Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Pics KB ?

Didn't take any! Will try for a couple of the artwork.
Just been out rescuing baby turkeys who don't listen to Mother, 2 under the coop and one in the middle of the hoop house looking confused. SHe had taken the rest into the coop because of the downpour and thunderstorm.

Is it just this area or have you guys noticed a huge downturn in poultry keeping? I started back in twelve years ago and many of the friends I made along the way no longer have poultry, even people who were in it for years. I'm out of it myself but I always thought I could drop in and look at friend's birds but most have given up their birds or small animals. I wonder if the trend is over and only the diehards remain. There is a huge difference in the faces at events from twelve years ago to now. Also maybe this is a wrong way of thinking and it's my imagination but twelve years ago people seemed passionate about the breeds they had, now they are passionate about the money they will make from them.

All getting old & tired & want to see what they’ve missed out there . Youth has little interest because no “app”for breeding & winning . No stay to it ness anymore & the world is all about the bucks ( not rabbits )
Just my thoughts .

just starting to pack up for the wyoming sale tomorrow. i am prayin for no rain. if its raining i will not be there because my cargo is pullets in the back of the pickup truck...have some chicks and a dozen light brown leghorn hatching eggs. a few royal palm turkey poults and a mess of chicks. trying to remmber food and water and shavings and and and....

horribly hot and muggy today until those storms went through. relief now....a bit cooler and less humid. installed a third louver window in the greenhouse while it was thundering and pouring outside. could not hear anything in the greenhouse with the rain on the lexan! slowly getting the garden plantes too...had to chicken wire the bottom 2 feet for the free range hens. got that done today-along with windburn and sunburn lol. then planted out the summer squash, some herbs and the brussel sprouts that should have gone in 3 weeks ago. after the sale tomorrow will be tomatoes and peppers and all the rambling squash and watermelons....and some sort of trellis for peas. the asparagus grew seriously a foot today. i had cut everything last night and we cut again today. and everything was over a foot tall!!! thankfully a friend popped in and took rhubarb...ah have to remember my pto hat tomorrow!!!
hoping to see some folks there!!!

I’ll be lookin to buy some aspergas there hopefully .

Skinny rooster wrote: ↑

Sat May 25, 2019 8:19 pm

Is it just this area or have you guys noticed a huge downturn in poultry keeping? I started back in twelve years ago and many of the friends I made along the way no longer have poultry, even people who were in it for years. I'm out of it myself but I always thought I could drop in and look at friend's birds but most have given up their birds or small animals. I wonder if the trend is over and only the diehards remain. There is a huge difference in the faces at events from twelve years ago to now. Also maybe this is a wrong way of thinking and it's my imagination but twelve years ago people seemed passionate about the breeds they had, now they are passionate about the money they will make from them.

I find for most people interest waxes and wanes on most items. Their lives are full of “stuff”, the romance of chickens wears off, and its hard to take a vacation when you have animals. Its not like there is a chicken “kennell” you can take them to for a week.
myself included.

Yes I agree if you want to go away you have to find someone to look after them, not always easy. Plus I think most people get caught up in chicken math get too many breeds and realize they are spending 3 hours a day just looking after them. Again people get predators and sickness running through their birds which is disheartening and some people just give up. Its hard to see sickness take your favorite bird and you can do nothing.

@WLLady, muscovy ducklings can take 3 days (or more) to hatch from pip. Wishing you patience! :)

Ok, I’m not having fun trying to let Miranda hatch chicks. After I moved the nest to the little coop, she hopped right on it and seemed happy as a clam. (Where does that expression come from? What do clams have to be happy about?) Yesterday I went to check on her during the rain, and she was off the nest, the eggs were not warm, there was egg yolk everywhere, and the eggs were so filthy with egg yolk and mud that I couldn’t see much trying to candle them. One egg was missing, and one was on the floor. She did get back on the nest while I was feeding the other girls. Today another egg is missing, she was off the nest again, and the eggs were cool. She shouldn’t be getting off long enough for the eggs to cool off, should she? I think I wasted my money buying hatching eggs for her.
Meanwhile, the other Wyandotte, Mercedes, is sitting on the eggs in the big coop. The infertile eggs are warm as toast! I put her in the little coop with her sister. Maybe they will take turns sitting on the hatching eggs.
Question? Would it be a big mistake to wash the eggs in order to candle them? I am guessing yes. I suppose that’s what those fancy egg brushes are for.
I am feeling a little discouraged.