Poultry Talk Ontario

It's been a long time since my last post.  The forum (Poultry Swap Ontario) I depended on when I started out closed down. Good news is that some of the members set up Poultry Talk Ontario. It's an excellent site and you don't have to be in Ontario to use it.  http://poultrytalkontario.net/

I'm proud of the logo as I designed it :)

The Chicken of Tomorrow

This is how the meat bird started back in 1948. Hard to believe what we raise now.

Ice sled/boat uses saw blade wheel.

I had to post this, what a great idea. 

It's almost time.

Hatching time is almost upon us. I'm going to be hatching White Chanteclers and Ridley Bronze turkeys. Chicks and poults will be in limited supply but if anyone is interested I'll do my best to help you out. Pick up only, I'm approximately half way between Kingston and Napanee, Ontario. First come first served.

My Ridleys in November 2014.

The Genius of Birds - Embryonic development

This is amazing to watch. Thanks to bayvistafarm on Poultry Swap Ontario for posting this.

Cookie Tin Water Heater

After 2 mornings of frozen water I decided to make a couple of cookie tin heaters. Headed over to the Dollar Store and bought 2x cookie tins, 2x 2 pin extension cords, and some 40w incandescent light bulbs. Then a stop at Home Hardware for a couple of light fixtures. I got round cookie tins because that was all they had. I'm on the lookout now for large square tins. I'm going to see how it works and maybe move up to a 60w bulb when it gets colder.



The fixtures have a round base, so I used my angle grinder to cut two sides. This was so I can put the lid on the tin.






Then I put the fixture in place and marked where the screws go. I used a pocket knife and screw driver to open the holes.






Next take the extension cord and cut the end off.



Strip the end of the wires and put a hole in the tin between the two holes you already made. Push the wires through the hole.



Attach the wires to the back of the fixture.



Put in position and tighten screws. I used 2 small nuts/bolts. Don't over tighten because you can bend the tin (especially if it's round) and the lid won't fit.



Christmas edition DIY cookie tin water heater.

Cookie tin - $2
Light Fixture - $1.69
Extension Cord - $3
Light bulb - .50c

Total: $7.19 plus tax

The turkeys wouldn't go near it for a good 10 minutes. They must find the Christmas design offensive :)

Meat Turkeys

The meat turkeys were processed on Sept 30th. 15 birds, smallest 16 lbs, largest 29.8 lbs. 313 lbs of turkey in the freezer. I had a local butcher come over with his mobile setup. It took him under 2 hours. I bagged and weighed them. Very pleased with my first try at turkeys. Might process them myself next year, just need to build a plucker :)