Mount Hope Auction, OH 5/26/10

5/26/10 Mount Hope Auction, OH
The main barn has goats, sheep, calves and dairy cows. The pens are clean, but none of the pens have water or water buckets in them.  It is 88 degrees.  Pens with goats and sheep are very packed.  All the animals are panting. Sheep that have not been sheared are clearly very hot. In a second barn are cages of hens, roosters, ducks and rabbits, some rabbits with babies.  The cages are stacked on top of each other with no flooring so that feces and urine rain down on the animals below.  None of these cages have water. No fans are anywhere present. All of these animals are also panting.  Small boxes contain dozens of baby chicks or ducks but no water. Two young boys are handling the goats and sheep from the holding pen to the auction ring. One boy dressed in traditional Amish clothing was observed pulling the goats and sheep by their ears to the auction ring, holding the mouths of the baby lambs shut to prevent them from screaming. AA will send a report with suggestions for improvement to auction management.