buyer beware

I'm not sure how many different books or websites I've read that all say - DON'T BUY FROM LIVESTOCK AUCTIONS.

Well, being a stubborn little know-it-all, I went and looooved it. It's like a buffet of anything that you can think of all at once and the excitement of being the highest bidder is overwhelming. I saw a little cow sell for $5 once! There's tons of different types of animals all at once and they are brought out so fast and then sent back so fast and some go for a ton of money and some go really cheap. It's fascinating.
I always do the same thing -- get really excited about the auction, go to the auction, not bid on anything too expensive, bid on things when think I'm getting a really good deal, end up getting stuck with a crappy quality animal.
The problem is you never know exactly what you are getting. A lot of people dump their problem children off at the auction, the runts of the litter, the pregnancy that's not quite right, the animal that's on it's last leg but no one wants to pull the trigger. That's not always the case. Some good animals end up there. The trick is trying to tell which one is which.
It's kinda like the beloved family dog - no family would throw their dog in the pound, nameless, and with no description of what the dog likes or dislikes or how house broken or not he is. A family that loves their dog would post him in the paper - to loving home - and explain face to face what's going on. It's a lot harder to lie about the problems with an animal when the new prospective buyer is wide eyed standing there asking a bunch of questions as to the care and feeding schedule.
I have sold at the auction. I sent some of the most spoiled peachicks there. Someone got an excellent deal and went home with well cared for, de-wormed, well fed little birds. It was my last resort after a bunch of no call-no shows.

I guess what I'm going to say is advice for those who want to build their flock, whether they take it or not.... DON'T BUY FROM A LIVESTOCK AUCTION.

On the flip side, I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the best farmers in the area through online ads and craigslist. I loooove going to other farms, talking with the farmers and being able to ask them about their stock. The prices are set early and usually are higher that I think I want to pay, but they are ALWAYS worth the price. I have a well stocked pasture with beautiful Jacob / Finn crosses and some Icelandics that I thought were outlandish when I bought them but are beautiful and growing well and healthy as can be.
I only have two survivors from the auction lot and one is our "herdsire" who Jason calls a "midget fruit bat" and the other is a cute little shetland who was in dire need of a haircut, but otherwise was healthy and is getting along beautifully.

I'm in the market for a cow now and I'm not going back to the auction, especially with such an unvestment in time and feed. I am excitedly looking for a couple scottish highlands while my neighbor is clearing a space in his barn and pasture. I can't wait to eat the meat goats this year, although I'm pretty sure the feed to meat ratio is pretty darn low on those guys so they better taste really delicious.
I'm stir crazy at this point and ready for this sea of white to start melting. The turkeys fly and land in snow drifts over their heads. The hens don't even leave the hen house, but have started laying again, which at least means fresh omlettes to go with the mass quantities of sausage we're still working through in the freezer.
...and I'm not complaining. The pork chops are fantastic!