Small Animal Swap Meet In Louisville, New York

The Northern New York Poultry Club morphed, over the winter, into something called Country Thyme Living. There were several changes of name and purges of former members. I kept my head down until it was over and was eager to attend their first function this spring, a swap meet. Last autumn's swap meet was filled with small animals - chickens, ducks, goats, pigs and rabbits:

This year's swap meet, however, had only five people with animals. There were three tailgate venders outdoors, including this one with lovely Roller Pigeons. I was still hoping to find some Fantail Pigeons, but this man had none:

This woman had crossbred roosters and two Turkens (bald chickens). I suspected that neither would be hot commodities, but I kept my opinion to myself and wished her well:

Three of her roosters. They were handsome birds, but people with chickens usually already have more roosters than they know what to do with:

The third and final outdoor vender had three cages of chickens. I thought the white ones might be Phoenix because of their long tails, but the guys were so busy chatting that I never got to ask. The little black hens in the center were a breed unknown to me:

I went inside to see what else they had and was surprised to find that it was a hockey arena. This is far northern New York, almost Canada, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find that hockey is a major sport here:

There were vender's booths set up everywhere. This one had plants for sale:

A woodcraft booth:

Birdhouses and lamps made of birdhouses:

Wool, yarn and wool crafts, with a woman spinning:

Alpaca wool and crafts. I wished I'd have looked at this one more carefully:

There were only two tables with animals. One had fish, mice and hamsters. And this one had baby chicks and Ameraucana (a chicken breed which lays blue and green eggs) eggs, sold by the dozen. But that was about all there was to see, so I walked back out to my car and headed for home:

Small Animal Swap Meet In Gouverneur, New York - Part 2

I was attending the swap meet of the Northern New York Poultry Fanciers Association at the fairgrounds in Gouverneur, New York. I'd hoped to find some Fantail Pigeons, but was enjoying the other beautiful birds while I searched:

There were Black Swedish and Cayuga ducks:

Angora rabbits:

And finally, some pigeons. They were lovely, but not fantails:

 I think these were White Japanese:

More Vietnamese Potbelly Pigs:

An Angora rabbit being groomed. It was nice to see how tame the bunny was and how tenderly it was treated. These were mostly people who loved animals:

I asked about Fantail Pigeons and someone called a friend who said he'd bring some down at $25 per pair. I was tempted, but said that was a little steep, especially sight unseen. So I kept looking:

Dark Throat Golden Pheasants:

And Red Golden Pheasants:

Tangerine and white Ringnecked Doves:

I don't know what breed these were, but they looked old. They were also my last stop before I got back into my car and began the long drive home:

Small Animal Swap Meet In Gouverneur, New York - Part 1

On the morning after the dog agility trials (see yesterday's post), I drove to the county fairgrounds in Gouverneur, New York for a small animal swap meet. It was sponsored by the Northern New York Poultry Fanciers Association:

I parked my car and began looking at the many tailgate cages with birds and other animals for sale:

I was hoping to add some new blood to my Fantail Pigeons, but would enjoy looking at everything. These, I believe, were white Old English Game Bantams. And what a cheap price! Apparently someone wanted rid of them:

This couple was purchasing some very large Partridge (colored) Cochin Chickens:

A grand mixture of birds, including some colorful Polish (with the topknots):

This truck had lots of Golden Pheasants for sale:

 I walked around to the back of the truck, where folks were already crowded around for a closer look:
 

A pair of Silver Golden Pheasants:

And Lady Amherst Pheasants:

Then I continued walking. There was a food vender, but it was much too early for lunch:

Someone was selling a Vietnamese Potbelly Pig:

I entered the Poultry Barn and discovered lots of birds and other animals for sale. Many of them were clearly labeled with breed names and prices, which was very nice. But I still hadn't seen any Fantail Pigeons, so I kept looking. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Northern New York Poultry Fanciers Association Swap Meet - Part 2

I'd seen about half of the swap meet, and continued on my way, stopping to take a look at this Speckled Sussex rooster:

This table was selling all manner of horse tack (equipment):

These two black baby pigs had just been sold and were squealing loudly as they were transferred to their carrier:

Two Angora rabbits, very cute indeed:

An unidentified bantam:

Muscovy Ducks:

Chicken coops and rabbit hutches for sale:

Elaborate birdhouses and barn board picture frames:

White Silkies:

Turkeys:

Wood Duck nest boxes:

I went indoors where they were selling coffee, meals and raffle tickets:

I'd secretly hoped that someone would be selling Fantail Pigeons, not that I needed any more. But there were none. So I walked back to my car. The pickup truck behind me held a family who had just bought a bunny and were cuddling it when this woman walked by with a pet goat. It too was for sale, and the family with the bunny decided to buy it. But it was time for me to head for home, so I didn't wait around to see the transaction:

Northern New York Poultry Fanciers Association Swap Meet - Part 1

I'd been anticipating this swap meet for a long time and hoping it would be as good as the ones I used to attend near my former home. I knew there were likely to be chickens and ducks, but I was also hoping to see goats, lambs, pigs, pigeons, guinea hens, and - well, lots of things. I parked and began making my way toward the parked trucks, most of which had small livestock on their tailgates:

There were many bunnies, most of them awfully cute and cuddly. I confess that I was tempted:

White Leghorns:

A variety of colorful bantams. The pair on the right were (I think) Red Pyle Old English Game Bantams. The other two might have been Cochin Bantams:

This was the cutest bunny of the day and it's a shame I didn't get a better picture. I'm sure glad I didn't give in to the temptation to buy it, though:

I thought these were Black Sumatras, but now am not sure:

There were several people selling Golden Pheasants and they sure were beautiful:

Bird House Gourds and some kind of unidentified nuts for sale:

There were a number of venders of homemade maple syrup. I asked the man what the pans on the ground were and he said they were stainless steel milk pails. I thought they looked suspiciously like giant bedpans:

More cute bunnies, all crammed into a cage:

More Golden Pheasants, though these were harder to see:

I walked over to the Grasse River and the highway bridge to take a look:

And then I kept walking around, looking at vendors. This one had birdhouses which used deer antlers as perches. There was homemade maple syrup and hand painted saw blades for use as signs of decorations. But there was still a lot to see, so I continued on my way. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: