providing good-quality birds – the chicken equivalent of puppy farmers. Cutting corners to make quick sales usually results in unhealthy birds likely to succumb to disease. These breeders may be able to supply exactly what you want when you want it but will have no interest in dealing with any problems that arise as a result of their shoddy practices. They thrive on people who are too impatient to wait until the reliable breeders have restocked – you have been warned!
Buying privately
You might find chickens advertised for sale privately – perhaps on a board in the feed store. These adverts may be placed by small-scale breeders or people who have just hatched out a few eggs from their own hens. Quality may vary so look at the birds and premises carefully, making sure you ask plenty of questions. Hybrid hens are usually sold through agents so be cautious if someone is advertising ‘Black Rocks’ or other well-known names. They could simply be cross-breeds and, although they may look similar, will not have the qualities expected from hybrids.
Buying from sales or auctions
The normal advice is never to buy from sales but they are interesting places to visit if only to look at the different breeds. There may also be chicken equipment available (thoroughly disinfect anything bought second-hand), trade stands and a chance to mingle with other chicken enthusiasts.
Salisbury Poultry Auction is one of the largest in the country and close enough to provide me with an enjoyable morning out. Friends have had some successful buys and I have some hens still going strong after a couple of years – as well as a cockerel who started crowing a few weeks after he was auctioned as a year-old hen . . .
Poultry auctions can be interesting and enjoyable
That’s the problem with sales – even if the mistake is the seller’s, there’s no redress. If you buy a sick bird, a hen that turns out to be a cockerel or something listed incorrectly, you are stuck with it. As chickens become ever more popular, it’s likely that more and more unsuitable birds will end up at sales to be bid for enthusiastically by the unwary.
It’s all too easy to get carried away and I’ve seen people pay well over the odds. Sales really aren’t the best way of buying your first chickens – or even your second.
Avoiding common pitfalls
If you are still keen to buy at auction, here are a few tips:
• Sales are noisy, confusing places so first go and have a look round without intending to buy.
• Try to obtain a catalogue before the sale and mark any lots that interest you – Salisbury Poultry Auction publishes its catalogue online.
• Obtain a buyer’s number before bidding – the auctioneer will need this if your bid is successful.
• Arrive early so you can study your intended purchases before bidding starts. There is often a crush around the auctioneer, making it difficult to see the birds.
• Look carefully at the chickens you intend to buy and reject any that don’t appear healthy.
• If a bird looks unwell, don’t consider others from the same seller.
• Sometimes lots are changed or aren’t specified in the catalogue. Make sure you know what the breeds should look like.
• Chickens are often sold as ‘pairs’, ‘trios’, ‘quartets’ or ‘quintets’. All of these contain a cockerel. There should also be some lots consisting only of pullets or hens. ‘As hatched’ means the birds haven’t yet been sexed.
• There will be a buyer’s premium added to your bid and VAT if the seller is registered. Decide how much you are prepared to pay and stick to it.
• You will need a pet carrier or box for your new chickens – you may be able to buy cardboard pet boxes at the sale.
• Take your chickens straight home and give them quiet, comfortable quarters with plenty of food and water.
• Quarantine chickens bought from sales for at least three weeks.
This last point is particularly important if you already have some
Buying privately
You might find chickens advertised for sale privately – perhaps on a board in the feed store. These adverts may be placed by small-scale breeders or people who have just hatched out a few eggs from their own hens. Quality may vary so look at the birds and premises carefully, making sure you ask plenty of questions. Hybrid hens are usually sold through agents so be cautious if someone is advertising ‘Black Rocks’ or other well-known names. They could simply be cross-breeds and, although they may look similar, will not have the qualities expected from hybrids.
Buying from sales or auctions
The normal advice is never to buy from sales but they are interesting places to visit if only to look at the different breeds. There may also be chicken equipment available (thoroughly disinfect anything bought second-hand), trade stands and a chance to mingle with other chicken enthusiasts.
Salisbury Poultry Auction is one of the largest in the country and close enough to provide me with an enjoyable morning out. Friends have had some successful buys and I have some hens still going strong after a couple of years – as well as a cockerel who started crowing a few weeks after he was auctioned as a year-old hen . . .
Poultry auctions can be interesting and enjoyable
That’s the problem with sales – even if the mistake is the seller’s, there’s no redress. If you buy a sick bird, a hen that turns out to be a cockerel or something listed incorrectly, you are stuck with it. As chickens become ever more popular, it’s likely that more and more unsuitable birds will end up at sales to be bid for enthusiastically by the unwary.
It’s all too easy to get carried away and I’ve seen people pay well over the odds. Sales really aren’t the best way of buying your first chickens – or even your second.
Avoiding common pitfalls
If you are still keen to buy at auction, here are a few tips:
• Sales are noisy, confusing places so first go and have a look round without intending to buy.
• Try to obtain a catalogue before the sale and mark any lots that interest you – Salisbury Poultry Auction publishes its catalogue online.
• Obtain a buyer’s number before bidding – the auctioneer will need this if your bid is successful.
• Arrive early so you can study your intended purchases before bidding starts. There is often a crush around the auctioneer, making it difficult to see the birds.
• Look carefully at the chickens you intend to buy and reject any that don’t appear healthy.
• If a bird looks unwell, don’t consider others from the same seller.
• Sometimes lots are changed or aren’t specified in the catalogue. Make sure you know what the breeds should look like.
• Chickens are often sold as ‘pairs’, ‘trios’, ‘quartets’ or ‘quintets’. All of these contain a cockerel. There should also be some lots consisting only of pullets or hens. ‘As hatched’ means the birds haven’t yet been sexed.
• There will be a buyer’s premium added to your bid and VAT if the seller is registered. Decide how much you are prepared to pay and stick to it.
• You will need a pet carrier or box for your new chickens – you may be able to buy cardboard pet boxes at the sale.
• Take your chickens straight home and give them quiet, comfortable quarters with plenty of food and water.
• Quarantine chickens bought from sales for at least three weeks.
This last point is particularly important if you already have some
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