Saturday morning was the farm swap in the Tractor Supply parking lot. While I didn't get the Wyandotte pullets weighed and sorted for it, I did grab up two red broiler hens and three guineas: the white one and both pieds. These three were having trouble fitting into the flock with the majority being either pearl or lavender, and I also knew the white and one of the pieds for certain were female. The couple who bought them had two guineas of three at home, and when I explained how to tell the cocks from the hens, the wife said she is now pretty sure both those guineas are male, so they certainly needed a couple hens. They made no attempt to haggle on the price of $15 per fancy guinea, unlike another fellow who came up after they went inside to get cash back and purchase some bolts.
Lynn came up with me, and that ended up being a very good thing as she watched the tailgate while I ran in to the bathroom a couple times. Coffee works, ya know.
I sold the two broiler hens to a family that has a young blonde-haired girl, about 4 or 5 years old, who I could instantly tell loves animals as much as I do. I had no real quibble when the father asked about a "two-for" price on them, and let them go for $20 for the pair. I also remarked to the parents that girl will grow up to be just like me, and should always be somewhere where she can have her own little zoo. They simply chuckled and agreed with my assessment.
I took up six dozen eggs, and sold three of them. Overall, it was not a bad sale, although there were quite a few temptations on the rabbit front. I did buy another set of cages: a quad, two over two, and the perfect size for the mini-Rexes. The lady selling the cage said that is exactly what she had in it when she was using it. Another lady had lovely pedigreed American Blue rabbits, a doe and her eleven kits. All the Blues were hand-raised and thought nothing of being petted or picked up, and while they were indeed a lovely shade of blue-grey, they had normal fur and my heart is set on Rex fur. Lynn asked me, "What's wrong with their fur? They are nice and soft!" I had to explain, "These fingers have touched Rex fur, and there is just no going back." That got me an eye roll from Lynn, while the lady selling them nodded and smiled as if she understood. Lynn had to really work hard to resist buying some of those rabbits, and claimed I "almost" got her in trouble, even though I told her I was about to go rescue her until I saw her walk away empty-armed.
Lisa (the lady who will sell me the dairy goat in the spring) was all excited to come over to my truck to look into the carriers, as she remembered I mentioned I intended to bring the cull Wyandotte pullets. I think she was rather disappointed, but Friday we went up to Jacksonville and spent a few hours with hubby's nephew who is almost four years old, and was so bouncing off the walls with excitement because hubby is his favorite uncle. We were just too worn out to weigh and sort the pullets, and I do need to weigh and sort them before hauling any to be sold, as I suspect there are three cockerels hiding out in that bunch along with my suspicion there are two pullets in with the cockerels. If I don't have them sorted by the third Saturday for the livestock auction, then I will certainly have them ready for next month's farm swap.
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