Poultry Talk. com

Do you buy birds at auction? Are you worried about what you are buying?
There health and the stress they may of been through?

What are your views?

if i can help it, i dont!
i think the risk for disease spredding is too high! having said that online auctions are a great way to pick up birds (even if you dont get the low prices at normal auctions)
i only buy birds if they are in good condition and i can tell they are of good quaility. i only buy breeds i know well so it is easy to tell if they are a good examle!!

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I think they are fine if you know what you are looking for. Some great quality birds can go very cheap and some rubbish can rocket in price. You need to go early and have a really good look at the birds. It is also good to get to know some of the sellers and overtime you find out who has good quality well kept birds. I have picked up some great birds but always ensure they look in good health and are quarantined before introducing them. I have also picked up some pet quality (but very attractive) birds in breeds that I have no intention of breeding. You can also tell a lot from whether the seller has given the birds clean bedding, water and food in their cage.

Auctions can be a great place to buy new birds and meet other enthusiasts as long as you know or are with someone who knows what they are looking for. I find that if birds have been well kept and are handled calmly by their owner they do not appear stressed by the auction. If a bird does look particularly stressed I would question how it has been kept in the past and would avoid.

I have bought at auction, with good and bad results. I would definately do it again, but you really do have to be careful. You have to be careful with the health aspect too as Drew rightly pointed out, quarantine procedure is essential when buying from auction, unless you know the seller and know exactly where the bird has come from, although always a smart idea to quarantine anyway. We always keep a bottle of Tylan or Baytril handy after buying in birds just in case. If you know what you are looking for and have a good knowledge of the breed standard, or if just looking for broodies ect what to look for in a healthy specimen, then auctions are an excellent place to pick up some bargains.
With regards to stress, Im sure many birds going to auction do suffer stress, however birds used to handling and who are fit and healthy do not usually suffer any long term effects in my personal experience, although we have had the odd weakling we have purchaed as part of a trio etc who has taken the whole experience baddly and become unwell, but I think the birds had been treated baddly previously and so predisposed to stress and illness. But in general we have had mainly positive results, although quite often getting more than we'd bargained for with regards to mites / lice and worms! Yuch! but nothing an immediate dose of wormer and frontline can't cure.

I think the key is experience and if not then research before buying

Julia

I attended an auction at Ross-on-wye last weekend and with the exception of a couple of pens the majority of birds for sale were poor examples of the breed they represented.
I run a closed flock here and never buy birds in except from a private breeder and then only when I need to add a 'type' to one of my lines.

The birds that are not trained to pen ie show birds do suffer from stress and will pick up all sorts of problems while in the cages surrounded by birds with different viruses that they are not immune to.
The birds can look perfectly ok until you get them home and mix them with your flock.
9 times out of 10 you may get away with it but birds do get sick and pass problems on to your other birds.

It is unlikely that you will find quality birds at an auction as any breeder with quality birds sells privately.

It's a minefield out there and it's not just the buyers losing out but the general quality of the breeds that are sold.

Although saying that we bought a yound Dutch cockerel at auction, he was a baby and had no tail. We grew him on and took him to fill a pen at a local show as entries were a little low, there were quite a few Dutch males in his class, some owned by well known breeders. Our little boy had Best True Bantam!
I have sold some quality birds at auction in the past as in South Wales there aren't many people looking to buy surplus stock we may have to sell.

I think it's all about the location of the auction, here in South Wales the quality is mixed although I have seen some very smart birds offered at auction. I know that a very big Belgian breeder sells monthly at auction here, and very nice quality birds too. Many seek out his birds, but I think he sells at auction to prevent big names getting his line, and hopes they are bought as pets or by someone who doesn't know what they are buying.

Yes I agree some auctions are scandalous and have horrific and unhealthy examples offered for sale, but in my experience in South Wales there are some gems waiting to be snapped up. Quarantine, worming and frontline essential, with Baytril or Tylan on standby with strict hygiene.

Just be on the ball I think and know exactly where to draw the line. It is a minefield for newbies though. Although saying that we have bought birds from Top breeders at Stafford and Stoneleigh shows from the sale sections for big prices, a pair supposed show quality Australorps from a big name breeder, male was split winged but as we weren't allowed to handle before buying couldn't see it and later proved completely infertile, female was ok but later died of unknown causes. And at Stafford show a trio of Silver Dutch again a big name breeder, stunning looking birds but all chicks either died at hatch point or soon after hatching due to some sort of genetic problem.

So really no matter where the bird is purchased it is still a minefield even for the more experienced poultry keeper.

Have to agree with Happy Little Henny, if you know what you are looking for there are bargains to be had and quality birds can be found. I know a number of people who own great stock who are not in it to earn money and use auctions as an easy way to sell surplus stock. Yes you can get unlucky but there are a lot of genuine sellers too.

I can see the attraction of buying at auction, but would never risk it myself. I had a health scare in the Summer and thought my small flock would have to be culled, so I'm very careful now, and only buy from breeders I've used in the past.

Ive brought at auction on many occasions, not quite so much recently though. with mixed results. Auctions are addictive and i find lots of people get carried away with a spare of the moment thing, or maybe they didnt get what they wanted so buy any breed. I also think, well if the stock is that good, people may have sold privately/kept for themself rather than put it into the auction. This being said, we put things into auction, not because there is anything wrong with them, just that they are surplus to what we want to keep and its an easy way to sell them. Sometimes i do think it may cause a little bit of stress for them, but im sure they soon get over it. It is always more sensible to buy from a breeder with a good reputation, but still auctions are fun :)

I have bought at auction before! i make sure that the birds are healthy, or are healthy enough and the condition is treatable! I also quaranteen them until I am sure that they are healthy and there is no chance of them spreading anything! Auctions are fun because what they are selling might suprise you! I am a sucker for animals in general! if they have a condition that is treatable and won't harm others then i bring them home and treat them, but if they are suffering from an untreatable condition, i buy them just to see if i can help them if not then i have them humanely uthinized!