Should I buy animals at a swap meet?
Animal Swap Meets and What You Should Consider
Should I buy animals at a swap meet? Today was the 4th Sunday in the month. Swappers met to share their various animals including chickens, bunnies, pigs, ducks and a variety of other possible farm animals. I counted 8 vendors at the swap at Bent Creek in Florida.
On this windy day while the sun was out, it was fairly cool considering August is often one of the hottest months in the Sunshine State. It was a nice day to stop by each tent to see what was being offered. The majority of the animals were fowl including chickens, ducks and guineas. I wanted a pair of guineas so badly but knew to keep myself in check and I did. There was one miniature pig for sale. I didn’t even entertain that one. ‘Been there. Done that with Wilhelmina some years ago so that was no problem walking right on by. The guineas were a struggle but I knew I had to be wise in my decisions regarding more animals.
Swaps can be fun and as one of the vendors said, “I come away with more animals than I drove in with”. I can see how that could be true. Different farmers specialize in various animals thus even vendors share among vendors for specific breeds.
The sign at Bent Creek said “Farm and Garden Sale” with the artwork of chickens, ducks, a goat and a pig , so the sale today lived up to it’s name and sign information although there were few garden products.
Animal swap meets can be found all across this great land. They are local farmers and animal owners who sell and sometimes trade animals in an open-air, booth-type setting. It kind of looks like a flea-market with folks sitting around selling their goods. Some set up tents and others literally sold animals out of the back of their trucks and cars. Some vendors were simply people who had an abundance of a particular animal while another appeared to be a person selling one or two animals such as ducks or chickens.
Here is advice for considering buying from a swap meet vendor:
1. Look over their booth or area to ensure they have cared for the animals in their lot. Are they clean? Are animal cages and pens tidy? Is there water for animals? Food? It would not be wise to buy from a seller who is unkept or has not shown that the animals have been cared for in a meaningful way.
2. Talk over the animals with the seller to ensure that shots or other important health issues have been addressed by this person. Healthy animals are extremely important.
3. Before buying, walk though the entire swap until you’re convinced that you got the best deal, really have a desire to purchase that animal and know that you have the time, resources and space to care for this new breed.
4. Be careful to ask about prices and get the sellers phone number in case something goes wrong with your purchase. Knowing the facts about an animal is a very important thing and having a way to communicate with the seller may be of great importance in the coming days.
5. There are swap meets in every town. Be sure to look on Facebook, Yahoo, and Google-search animal availabilities at local meets in your area. Be safe and have fun. One place to find out about all kinds of poultry is at poultryshowcentral.com. Check it out by state.
Josie
