Thursday, March 22, 2012

Chehalis Agricultural Market ~ Chicken Auction

A few weeks ago my oldest grandson and I took a few chickens and ourselves to the poultry auction in Chehalis, Washington. It is a good 45 minute drive if the driving conditions are good. I poured myself a large travel mug of strong hot coffee and was out the door before 7:30 a.m. You have no idea how hard it is for me to be ready to travel at that hour of the morning. I picked up grandson Bugs at his home where he and his little brother greeted me in the front yard. They were ready to help load up a cage of chickens to be sold at the auction. (The white frizzled birds in the cages shown above are the ones I brought to sell)
The car had a fairly fowl odor, the chickens had gotten a bit of rain on them as they were loaded...even the strong hot coffee could not mask that smell, WHEW, stinky! (that is Bugs with the hoody on, checking tags)
The weather was miserable as we drove, but since there weren't many people on the road (they must have been sensibly tucked into bed or drinking coffee and reading the paper in front of the fireplace) the driving was fine.The auction was just beginning to gear up around 8:30, we were the first to arrive with our chickens.The chickens we had to sell were quickly caged and then we browsed. There were plenty of eggs for sale, many of them sold as fertile eggs for hatching, and the breed of chickens was marked so you knew just what kinds of chickens you'd find peeping in the incubator should you decide to buy them. There were also large greenish / black emu eggs.
These cages contain the white call ducks I coveted. They were very nice looking and I want a flock of white calls. Bugs & I left before I could be tempted to bid on these beauties. Our duck pen here at home is in a shambles since the ice storm squashed it and we don't need any more quackers until things are repaired. But I was so tempted !

The auction will sell any birds, eggs, agricultural equipment, farm produce, etc. and they take a small fee for this service, then send you a check for the remainder of the money earned by selling your birds, etc, there.Bugs and I both made some money, but Bugs made the most and he is pretty happy about that. He is saving up to buy cows.Chickens for cows, Bugs is moving up in the agricultural world, but he will keep his chickens I know, because Bugs is just crazy about chickens and I am glad to have a partner in poultry around here. Thanks Bugs, this is fun!

4 comments:

  1. You get many Grandma points for driving Bugs that early in the morning! We are hoping to get three chickens soon. We live in the city, so we're limited to three, but as soon as we get a coop built, we'll be looking for some chicks!

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  2. Judy, what kinds or breeds of chickens are you hoping to get?

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  3. Mr. Bugs is sure getting a valuable lesson in animal husbandry, responsibility, and love for critters. You can't tell that - they have to learn it first-hand. I know he is enjoying it!

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  4. What a lovely bonding time for you and your grandson. However I so understand about getting up early these days. It used to be easier didn't it!

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