Test Group Auction

I am really excited about this new offering. I am still fine tuning the format, so the rules may change (evolve) with future auctions, but what is explained here will apply to the first one that is starting September 1st, 2007. Here is the concept. We breed our birds for racing. As I have discussed elsewhere on this site, even the best breeders don’t always produce good flyers, let alone winners. This is why we test - we carefully mate the birds to produce first class stock candidates, then test them in contemporary groups to sort out the best performers.

The format I have put together is designed to let our customers select their birds from the same process. Bear in mind that since these tests are how we select our own breeders, we have had to make the format one which is fair to both our customers and ourselves. Here is how it will work:

At the beginning of the test I will post the birds to be tested. They will be priced at their normal price which is based upon the pairing. They can be purchased at that price until the beginning of the test. The test will begin approximately 2 weeks after they have been placed in the test loft. Birds sold during this period will be on a first come first served basis. In other words there is no bidding at this point.
Once the test begins. The price of the birds will be increase by $150. In part this is to cover the costs of testing and to discourage the birds from being purchased too early in the test program.
Each week a test race will be conducted according to this sequence:

Monday - Birds going to the next test race will be posted to this site.
Saturday - All birds posted on Monday (except those lost or injured during the week) will go to the race. Results will be posted on this site.
Sunday - All birds that returned in race time will be offered for sale. I will set the starting price (they could go up or down from week to week). You can think of the starting price as my bid being $1 less. I will not bid against anyone other than setting the starting price. Bidding will be to my email address (dave@shewmaker.com) or by phone (916-662-5339). Bidding will close at Sunday 9:00 PM (Pacific Daylight Time). Birds will be sold to the highest bidder. Bids will not be disclosed until after the bidding has closed. In this sense it is a “not to exceed sealed bid” auction.
Bids will not be “run up”. For example if a bird has a starting bid of $400 and only one bid is submitted for $1000, the bird will be sold for $400 to that bidder. If two bids were received for $1000 and $2000 the bird will be sold for $50 over the second highest bid or $1050 in this example.

I will include on the bird listing a “conformation” grade. This is intended to give some idea of how the bird handles. I have had many pretty birds that couldn’t come home much less win a race. I have also had some “terrible handling” birds that have performed well and in some cases had remarkable racing careers. Feel free to call or email me if you want to discuss a particular bird in details. I will be happy to honestly tell you what I think. The “conformation grades” are based on the following standard:

	A	Outstanding. The kind of bird that really makes me stop and admire it.
	B	Good. Very acceptable in the hand.
	C	Has some faults that bother me, but not so bad that other factors (such as pedigree or test results) can still make it a useful breeder.
	D	Unacceptable. Faults so severe that the bird is best not used for breeding.

I will then evaluate the group and will at this point remove any birds from the test that I am “buying”. If I don’t buy the bird at this point I am losing my opportunity until this same point in the next race. Remember though that I will be setting the “starting price” each week after the birds return from the race.
Birds which have not been purchased, will then be posted to the web site via step 1 and the process will continue until there are less than 10% of the number of birds starting the test or a 300 miles test race has been completed.
The Bird Lists and Pedigrees are in PDF format. This is so you can print them out or view them on the computer screen and they are properly formatted in either scenario. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader (required to view these files) it is available legally free from Adobe at this site.