Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Maybe I'm just moody because it's fall and I work in retail lol.

I'm becomng increasingly frustrated with people who go buy a few birds....read a bunch of stuff off Google or BYC or FB and suddenly become experts and start throwing out advice Willy Nilly to other unsuspecting flock owners. I know NOTHING about poultry compared to most so I do read a lot and follow a lot of sites and discussions but unless I have some specific EXPERIENCE that I feel may be useful I keep my mouth shut and hope to learn along with the original poster. I also don't just take some stranger's advice (or even worse -google) as gospel.
There's folks on here that I would absolutely listen to. Folks that have more poultry knowledge in their pinky finger than I do in my entirety. Outside of that...no trust. I doubt this is isolated to poultry but I find it annoying and offensive even.

Rant over.

Wow, that was a really good rant. Being still new to hobby farming with animals, I wouldn't know experienced advice from not so experienced. So, I research, ask questions, take it all in, "digest it", and do what works for me.
I hope I'm not the subject of your rant!

Not directed to anyone on here! I do not find anybody on PTO to be like that at all. Any other site (but worst is FB groups) seems to be full of experts and people that are desperate enough to believe what those "experts" advise. Your approach is exactly how I attempt to function as well. But when it comes to advising someone on illness (or worse yet seeing people tell someone there's nothing wrong with their bird when there clearly is) I get heated. Illness in poultry spreads far to easily to be messing around with it. Plus I hate seeing a bird or any animal that's clearly suffering.

I find myself very irritated by the people who say things like "I've been keeping poultry for two years and use (insert natural "remedy" here) and I have NEVER had an illness/worms/mites/bumblefoot, etc. etc." But then I catch myself and feel very bad for those people, because I know what's coming for them

Sad but all too true. I've gotten birds from someone who goes out buys the best there is then doesn't seem to realize her birds have mites and usually something else as well. I have bought from her because she does have good birds but I know I will have to treat and medicate them .It surprises me she has any left alive .

An expert. Some self declared. Others because they do have some knowledge. Not all of the knowledge, but some. I am wary of those that are 100% convinced they are 100% correct in whatever it is, chickens, religion, politics, or whatever.

In a former life, I was privileged to be sent to Kazakhstan and Siberia and Egypt and South America as an expert for oilwell drilling. One of the first things I would ask a group was "What is an expert?" And my answer was "Someone you don't know,that comes from somewhere else." Most of the people knew a lot about drilling. Their experiences weren't a carbon copy of mine, but we shared ideas, with me being allowed to lead. And I picked up some things from each of those groups to retain for my own knowledge base, discarded a few ideas I had thought were correct in the past.

I kind of like to listen to others, gather information as best I can, consider it all and then make the best decision I can. Won't be completely the right one every time, but I learn from that and go forward.

Some "experts" are just stupid ass holes too. Great example. Visiting friends, and a woman (also visiting) was a self proclaimed expert on dogs, with a dog blog on facebook giving all sorts of advice. Holistic feeding and medications and training etc. Was outraged that a mongrel had bred her purebred Rottweiler. Now, if there is a female in need, male goats, bulls, dogs, have been known to dig, climb, and break down barriers to get there. Most people know this. I asked if the dog had tunneled in or broke the fence or eaten a hole in a door. No, none of that. "Well, where was your dog?" "Tied to a tree in the back yard". She's the one I want to take advice dog from. Yeah.

There is one in every crowd, it's I think mostly personality trait, rather then related to any particular field.
I have learned from people who knew way more then me, and also from people who knew way less, in many areas.
I think the problems start when a person becomes completely convinced that they are right and no longer hear any new information coming in.
I was an unwitting witness to a conversation that went something like this.
Woman #1 my husband suffers from a "Heart failure" (there is no cure for that)
Woman #2 You have to watch Dr X on TV, he is going to tell you exactly what to do, tell your husband, to watch it too, it will fix his problem in no time. She was quite forceful about it too and wouldn't let it go.
I was so stunned I thought is it even possible to be that ignorant, to dismiss life threatening situation by this kind of nonsense?
But well meaning ignorance seems to rule our times.

Thanks for the rant and everyone's comments! I feel much the same way as everyone has said. My 2 cents....why do so called 'experts have to be so rude. At some point, they didn't know either.
I often just read what people post and shake my head and sit on my hands..lol

This isn't animal.related but rather 'expert' related...as many of you may know I live off the electrical grid...and i like it, but that's another road for another time...in my research to getting off the grid on my new home, one of the things I was interested in was solar hot water...i went to a local 'green' expo and engaged one of the exhibitors in a q &a...he went on and on about how I should be doing this and that and if i wasn't on board with the 'green' revolution and his products in particular then well I was going to be left behind and he didnt have time for anyone like that...that particular individual got some press (because he was quite good at getting attention) when he embarked on building one of those seriously environmental homes...all the gadgets, all the new ideas... That was 6 years ago...I'm off grid...his house doesn't work...not the heating system, not the electrical and certainly not the hot water...can I say 'WHEW'?....

EX—YOUSED TO WAS

SPERT —THING THAT DRIPS OFF THE END OF YOUR NOSE IN THE COLD WINTER TIME