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Auctioneer: "Number 27...." Kelly McCullen: There might be nothing that speaks to free market
capitalism like
Mechelle Watson's booming business in Wilson's Mills North Carolina. My son and
I were brainstorming one day and my son looked at me and he
said, "Mama, let's open a chicken auction."
Mechelle owns and operates the Wicked Chicken Auction. Ricky Belcher: There's a little bit of everything
and always a bunch of stuff, good auctioneer,
good people. Mechelle: You get so many different people in here
I mean everything a hobby farmer, serious farmers. You get the serious breeders that
that you'll see at State Fair showings.
Cindy O'Neal's at the Wicked Chicken for a couple of hens.
Kelly asks, "How much money do you need to bring to the auction? Cindy: Well, right now, in my pocket
I've only got fifteen bucks, so that's my limit today.
The Wicked Chicken's Sunday afternoon auctions
seem to bring everyone of every age from every place imaginable
Kelly: What am I getting into? Steve Novakovich: Well, a lot.
It's quick. It's fast.
just a lot of birds. Kelly: The auction rules are simple
get there early and scout the birds you might wanna buy
you'll find an occasional rabbit or goat that will be auctioned as well
Kelly says "This is pretty cool." Robert Jones: Yeah.
you never know what's in the next box. Kelly Mc: Michelle says when she opens the gate
every Sunday afternoon at 1pm the buyers are lined up to check out the
merchandise
Kelly: They've got the notes. They've got the money. Michelle Watson: This is serious business
now. They're serious about their poultry and what they're going to buy
or sale. Yeah, this is a serious industry.
People really like knowing they raised it right there in their backyard.
Auctioneer: "Five dollar bill (begins cadence)"
The wicked chicken auction team can sell a crate of birds
every 45 seconds all afternoon. Auctioneer says, "You bought it. Fifty cents. You're number 876." that between your number eight
Blake Phillips: We go through know about about a hundred to 115 boxes an
hour so we move pretty good.
Auctioneer: "We have two hens. One is a black Americana hen....." Will Jenkins: I try to read the crowd a little bit
the best I can but I try to keep it moving. If they want in, they'll put their
air but
there's no time to waste. That's all I've got to say. Kelly Mc: The Wicked Chicken
needs all that speed because its team can move 400 crates of poultry and other
birds in a single afternoon auction
Will Jenkins: We've had people come from all over. Just everybody - big families come out
just fun place to go Sundays, Man. Kelly: It's reached the point
where the Wicked Chicken auction must spread its wings into the weeknight to
accommodate the growing market for backyard chicken and poultry