secretagentmole 1,701 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) The auctions this year for deadstock were not so well stocked, the temperature meant a lot of the smaller suppliers who would kill all their stock and keep in a cold barn or store could not do that because the birds would go off, so they were killing on an as needed basis. Consequently prices this year were eye watering. Turkeys were fetching near butcher prices. At a low spot in the sale I made the first purchase, a 27lb deadweight Norfolk Black for £30, geese were fetching silly damned prices and the wife bought one at £32 for a 12lb deadweight bird. We got a nice 14lb Norfolk Black for £26. The cockerels went for prices that were more expensive than buying them direct from the butchers they run! Decided to go to the last sale that Eagle runs in the year as well, once again birds were fetching well up on the previous year. This sale is the last chance for farmers to get rid of stock, and there were a few oven readies going and we picked one up 13lb, £25, a nice Norfolk Black. A couple of women from London had a list as long as your arm of what they wanted, they were bidding prices up to near retail levels. We managed to sneak that one under their radar. We hung around to see what the geese would fetch and an old boy was talking to us and saying it was going to have to be a sueprmarket turkey for him as the prices were too high. I found out he wanted a goose and that he had £30 to spend, The geese were being sold in groups according to weight, you bid on the bird and have the option on the others of the same weight. 4 12lb birds came up, I bid and got a chance at £24 as the women from London were trying to find out what they had left to get. I took 2 birds, one for me and one for my new friend, who was overjoyed to get a goose for £24, the auctioneer opened bidding for the other 2 birds of 12lb, £45 fecking quid! A 16lb goose went for £75! So not too bad and good to see a few more quid going to the growers than last year! Edited January 5, 2016 by secretagentmole 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nans pat 2,575 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 what are ya feeding an army. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
secretagentmole 1,701 Posted January 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) A freezer and some of the birds were presents for people (the 27lb one went to a friend, as did a goose), we had the 13lb on Christmas day, a goose on the Sunday before Christmas and the 14lb deadweight turkey was cleaned and put in the freezer. Edited January 5, 2016 by secretagentmole 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
king 11,972 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 We were happy with a 24lb wren this year. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
abarrett 462 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 I dressed close to 600 for a farmer on the Monday Tuesday before Christmas biggest 56lb smallest 9lb Only had to send 23 to market and they where minor casualties Even those fetched good money Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stealthy1 3,964 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Get the recipe books out Moley. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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