What is a bird sale?
A bird expo/sale is a market conducted by the various avicultural societies (bird clubs) to assist its members and other birdkeepers in selling their excess birds. They are usually held under cover e.g. in a rented hall, sports stadium or showground convention centre. Tables are arranged in aisles and many sellers who take part, display their cages full of birds on those tables just like the stalls in Melbourne's Victoria Markets or Sydney's Paddys Markets.
What is the cost of entry?
The cost of entry is normally $3 to $5 per person and most sales allow children under 16 in for free, the money is generally used to pay for the rental of the venue including cleaning up afterwards with the remainder going to a charity or kept for club use.
Why come to a bird sale?
Whether or not you are intending to buy or you just want to look around , the sales offer an extensive range of birds , far more variety than even a specialized bird shop could ever display. You will see rare birds from overseas and new colour mutations you never would have dreamed of. The sellers, being specialist breeders, are more than happy to talk to you and answer any questions you have on a specific species. You will even be able to make contact with breeders and establish a network to further advance a rare hard to obtain line.
Why buy at a bird sale?
The first advantage is that prices are generally a lot less than going to a specialist bird shop or general pet shop. A lot of the sellers are hobby breeders and most of the birds that they sell have been bred by them, therefore they can give you an accurate history on the birds that you buy e.g. how old they are, whether they are related, what they like to eat etc. Secondly, the range is extensive, the choice is greater than you will ever get at any pet shop. There are multiple sellers selling the same birds thus guaranteeing that you won't end up with birds that are from the same bloodline.
Why sell at a bird sale?
You don't get strangers going to your house pretending to buy so that they can case out your bird collection. How many instances have you heard of breeders getting their prized birds stolen? If you sell the birds through the classifieds or the internet the buyers come in drips and drabs over an extended period of time. During this time you need to be home to make the sale or take phone calls. At a bird sale you get all the buyers coming to you and they come for one reason.....to buy birds!. There are no advertising costs. Your address remains private. Provided that you are not too greedy with the pricing , it's all over in one day.
What do I need to bring?
If you intend to buy, the first thing you will need to bring is cash. Most sellers are like you and I, they don't have the ability to process credit card payments or EFTPOS transactions. However, most trade stands would have at least manual credit card facilities.
The second thing that you need to bring is a cage or box (You will need to check your state rules on what you can and can't use to transport bird to and from the sale), it is recommended that you use a wooden carry box. This is basically a wooden box with a wire front on one side. The reason for this is so the birds have a little more privacy and don't get stressed out resulting in heart attacks. A cardboard box is also more preferable to a wire cage. If a wire cage is used I would suggest you take along a towel to throw over the cage while transporting the birds home (Wire Cages are not aloud at Victorian Sales).
The second thing that you need to bring is a cage or box (You will need to check your state rules on what you can and can't use to transport bird to and from the sale), it is recommended that you use a wooden carry box. This is basically a wooden box with a wire front on one side. The reason for this is so the birds have a little more privacy and don't get stressed out resulting in heart attacks. A cardboard box is also more preferable to a wire cage. If a wire cage is used I would suggest you take along a towel to throw over the cage while transporting the birds home (Wire Cages are not aloud at Victorian Sales).
Do they sell anything else other than birds?
Yes, the trade stands sell a wide range of books and magazines, nest boxes for parrots, finches and canaries. You can find bird feeders of every type, crop needles, tonics and medicine, bird rings, carry boxes, parrot toys, cages........ I can go on and on.
Why is the Calendar/Events page never up to date?
After the bird sale avicultural societies must hold a meeting to set the date for the next sale, we cannot publish the next sale until the clubs have decided on a date and we are notified or it gets published in the avicultural magazines and papers.
How can we help?
There are many ways you can help improve our site. The two easiest ways are to tell your friends about us and ask bird sale organises to send in their bird sale details.
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