Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[Quail_Antwerp]

Out here, goaties go anywhere from $25 to $200+ at auction.

Bottle babies range from $25-$50 (sometimes more) depending on what kind they are, sex, and how badly someone wants the same one you do. Bottle pygmy goats went for $30 a couple weeks ago.

Adult goats go anywhere from $25 - $200+. Again, it depends on breed, age, and sex. Bred does tend to go for $100+.

It also depends on time of year. Easter is in a couple weeks, and there's always those wanna-play-farmer-for-easter-because-my-kid-thinks-the-baby-animals-are-cute frequenting the auctions right now because they just have to a have a chick/duck/lamb/bunny or baby anything really for the Easter Bunny to leave for their so-spoiled-we-can-barely-tolerate-them kids.

Then, in two weeks, when the novelty has worn off, Craigslist will be flooded with posts like:

Bought my kid a chick/duck/lamb/bunny/calf/emu/pony/puppy/kitten/bird -etc- and they don't want to take care of it anymore. needs loving home where someone has time for it. preferrably on a farm or to someone who knows how to care for chick/duck/lamb/bunny/calf/emu/pony/puppy/kitten/bird -etc- rehoming fee of $xx to recoup some of what we spent getting it.

Which bascially translates into:
I'm a dumb parent who over indulges my child and now I want you to save me from my mistake and buy this pet from me for triple what I paid because I have to make something back for my troubles.

And when that doesn't work, then they dump the said animal at the first farm they see. They seem to think FARM = Money to Feed Strays/Mistake Holiday Pets.

and then at Christmas, it'll repeat all over again - except add ferrets and guinea pigs and small rodents to the list of pets because people think they make great christmas gifts - until New Year's that is.

 

[Occamstazer]

What you just said:
So. True.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

We're adding two muscovies to our trio this weekend. It's an almost all white pair.

E found more muscovies on CL last night - $10 for drakes and $8 per hen. I might see about getting another female or two, as with the pair coming this weekend, I'll have 2 drakes, so I think they'll need more girls.

Since the new FWS regulations on muscovies mandates they must be used for meat and/or eggs - 'scovies are going to be the new pork around here!

I'm going to be finding any and all recipes I can using 'scovie meat - sausage, chili, dishes that require ground meats, etc.

I've had duck several years ago - my aunt cooked it once for Thanksgiving - it was very greasy and rubbery. All reports on Muscovey meat that I've read said it's textured more like beef, so I can handle that!

 

[Farmfresh]

On OUR Craigslist this week was an ad to RENT an Easter chick!

The guy supplies a chick, feed, and bedding for $10.00.

IF the chick is returned at the end of the rental time alive and in good condition he gives a REFUND of $5.00.

I say it is a good idea for all of those over-indulgent parents!

 

[reinbeau]

On OUR Craigslist this week was an ad to RENT an Easter chick!

The guy supplies a chick, feed, and bedding for $10.00.

IF the chick is returned at the end of the rental time alive and in good condition he gives a REFUND of $5.00.

I say it is a good idea for all of those over-indulgent parents!

Enterprising and wise - I hope he gets lots of business.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Guess who went to a Friday Night Auction??

If you guessed me, you'd guess right! Becca and I hightailed it up to Roger's Auction. It's every Friday night at 6 pm. I took 2 rabbits to sell and Becca took 1 rooster, 3 ducks, and 1 rabbit.

We were very pleased with what our animals went for up there. I mean, the roosters all sell for at least $4 each - except for two LF OEG roos that sold for $50 each!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, they had a lot of baby goaties - bottle babies - E said I was absolutely NOT allowed to bid on goats! He said NO NO NO. He was very serious.

He didn't say anything about not bidding on calves or ducks.

And originally I wasn't going to bid on calves - except I watched to dairy cross bottle baby steers sell for $15 a head. Do you know how cheap that is?!

I looked at Becca and said for $15 I'm getting a calf! then I said "I should really call E first."

Except, Becca's phone was in her car. Shoot. I was trying to decide what to do - do I bid on a calf, and hope he's not mad, or do I continute to beg Becca to go get her phone - she said she wouldn't make it back to the auction area in time - and miss out on a calf all together?

The auctioneer meantime was trying to get bids on Jersey Bull Calves. High bidder would have choice.

No one was bidding. He was down to $1 per calf. PER CALF PEOPLE!

My card went up. I bid.

Someone else bid.

I bid again.

Other person bid again.

Another bid.

I bid again - at $6.

They bid $7 - and I stopped and didn't bid again because I was trying to decide if E would kill me.

I looked at Becca again and said I need to call him.

Auction ended at $7 and the high bidder took 1 calf. The auctioneer looked at me and said, "Would you like one for $7?" I hesitated for a split second, and then said yes. I mean, it's only $7!! and they were beautiful!

Then he asked "would you like two?" I was dithering, I mean, yea for $7 I wanted two, but what would E say??

Instead of saying yes, I blurted - "I really need to call my husband first!"

The entire auction arena errupted into laughter. The lady infront of us whips out her phone and says, "Here, call him!"

I'm calling E and the auction is continuing. The next calf sold for $9 - still dirt cheap! E answers -

E: hello?
Me: I just bought a calf for $7!
E: We don't need a calf.
Me: But I bought one! for $7!
E: They're only going for $7? Ok.
Me: NO I JUST BOUGHT ONE FOR $7 AND DO WE WANT TWO?

**SILENCE**

E: You're in Becca's car! How are you going to haul a calf home?
Me: She has a tarp, we're going to tarp the back (Becca and I had sorta discussed this)
E: What about milk replacer? you don't have any milk replacer here - it's all gone.
Me: We'll stop at TSC for milk replacer

Becca says "TSC closes at 9 or 10"

The Lady who's phone I'm using says - "They sell Milk Replacer here." (and it's at this point that I realize have the auction arena is very intently listening to my phone conversation to see just how this little drama plays out!)

Me to E: They sell milk replacer here! We'll buy some here on our way out.

Becca to me - Do you want a second calf? They are $2!!!

Me to E: It's only $2 for a second calf - do you want me to do it??

E - Hysterical laughter. Seriously. He's hysterically laughing into the phone - and I'm needing a decision.

Me: WELL? DO WE WANT A SECOND CALF FOR $2?!

E: Still hysterically laughing - I don't care, do whatever. *more laughing* Have fun.

I hang up the phone and shoot my hand up into the air for a $2 calf. The auctioneer says, "Do you want them all? There's only 4 left and they're $2 each."

O M G

I excitedly exclaimed, "We're hauling them in the back of a Blazer, I can't take them all!

This resulted in an almost rioteous uproar of laughter.

They added one $2 calf to my other calf.

Then it was on to the rest of the poultry - and I bid and won 7 muscovey ducks (all female). Six of them are black and whites and one white. All of them are fairly young. Not near the size of an adult muscovey hen yet.

So we go and pay and then we're loading up everything, and this older couple ask us if we'd like a third calf. They had bought 3 of the $2 calves, but really didn't have the space for the third.

So once again I called E - this was that conversation:

Me: OK, we have two calves in the back of Becca's Blazer -
*more laughing from his end*
Me: Do we want a third one? this lady bought 3 for $2 each and asked if we'd take one for $2. Becca said we could fit it in.
*more laughing*
E: Do what you want, but that means one more calf that we have to feed -
Me: I know! I'm Ok with that.
E: Ok.

So we stuffed a third - although smaller - calf into the back.

The one lady who works at the auction thanked me profusely for taking that third calf. I was sorta confused, and she said that the couple taking those calves don't really take good care of their animals.

I asked what she meant and her reply was, "Well, she says she feeds them.........."

I nearly cried - and it almost made me wish I had taken another calf from her, because she had offered to let me take 2 of her 3.

Anyway, I paid $11 for three Jersey Bull calves - it's not every day a person can say that lol

And, they are beautiful!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

HOLY COW!!

actually holy cheap cow???? hee hee hee

i have a feeling you're a big celeb there at the auction!!!! thats great work!!!

Poor E... he just doesnt stand a chance... hee hee hee

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Yea and the bottle goat babies were selling for $10 - $15 a head at the end, and I really wanted one - but Becca pulled me back down to my bench seat and said "No, that will end in Divorce!"

I've such a great friend! she knows just when it's safe to encourage and enable me, and when to stop me in my tracks.

 

[Dace]

Oh my gosh! This stuff could only happen to you Aly!

$2 calf.......good grief!

 

[sylvie]

I wondered what your plans are for the male calves?
I had a jersey male calf that never fattened much, being dairy, so I sold him at a loss.
I bought another male calf, hereford, at Amish auction which had his urinary tract messed up. He was peeing out the rectum; my vet put him on antibiotics but he didn't last more than 4 days. They don't sell off cheap at auction for no reason, from my experience.
ETA I'm not being contentious- just saying that those crafty Amish saw a suburban young hobby farmer coming a mile away, in my case.