Chicken and duck fanciers can buy and sell

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This article was published 09/05/2017 (3048 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Feathers will be flying at the Cluck and Quack Poultry Club’s spring auction on Sat., May 13 at Assiniboia Downs (3975 Portage Ave.).

Club member Al Harris, of Grosse Isle, said purebred and heritage chickens, ducks, geese, pheasants, peacocks, and rabbits will be on view and on the auction block. Doors open at 11 a.m. and auction bidding begins at noon.

Harris said this is the first time the spring auction is being held at Assiniboia Downs.

The Cluck and Quack Club was formed 10 years ago and now has over 70 members mainly from central Manitoba, with a few in Ontario. Club membership allows members to exchange information and promote accepted standards. They can also participate in judged shows, agricultural events and health and feeding seminars. The club holds a second annual sale each fall.

Harris said the spring auction gives members an opportunity to sell surplus birds, chicks and even eggs. It also showcases the unusual species that are being raised by members.

“Some of them (the chicken species) are Canadian,” he said, giving the chantecler as an example. This chicken originated in Quebec and is raised for its meat and eggs.

While only club members can put their birds and animals up for auction, bidding is open to the public. Harris said a rare chicken variety can command between $20 and $30.

Some members raise their birds as a business, and others keep them as pets. “It’s amazing how many people keep birds on their property,” Harris said. “It’s not an expensive hobby.”

It will cost $2 to bid, but admission to the event is free.

For more information on the club, see www.cluckandquack.ca

— Staff