Before I start, let me say that not all people who take chickens to the chicken auctions in are "bad" people. I know there are several reasons why a person would sell extra birds at auction, but let me give you my experiences. I think it is worth sharing.
I started out attending a small local chicken auction sponsored by a feed mill that needed the extra money to keep feed prices low. I took a few extra of our birds about 3-4 times. I really didn't make any money on them, but they were gone and I didn't have to feed them or worry with them anymore. However, there were several things I saw happen over the few times I attended that really turned me off to chicken auctions.
First, the poultry are not handled appropriately. Many times you will see birds in too small of a cage, placed on the cold asphalt with their toes caught under the wire, then grabbed by their legs and carried upside down and threw into other cages once they are sold. I know poultry are animals, but I know my birds are never treated that way and were terrified by the whole experience.
Second, many of the birds are so tightly packed in a pen that you can't tell what they are. Many times the birds are labeled as hens, but once you bid on them and take them out of the pen, you realize they are roosters. Also, people will mislabel breeds. This may be a honest mistake or being dishonest to try to get a higher bid. I feel victim to this - I bid on a young pair of "Red Jungle Fowl" then later figured out they were just BB Red OEGBs once they were not putting on size.
Third, and the worst of all, is the chance of picking up disease. I was shocked to see birds coming in with bad respiratory infections, missing legs, fresh wounds, and some even standing in a couple of inches of wet feces. After that day, I took my pens and tossed them in the trash at the dump, went to the car wash and washed my car and scrubbed my shoes. I have never seen a state tester there to test birds for anything until I filed a complaint and they sent one to the next auction, or so I heard. I never went back.
Now, my experience with the 3rd issue goes deeper than just being a witness. Thankfully I didn't transport any of the disease back to my home, but the results of me just attending were bad enough. There is another young lady about my same age with the same first name (spelled differently, however) that also brought birds for sale when I went. The state got involved with her flock and they tested positive for some sort of disease. Somehow people got me and her mixed up and were thinking for the longest time I was selling sick birds. It has taken me over a year to get things straightened back out from that situation, but I still have lost good customers and good chicken friends because they refuse to believe the truth.
I have certainly learned my lesson in attending and selling at chicken auctions! Since then, we have made a commitment to follow biosecurity measures, including not allowing visitors near our birds. We have also decided to only raise birds by pre-order and extra roosters will be processed here for meat.
We are a group of adults here, so I'm not telling you what you should do. I'll leave that decision up to you. But, for me and my farm, we do not support chicken auctions. Just remember - Buyer Beware - no matter where you choose to sell or buy your birds.
I started out attending a small local chicken auction sponsored by a feed mill that needed the extra money to keep feed prices low. I took a few extra of our birds about 3-4 times. I really didn't make any money on them, but they were gone and I didn't have to feed them or worry with them anymore. However, there were several things I saw happen over the few times I attended that really turned me off to chicken auctions.
First, the poultry are not handled appropriately. Many times you will see birds in too small of a cage, placed on the cold asphalt with their toes caught under the wire, then grabbed by their legs and carried upside down and threw into other cages once they are sold. I know poultry are animals, but I know my birds are never treated that way and were terrified by the whole experience.
Second, many of the birds are so tightly packed in a pen that you can't tell what they are. Many times the birds are labeled as hens, but once you bid on them and take them out of the pen, you realize they are roosters. Also, people will mislabel breeds. This may be a honest mistake or being dishonest to try to get a higher bid. I feel victim to this - I bid on a young pair of "Red Jungle Fowl" then later figured out they were just BB Red OEGBs once they were not putting on size.
Third, and the worst of all, is the chance of picking up disease. I was shocked to see birds coming in with bad respiratory infections, missing legs, fresh wounds, and some even standing in a couple of inches of wet feces. After that day, I took my pens and tossed them in the trash at the dump, went to the car wash and washed my car and scrubbed my shoes. I have never seen a state tester there to test birds for anything until I filed a complaint and they sent one to the next auction, or so I heard. I never went back.
Now, my experience with the 3rd issue goes deeper than just being a witness. Thankfully I didn't transport any of the disease back to my home, but the results of me just attending were bad enough. There is another young lady about my same age with the same first name (spelled differently, however) that also brought birds for sale when I went. The state got involved with her flock and they tested positive for some sort of disease. Somehow people got me and her mixed up and were thinking for the longest time I was selling sick birds. It has taken me over a year to get things straightened back out from that situation, but I still have lost good customers and good chicken friends because they refuse to believe the truth.
I have certainly learned my lesson in attending and selling at chicken auctions! Since then, we have made a commitment to follow biosecurity measures, including not allowing visitors near our birds. We have also decided to only raise birds by pre-order and extra roosters will be processed here for meat.
We are a group of adults here, so I'm not telling you what you should do. I'll leave that decision up to you. But, for me and my farm, we do not support chicken auctions. Just remember - Buyer Beware - no matter where you choose to sell or buy your birds.
