Structure and dynamics of australia's commercial poultry and ratite industries

Chapter 11: Live Bird Sales

Australia, compared with other overseas countries like the USA and particularly SE Asia, has few and small live bird sales and these are mainly confined to the sale of fancy fowl and poultry for back yard production, hobby or life style purposes. Some sales are undertaken by distribution through regional produce stores. These stores hold small numbers of pullets which are supplied in smaller numbers for back yard use.

In a recent study by University of Sydney researchers, 51 bird sale and auctions were identified in Australia, with NSW holding more sales (15) than other states. Most venues hold sales regularly (ranging from biannual to weekly sales), with only ten being held annually. Annual and biannual sales are generally organised by poultry club associations, and more frequent sales are organised privately. Low numbers of birds (<1000) are sold at live bird sales venues in Australia.

Based on case studies at three of the larger live bird sales venues, there are few links between the live bird markets and the commercial poultry industry, as no shared personnel, vehicles or equipment were identified at the venues studied. Moreover, the low number of animals sold through the live bird sales, and the characteristics of the sale and producers selling through these locations, suggest that live bird markets are most likely to pose a low biosecurity risk to the commercial poultry industry in Australia.

In addition to a small number of trader markets, sales of fancier birds by enthusiasts and bird associations that are conducted in many centres across the states both within and outside of urban areas. Larger live bird sales venues are identified below.

The locations of the main bird sales and auctions in Australia are shown in Figure 11.1

Figure 11.1: Location of the main bird markets in Australia

11.1 South Australia

There is a market sale on Wednesday every second week located at Gawler Trotting Track, to the north of Adelaide and in the direction of the Barossa Valley. Sales vary between 500 and 1000 birds per week, predominantly chickens (hens) turkeys, geese, and small birds such as parrots and budgerigars.

Poultry come from small holders all over South-east of South Australia to Port Augusta in the north.

About 70% of poultry sold at the markets are purchased for home slaughter, while 20% are sent for processing and 10% kept by poultry keepers.

Birds are held in cages supplied by the sale point and these are washed and cleaned after each market.

The market serves a purpose in being able to dispose of excess birds that owners are reluctant to kill. This is fairly typical of specialist backyard and hobby breeders who use such markets as an avenue to sell their excess roosters, usually for meat.

11.2 Victoria

There is a live bird sale at Huntly near Bendigo, central Victoria, that operates monthly on the first Saturday of each month at the Bendigo Livestock Exchange. The auction is run by the local Lions Club. Around 1000 small birds and up to 1000 large birds are sold each month. The whole gamut of poultry species is sold. Sellers are largely hobby farmers within a 50km radius of Bendigo, although good breeding stock are also sold as ornament birds for hobby farms and bird fanciers. Buyers are attracted from a wide circuit and it is believed that some stock is sold on to other smaller sales. Cages (supplied by the Livestock Exchange) are kept off the ground and are washed and disinfected following each sale.

A live bird auction at Scoresby is run in outer east Melbourne, and bird movements are through the southern Melbourne metropolitan areas and the Mornington Peninsula, an area of high intensity poultry production. The auction operates each Wednesday and sells 150 to 200 birds per week. Chickens, pigeons, geese, ducks turkeys, pheasants, quails, and guinea fowl are the main selling lines. The sales are largely to private people who either eat (60-70%) or retain their purchases (30-40%) as ornaments, and 95% of birds presented each week are sold. Birds are largely supplied by hobby farmers and kept in the crates that were used at the Dandenong Market. Unsold birds are not returned to owners.

The Mernda Market is largely held for cattle and sheep sales but also holds a weekly poultry sale each Monday. The market is set on the northern boundary of the Melbourne Metropolitan area. This is not an intense poultry area. Weekly sales are about 100 birds comprised largely of cockerels, roosters, hens, ducks, geese and quail. Sellers are largely hobby farmers that come from about a 20 to 30 km radius but may travel up to 100 km. Purchasers are largely dealers who sell birds from roadside on the weekends and slaughterers. All birds are sold each week and cages are supplied and washed out after each sale day.

11.3 New South Wales

There is a weekly auction at McGrath’s Hill which sells around 1000 birds per week, including chickens, pigeons, geese, ducks, turkeys, fancy birds, quails, guinea fowl and pet birds. The vendors are mainly hobby farmers and birds are purchased for home kill (60-70%) or to poultry keepers (30-40%).

11.4 Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia

No sales of any size were identified by local primary industries personnel operating in Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia. Poultry sales appear to be direct from poultry farmers to purchasers but aviary and fancy bird associations operate local markets. Bird sales in Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia were either infrequent (monthly-annual), or sold very low numbers of birds.

11.5 Summary

In contrast to the United States and South-East Asia, there are no continuously populated live bird markets in Australia, and existing live bird sales are not large or well established. Increasing urbanisation, the decline of the small farmer, council and food safety regulations, and increased feed costs, have all contributed to an overall reduction in bird sale activity at markets in Australia.