy anything. There were a few tables that had nice birds, but alot of the chicken had mangled feathers.....I did have fun looking around and seeing different breeds. I didn't take my cream brabanters, and I was glad. They're just going to stay with me. LOL

 

[BeccaOH]

Quote:
Yes, I did see a lot of poor quality birds. Some were overloved by their roosters, which seems almost unavoidable during spring. Even the hen I took was a bit bare on the back. If I had planned ahead on selling her, I probably would have pulled her out from the roos.

Did you see the ladies with Brabanters? They were just around the corner from where I was set up. Got my cream hen from them. She is lacking enough beard, but I liked her shape and mohawk otherwise, and she laid an egg her first day at my place.

The breeder is working to get her line down to just all gold.

I didn't see much that I'd call very rare breeds. Did you?

Glad the weather was so great -- unlike today.

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
Yes, I did see a lot of poor quality birds. Some were overloved by their roosters, which seems almost unavoidable during spring. Even the hen I took was a bit bare on the back. If I had planned ahead on selling her, I probably would have pulled her out from the roos.

Did you see the ladies with Brabanters? They were just around the corner from where I was set up. Got my cream hen from them. She is lacking enough beard, but I liked her shape and mohawk otherwise, and she laid an egg her first day at my place.

The breeder is working to get her line down to just all gold.

I didn't see much that I'd call very rare breeds. Did you?

Glad the weather was so great -- unlike today.

I did see the lady with the Brabanters! Her birds looked pretty good. And it was nice because mine are still babies and so now I know how big they'll get......

I didn't see much that impressed me. There were a few frizzles that I thought were cute, and I saw a pair of BLR Wyandottes, and a couple of Black Sumatras.....but nothing that really grabbed me.

I bought a really nice Amish made animal pen made of wood and wire for $15, and also a wooden crate that I plan on using for a nesting box for $2.00. It was fun looking at all the animals, and I'm going to go again......

 

[BeccaOH]

Quote:
Was the BLRW belonging to QA at our booth? They were a young 10-week-old pair. I really didn't see BLRWs elsewhere, but the Saturday was busy and crowded, so I missed a lot.

She wouldn't come down in price--and rightly so. So the pair went back home with her. In July they will be even more filled out and more valuable -- if she doesn't keep them.

 

[chicmom]

You know, they may have been the same ones I looked at! They were really cute.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I was extremely picky about what birds and who I bought from this year. The goose man was there, and I know his flock is clean and NPIP, so I bought 5 Silver Appleyard Ducklings, a pair of Toulouse Goslings, a pair of Blue Frizzle Bantam Cochins, and one blue and one silver magpie ducklings.

Down at the far end of our row - opposite end from the lady with the cream brabanters - I met up with another reputable breeder that I'd made acquaintance with at previous Mt. Hope swaps. Her flock is also clean - and I purchased 2 pairs of Mottled Cochin Bantams from her. She also raises Bantam Wheaten Ameracaunas and Bantam Columbian Wyandottes. I'm hoping to get some bantam Columbian Wyandottes from her in July as they are beautiful!

I also found a kid set up with several pens of Bantam Black Cochin Bantams - they looked very nice and had nice conformation and good feathering and poufy butts. He had a nice hen with 8 babies - and I snatched her up!

My last purchase of the day (I think) was a beautiful pygmy doeling! I named her Hope lol

I also bought a small wire cage with wood bottom for $10 that I thought would be nice for transporting or even displaying chicks, etc. in.

And yes, I refused to come down in price on my BLRW and I didn't see anyone else there with them. We were on the main drag, so if that's where you saw the BLRW at, they were probably mine.

I had no problem bringing them back home with me!

 

[oberhaslikid]

Quote:
No, I don't think it was you, because there were six in the pen I got mine from.

Did you have more than 3?

No I only had 3 .