A couple of months ago Hubby and I were at the Buggytown Auction when several cages of rabbits came up for bid. I made the statement that I would like to have some rabbits and I got "The Look" - you know the one that says "have you lost your mind?" Well, I let it drop and we came home with a couple of chickens instead. I haven't mentioned those cute little balls of fur that can be cuddled like no chicken ever could and I went on about my business.
On Friday afternoon I was talking to my granddaughter in Dahlonega about her upcoming visit and things we would like to do. Hubby comes in and the little one asked to speak to him. She wanted a rabbit - a brown rabbit! I thought to myself as I listened to them talk that she was wishing in the wind. After about thirty minutes of haggling back and forth over money and upkeep, hubby handed me the phone after which we said our goodbyes. Hubby advised me we were going to the sale barn to get some rabbits. My three granddaughters have far surpassed me in manipulating their PawPaw - even from 150 miles away they have more influence!
Off to Buggytown Auction we went and home we came 4 hours later with 5 chickens and 3 rabbits. They all spent the night in the "keeper" pen, but I knew that was not to be their new home. Off to Tractor supply we went for wire, feed and a bottle waterer. By Saturday afternoon those little bunnies had a wonderful home and plenty of feed and water and have really settled in nicely. The youngest two granddaughters had to come see the new "pets" and make sure they were settled in okay. After two days of multiple visits and all the moving, they have had a quiet day to adjust and rest just in time for the older two grandchildren to arrive mid week.
Rabbits do make good pets, but when I said we were finally going to have some good rabbit stew, my daughter in law looked at me like I was delirious. She vowed never to eat any rabbit and neither would the girls. She'll never know the difference as I will fry those offspring in a heartbeat and tell them it is chicken. Nothing is better on cold wet winter nights than a pot of rabbit stew!
Next I would like to add a couple of Pygmy goats to my menagerie, but the middle granddaughter is begging for a horse. That I do believe will be Pawpaw's waterloo and he has said he will never have another horse. We will see!
Until next time. . .
Happy reading!
Belle
My Friday night date was very special. My husband took me to the local livestock auction featuring 350+ cages of rabbits, chickens, guineas, turkeys, pheasants, ducks, and geese and then throw in the goats, calves, emus, and sheep. It was quite a night at Buggytown Auction Barn!
We arrived a little late for the miscellaneous sale which usually starts at 6:00, but must have started around 5:30 on Friday night. Anything goes during the miscellaneous sale and we have seen some really good buys during this sale. Advertising signs, truck parts, tractor accessories and parts, cookware, handtools, work gloves and so much more are included. Some people come for this sale only and then others stay for the livestock.
On Friday night, there were not as many goats as from previous weeks and prices on the goats were higher. The price of calves on the otherhand were down - small (two week old) were selling between $16 and $22 per head compared to $65 a head a couple of weeks ago. There were also several nannies with babies that I would have bought in a minute if I had a good spot to put them. One little family of black goats stole my heart for a little while, but I got over it and waited patiently for the chickens.
Some of the auctioneers tend to dawdle over the livestock and attempt to draw a higher bid out of the audience. The owner of the auction will move right along and if you want to bid you better be on your toes and make sure you are seen.
Usually, hatching eggs are sold between the miscellaneous merchandise and the small livestock. Friday night however, all the eggs did not get sold during this time so were presented before the poultry and rabbits. As I walked back into the bidding area from reviewing the poultry in the back of the building, my dear hubby was saying $.50 a dozen, that's a deal and ask me what I thought. Well, this is what I heard out of all the commotion - from the auctioneer "50 cents a dozen but there is only 10" from my hubby "that's a deal, what do you think?" My response, "whatever you want dear" - big,big mistake. Well, 10 dozen hatching eggs are now on my kitchen table waiting to go in the incubator my hubby has rigged up. Okay, I now know to keep my eyes and ears open and to never, ever leave my hubby alone at an auction. Well, it doesn't matter whether he is alone or not, because not more than thirty minutes later with me safely at his side, he was calling out his number again and had bought 5 baby black giants for $1.50 each.
At this point I gave him my sternest look and said "No more!" He has the most innocent smile - he never committed to the "no more", but I did get a "we'll see." We have increased our flock by 120 eggs (which if estimates are correct we should get 60 chicks, but it will take 21 days once the hatching process is started) and 5 chicks. Oh my, we are now chicken farmers. I will admit our chickens have made wonderful pets, are no trouble to care for, and bring many hours of joy. They enjoy a good game of race when we give them scaps of lettuce or celery and compete for our attention in a friendly manner. Some of them are real show offs.
Whether it was the seller or just the turnover of the buyers, the price of chickens were up and down. Some beautiful roosters went for $3.50 a piece early on then the price quickly jumped to as high as $15. The same with the chickens, but the highest price I remember was $18 a head for a pair of black copper morans. (I know that is probably not what the auctioneer meant to say, but that is what these ears heard. Beautiful long tail pheasants brought $26 a head while one big tom turkey sold for over a hundred. I can't figure out the logic, but it is always interesting to see what draws a persons interest. I learned there is a chicken/turkey mix called a turken. They described them as turkey neck chickens.
We left at 11:45 with the sale still going strong, but it was a little late for me (it was past my bedtime). There were still cages and more cages of poultry and we were told later it was around 1:30 before all was over.
That is the best $12.50 date I have had in a long while! Every time we go I learn something new and see something unusual. And everytime I make the trip the kid in me comes out and I get that "daddy please?" syndrome. I love animals! And yes in a couple of weeks, I will have another Friday Night Date, but this time I am taping hubby's hands to his side.
Next week maybe you can have an exciting, educational Friday Night Date. Try a visit to the Buggytown Auction on Highway 341 south of Barnesville. In the meantime, thanks for dropping by.
Happy Reading!
Belle
