Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Most of the fields around me have been "deplumed". I asked a local crop farmer a few years back why he was tearing out the line of trees that ran north/south since he wasn't also removing the fence line. He said the shade from the trees reduced production. Funny thing is the following spring half his field eroded into the ditch and ran off. No roots to hold it all together. The land directly beside me and a part of my back yard are environmentally protected. I've found out that this doesn't actually mean much. Trees and brush can all be cut down and the land could be totally cleared. Only thing is the roots can't be removed.

Farmers in this area don't want shelter belts because they stop snow (not always a bad thing) and they have trouble getting around them with their huge equipment. The farmer that owns the land around me tore out all trees on this quarter last year. Most of them had been part of the shelterbelt for my yard but the land was subdivided and they ended up on his side of the property line.

Shelter belts are proven to be a good thing: housing benefecial insects, lots of animals, controlling wind and erosion.

Brian wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:27 pm

I wonder if it is legal to release bobwhite quail? Anyone know?

No, it's not. The MNR, in their pencil-pushing wisdom, believe that captive-raised quail will harm the native bobwhite population because they're less hardy and will interbreed and pass down diseases or disease potential. They might have a point, if there were any wild bobwhite left in Ontario...near as I can find, the last time MNR counted them was 2007, where a partial survey turned up a few near Lake St. Clair, and sightings have been few and far between since. The Muskrat Lake Monster has been seen more often than wild bobwhite lol.

windwalkingwolf wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:16 pm

Brian wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:27 pm

I wonder if it is legal to release bobwhite quail? Anyone know?

No, it's not. The MNR, in their pencil-pushing wisdom, believe that captive-raised quail will harm the native bobwhite population because they're less hardy and will interbreed and pass down diseases or disease potential. They might have a point, if there were any wild bobwhite left in Ontario...near as I can find, the last time MNR counted them was 2007, where a partial survey turned up a few near Lake St. Clair, and sightings have been few and far between since. The Muskrat Lake Monster has been seen more often than wild bobwhite lol.

Also tame / domestic type bobs would never survive . They tried with turkeys & didn't work out till they caught wild ones living in a similar area as SWOnt & released here . Very successfully . With lack of proper habitate here as well as will / pressure to reintroduce I don't see it happening . I know of many who have illegally tried on there own on a piece of good habitat but it's like turning kids loose in T.O. Eventually predators etc decimate them .

Yep, you have to trap and relocate wild birds to really be successful.

One American pheasant hatchery got eggs from China ten years ago. Those birds/bloodline are a lot wilder than any other bloodlines.

Somestic bobwhites are 50 generations or more domesticated.

And shelterbelts provide partial shade to grasslands reducing evaporation to the ground.
Farmers today see the leaves from fenceline trees to be a good source of fertilization to farm fields, especially from the Kentucky Coffee tree.

Sign me up a for weekend in the spring and fall once we begin the Northern Bobwhite Conservancy. I can work a shovel and pile brush or make hedgerow plantings.

MNRF & OFAH always looking for volunteers for many on going & new projects in Ontario .

Has anyone successfully tried any animal controls for ticks on their own property that don't fly away or annoy (guinea hens)?

Possum work well . Any I catch in live trap I turn loose .