It's not good practice to cage birds with water at a show or sale. The water invariably gets spilt, and odour and potential for spread of disease is greatly increased.
Show birds are lifted off the home perch at the crack of dawn, transported, penned, and judged before they are allowed food/water, and they come to no harm. The reasons for that is that they shouldn't have a full crop when being exhibited, nor should they spill crop water onto the judges when being handled. Also, because they are usually on show to the general public after the judging has finished, their cages need to be clean. Most exhibitors give water just after the judging, but take it out after the birds have had a drink.
Writing to the mart about these alleged 'bad' conditions will only serve to dissuade the mart from putting these sales on in future, which has been the demise of many good sales when misinformed do-gooders complained about such things as live birds having their necks pulled in the mart corridors after the farmers had bought them at Christmas sale. The good old SS(PCA) moved in, the mart had to meet certain criteria which cost more, and effectively made these Christmas poultry sales, where many small producers sold their wares, untenable.
Previously, it had been farmers and country people who frequented these sales, to buy live birds a few days before Christmas, often quietly (and humanely) killing them away from the side of the ring. Unfortunately, the clientelle were infiltrated by non country folks who couldn't understand such affairs and, equally unfortunately, they saw some birds flapping in their death throes, and immediately got their hysterical heads on, whilst shielding their inquisitive children from the 'gruesome' sights. A few complaints later, the much attended pre-Christmas live poultry sales were stopped.
It was a shame because I used to be able to buy hens in lots, which had had their tails clipped denoting that their eighteen months of life was considered ample, and that they were to be sold for killing, for twenty or thirty pence each, take them home, put them through a moult, and keep them for another two years or so, during which time they bountifully rewarded my compassion with a near constant supply of large eggs.
I bought young geese by the pen, which had been reared for killing, often not wanted at the end of the sale due to a surfeit, for a few quid, and kept them for breeding stock, or for sale at a profit at a later date. Ducks too, sometimes.
Turkeys were sold live, held against the breasts of strong, but grimacing mart attendants, so that it was possible to judge what sort of care the birds had had during their short lives, according to their size, their state, and the condition of their plumage.
The buyers could see each bird live, assess its condition, and see its weight chalked up on a board as the bidding opened, and were able to pay what they could afford for a bird they had chosen, as the seemingly endless supply passed through, all accompanied by the lilting, jesting tones of the auctioneers who knew every bidder in the place, and who knew that this was the last sale before a welcome break for festivities, before the serious business of farming resumed in the New Year.
Successful bidders waddled and strode off to their respective vehicles, often accompanied by, and sometimes needing the support of, their wives, fresh from Festive shopping in the town, if they were men who liked a dram at these sales, carrying with them their Christmas dinner, as well as the last few words of that year uttered by their counterparts as they too went their ways. Competitive and forthright they may have been in the previous months, but at Christmas poultry sale there was much pulling of legs, mutual respect, and jocular cheer.
Those who had been too indecisive or timorous went home with the prospect of sourcing Christmas dinner elsewhere that year.
Good times, and better memories.
Please don't complain too vociferously on the plight of a few birds confined for a few hours in a place of public auction lest we lose that small pleasure from being able to get something new, meet old friends, and keep something for our children.
Topic: Breeder Recommendation: Harmony Poultry, Dumfrieshire (Read 8430 times)
