[MiriMaran]

I am spitting that I can't make it to this sale because a) we have zero money and b) we leave for Scotland the following day.  However, I thought some of you might be able to make it.  It may feel like picking over the bones of someone elses demise!

http://www.eatonandhollis.co.uk/News.htm

This sale has everything that we are desperately saving to be able to buy - wish I could be there 

[little blue]

hope our 6 numbers come up tonight... 

[MiriMaran]

Ditto, but we need to play the lottery first.  I did win the school PTFA lottery at the end of term £62.50!  Not quite enough to take to the sale, but very welcome none-the-less!

[Roxy]

Oh dear, wish I had not looked at your link!! I find it very sad sometimes, when the vendor is forced to sell for financial or maybe ill health reasons.  It must be very strange watching people buy your things, many of which you have had a lifetime.  At local sales, I quite often seen the owner of the farm mingling with the buyers, and most of them will not realise that he is standing next to them, watching his things sell.

I love going to farm sales, and have done so for many years.  There is never anything cheap though.  The sales attract a big crowd, even if its raining.  Its like a social gathering, as they all stand there and discuss Joe and Betty or whoever is selling, and I think people who know the sellers do try and bid at things, to up the price for them sometimes.

Having said that, I do have a few bargains from farm sales.

This sale is not too far from me.Very tempting, but really need to rid stuff at the moment, not add to it.

[Roxy]

Went to this farm sale today.  Along with what seemed like the whole of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and beyond. It was packed.  There was nothing cheap.  Stuff in the field was going for more than you can buy new!!

Did manage to get two wooden saddle horses to house some of my saddles. 

Did not see the prices of the pigs, sheep, or cattle, although the big stock bull I saw went for 6,000 guineas, but he was a beauty.  Lots of llamas and their young, average price, £1,000.  Donkeys, well, £1,000 for a Jenny and her foal, so a lot of disappointed people who found that too much to pay.

Had to wait ages for the hens.  Big money again, especially the legbars, welsummer and the Orpingtons.  After a fierce bidding battle I did manage to get 5 copper black maran pullets.  Quite a few hen sheds and coops too, but did not take the trailer, so did not big at those, oh, and lots of useful fencing for hens, and round the farm.  Again, big money.  One man was bidding at the hens, and the Orpington pair got to £30 and he jumped to £50, which stopped other bidders in their tracks.  A black rock hen with 13 quite big chicks with her, went well over £100 ...

The enjoyment has gone out of the sales when the prices are high, or so they seem to me.  Everyone seems to be after the same thing, which in turn pushes the price up.

Must have queued for an hour to pay for my stuff, and the queue for the butty van was as long!!

Anyway, through chatting to other people, made some good contacts.  Got chatting to one man, who has just set up with 16,000 free range hens, his first venture into hens ....wow .....in at the deep end. From what he says, its going well. Made my free range flock seem tiny in comparison.