Buying at auction

[notasausage]

Yay or nay? I am a complete novice but there is a big poultry sale at our local auction market this week with a far better selection of breeds than I can find at breeders in the area. Should I go for it? Any tips appreciated.

Mmm....this is tricky, depends what you're after. You can buy very very (exhibition) good birds there and you can also pick up really low quality sick stock. I'd go and have a look, watch out for signs of illness and old age. Hth

Unless the box is labelled 'hens', then assume that any young chickens are cockerels!
That way you won't be disappointed!
My first box of 'growers' we're all boys! nine in all!

This is really the sort of thing to avoid if you're new to chicken keeping. Sick chickens are notoriously hard to spot (they avoid showing any signs of illness, as doing so can cause them to be rejected by the rest of the flock). Even people who've been at it for years can fail to spot these things (but if you're dead set on going, take someone who knows what they're doing with you - and this will invariably mean a grizzled farmer type, not another mum from school who has had chickens for a few months), and even if the chickens arrived healthy, then there's no guarantee that they haven't picked up something from another bird there.

You'll be much better off going to a local, reputable breeder. If you can tell us what's on offer locally, and what you want in a hen (pretty / not bothered, flighty / friendly, productive / not bothered etc.) then we can point you in the right direction.

Are you anywhere near Colchester? Colchester poultry club is excellent, and has a breed directory which tells you who breeds what birds. They have their own auctions which will be much better, and anyone in the club will be happy to help you.

I am in central Scotland and the selection here is very limited. I went to the auction but as I was on my own with 7 month old dd2 and with dd1 to pick up on the way home I decided not to buy. It was interesting to have a look at the different breeds I had been looking at on line and I may take DH with me next time. In the mean time I have now bought 4 hens from a breeder to start me off and will probably acquire some of the fancier breeds from a second breeder later in the summer.

I have a black rock, leghorn, new Hampshire red and a Maran. I'm keeping an eye out for a Wyandotte, favorelle and an orphington. Also waiting for some pekin bantams.

Can you find someone with an incubator, to hatch you some eggs? I've had great success with hatching eggs from EBay. Or, leave some of your eggs in the nest box, so one of your new birds go broody. Then pop some hatching eggs under her. It's a lovely thing to do, I adored raising chicks. And, it is much cheaper than buying mature birds.