Swap Meet Chickens

[Geckolady]

If you just started incubation, not much should be showing.

I just started incubating eggs that were already under somebody's hen. I don't know when they were laid, but just got off the phone with the feed store. They have chicken mash and will help me set up a container for them if needed.

 

[aart]

I just started incubating eggs that were already under somebody's hen.

Ohhh....hmmmm.
How long had they been under her...an more importantly how long to transfer them to your bator??

 

[NatJ]

Ohhh....hmmmm.
How long had they been under her...an more importantly how long to transfer them to your bator??

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hatching-fertile-gift-eggs.1415140/

 

[centrarchid]

I have done the swap meet thing a couple times. Both times I was looking for game hens with specific color traits. Most of what I saw were not looked at long because in obvious poor condition, even when considering stage in molt cycle. Of the few that looked good, I sidled up to vendor and started asking questions to get a handle on what the vendor new about the birds. My experience allowed me to figure out who did not know what was of interest and who was shady. Most were of the first classification. They probably all thought I was shady. Then I watched what appeared to be better birds and moved back and forth between vendors if comparisons made. Not all health issues pop out at you. Once I figured a bird or too looked good, then I request opportunity to handle them. How the vendor handled birds was also informative. As I handled them my focus was on underlying feather quality and over all feel of birds. Were they properly proportioned under the feathers? Did they smell funny? Did they have breathing issues when distressed? Not all birds passed on the handling. The birds selected each time were paid for and taken home. Once home they were placed in a quarantine setup for a least a month. In my setting, that means penned in the apple orchard over 100 yards from where other chickens were kept. Not perfect because songbirds could move things about.

I also took time to consider who the vendors where. I am not interested in chickens that ultimately came from hatchery stock. Some vendors also proved to have good reputations related to quality of their better fowl. As a general rule do not expect them to bring their better fowl to a swap meet. To this day I bet both vendors thought they found a sucker. One did so I dispatched the hen and all here offspring over two generations. The other, well she nicked with what I bred he to and I am happy.

Overall, my preference is to go to farm of vendor to see birds of interest and their kin. Also makes so you can garner more about their upkeep and spend more time getting info.

 

[Folly's place]

At the auction site where I sometimes take birds, most sellers don't stick around, they cage their birds and leave. Not a good selling point!
I write brief descriptions on each cage, and stay to talk to possible buyers, because i do want the birds to work out for whoever takes them home.
According to state regs, all those cages are disinfected each week between sales. NEVER does that happen there! Ample reason to not bring birds home from that sale, IMO. My birds arrive fine, unlike so many, but ??? about others.
They also sell some pigs, goats, calves, and sometimes mini horses. Same problem; no way to know what, if any, diseases might come home with any of them.
I think that swap meets, as @centrarchid describes, might be a bit safer. And, BTW, I don't recall seeing nice game type chickens at this auction, ever.
Mary