I really try to make my posts informative, but sometimes you've just got to get a good rant out.
First, let me say that I love the Internet. I love being able to read other blogs and learn from what others have done and are doing. I think we all have the ability to be great teachers as well as great students.
With that said, if you are going to write blogs or articles online, please know what you are talking about!
The first blog I read this morning was talking about how to choose poultry on the homestead. Within the first paragraph the author recommends Rhode Island Reds and Bard Rocks.
Wait a sec.... what's a Bard Rock?
I would have dismissed this as a typo except that it's mentioned three times and captioned under a photo of a DOMINIQUE!
Hmmm... so here we have an author who doesn't know that it's a Barred Plymouth Rock, not a bard rock, and can't tell the difference in body style or, most telling, comb? Maybe you shouldn't be writing about chickens.
Next they went on to waterfowl. The only duck the author recommends are the Muscovi (which should be Muscovy), as they don't have the high water requirements and are the friendliest amongst ducks.
Not sure I would agree with that. Even experienced Muscovy owners will tell you that drakes can be aggressive. And as for water requirements, ducks are pretty much ducks. All ducks have to have water deep enough to submerge there heads in to keep their eyes and nose holes clean and clear. Your bigger ducks like the Rouen and Pekin must have water to breed in due to the size of their bodies, but smaller ducks can be raised without, though in my personal opinion it's cruel to raise waterfowl without water!
The author also talks about how you should avoid geese because of how dangerous and aggressive they are.
While I will agree that some geese are aggressive, there are lots of geese that aren't. Pilgrims, Chinese, Africans, and Buffs are just a few off the top of my head that can be pretty friendly. To me, if you have aggressive geese it is because of an aggressive breed line or not imprinting on your geese as goslings. That said, any goose will be somewhat aggressive when defending offspring, a nest, or a nesting mate. Really though, that's being protective and not truly aggression.
Lastly, the author went on to turkeys. And this is where I nearly lost my mind!
Though the author has admitted to never raising turkeys themselves, they point out the the birds are stupid, disease prone and flighty. To illustrate their um... point... they tell you that the birds are so dumb they will stand outside in a rainstorm and look up into the rain and drown! Wowsers! It's hard to believe that they've survived so long! The author then points out that they are also very aggressive, and terrible mothers. Hmm... again... no.
As someone who raises turkeys, and has periodically over the last twenty years I found the whole thing to be utterly insulting. Turkeys are great mothers, and the birds are much hardier than given credit for. I have not one but THREE 30lb breeding toms that have never attacked me, not even during the mating season. They are friendly birds, who will "talk" to you any time you are near their pens and will call out when they hear your voice over distances. They are not flighty, and they certainly aren't stupid.
This is not the first time I've read a blog or article by someone that was utterly lacking in intelligence and filled with lies, myths and misconceptions. I worry that people out there read this nonsense and continue to perpetuate this outright garbage.
Really, it's all a shame.
