I went to the South Essex auctions, its not very big and its held in a church hall, yes it is a good idea to register to buy
I got there with plenty of time, , I was made very welcome by the organisers
They got through a few of the tatty stuff first, then it was onto hens, ehhg (hens, duck, goose, even some exoctics)
all the birds have to be in a box, with food and water (and thgis is the box you take em home in, very handy)
Never had any pressure to buy anything, but you could ask questions of the sellers (if you could find em)
Thins were pretty relaxed there, no rush with the auctineers (but I think they need to watch bidders a bit more closer)
Hens, both laying and POL were at pretty reasonable prices (I thought)
The exoctic birds went for quite a high price as I would have expected
Eggs were really cheap (a lot cheaper than the online auction website)
I bought 4 hens (which are kind of strange looking and still trying to find their place in the pecking order)
I enjoyed myself there, and even though I really dont need any more birds and doint have anything for sale, I'm going back again in June (just to have a look of course
)
...
I used to enjoy the live stock auctions, but there isnt any left around here
I would recommend to go along the first time, have a look around, see who the buyers are, the sellers (you'll probably find they are all regulars) see how prices go, but be prepared to buy something (there is usually something you really like and cat resist)
If you do bid, set your self an ABSOLUTE limit, its too easy to get carried away with bidding and pay more than a hen is really worth
Dont forget, they usually add 10% to a end of bid price, its quite normal for both sellers and buyers to pay this
Sorry about the loss of your pooch, but I bet you still got lots of photos (I know I have of mine, scruff and that was years ago)
Paul O#grady has some great pooches on his show, it will never replace your dog, but it will still welcome you home with a wagging tail and a wet tongue
and will never ask why you are late home