By 10 a.m. Saturday, the Lawrence teen had sold more than enough of her ducks, chickens and rabbits to pay for her $50 FFA jacket. The $30 or so remaining, she said, she would contribute to her high school’s FFA chapter to use for field trips.

For 15 years now, John Dyster has held May and August swap meets. This year attendance was down.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Dyster said. “I’ve got less than 50 sightseers, or buyers, and only 32 sellers.”

Perhaps the “Road Closed” sign at U.S. 24-40 and 166th Street where road construction is under way held back the participation. Or perhaps it was the skies threatening rain.

Lisa scheller/Mirror photo

“It’s not supposed to rain,” Dyster said. “But like everybody says, if you need rain, call Dyster, and he’ll have a swap meet.”

Seconds after he spoke, the first raindrops fell and a pickup truck pulled in the driveway. The driver joked with Dyster: “Have a sale and it will rain.”

Come rain or shine

But down the farm path the critters in their cages didn’t seem to mind the moisture. Ducks, geese, chickens, goats, even a pot-bellied pig continued rooting for food and eyeing the passersby.

Among the visitors were Paul Novo-Gradac and his daughter, Anna Marie, and her friend, Haley Waters, who was shopping for a goat.

They ended up purchasing one from Lana Howe, who’d brought a truckload of goats, chickens and ducklings from Piper.

Nearby, Larry Vestal, Tonganoxie, checked out the guineas. Prices ranged from $3 for the young ones and up to $8 each.

One of the busiest guinea dealers was Kirk Bierly, a cattle rancher and hobbyist guinea-raiser from Overbrook. Guineas are popular because of their watchdog qualities, Bierly said.

“They make noise at any disturbance,” Bierly said. “Even at night I’ll come home and they’ll raise up a cackle, but of course that’s what also makes people hate them so much.”

Young guineas have to be penned and fed. The older ones are more self-sufficient.

“Once they get a little older and wiser we let them roam,” he said. “They’ll eat anything that doesn’t move fast enough.”

Their diet, he said, includes seeds and insects, including ticks.

His customers are frequently newcomers to rural areas, Bierly said.

“A lot of my customers are people who have bought five or 10 acres and built a nice home with a couple of horses and dogs,” Bierly said. “The kids go out and get ticks and the parents buy guineas to eat the ticks and now they’ll be back next year because the dogs ate the guineas.”

Word to the wise

For Cliff Lowe, who lives in Kansas City, Kan., the festive morning was bittersweet. His wife, Juanita, was too ill to accompany him. For 25 years they’ve raised pigeons together.

“She’s not just my wife, she’s my buddy,” Lowe said.

Lowe said he went to a swap meet the week before and it made him so sad to be there without his wife that he didn’t stay. On Saturday, he said, his wife had made him go to Dyster’s swap meet, and promised she’d come out and visit him there for a few minutes.

Pigeons are popular, Lowe said, joking that he has to get up early in the morning to curl the feathers of his frill back pigeons. For customers who want homing pigeons, Lowe said they must be purchased when the birds are young, or “squealers.”

“Just remember when you buy homing pigeons you have to buy them when they’re really young or if not when you let them go, they’ll come right back to my house,” Lowe said.

Local shoppers who left in good spirits included Ken and Judy Hurla who pulled out in a truck with baby goats and a pot-bellied pig.

“What are you going to do with the pig?” someone asked.

“Love it,” Judy replied. “Take it home and love it.”