Hello from Maine

[UKinMaine]

Hi All

I've been stalking this site for a few months now and have finally joined! We are new to having chickens - we renovated and moved to an old farm on 160 acres this past spring, and have acquired 8 chickens and 2 ducks!

The chickens we have - 5 rhode island/new hampshire crosses (I think!), 2 barred rock, and 1 golden wyandotte. The rhodes just starting laying - they are about 18/19 weeks old and we are getting 2 eggs a day. I have some questions as to whether they are all hens, but I'll start a new thread for that! The other three are about 9 weeks old!

We also have two blue swedish ducks who are 4 weeks old and were given as a surprise gift but I LOVE them! Just haven't quite figured out where they are going to live yet.....


I have lots of questions and am terrified of the winter coming (its pretty horrendous up here in Maine!) but am hoping to have a steep learning curve in the next few months

 

[chickendreams24]

Hi also a newbie myself welcome to BYC

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. A lot of us were lurkers before joining. ) Be sure that your coop is draft free, dry, and well insulated to keep moisture from building up in it. Feathers are wonderful insulators and moisture is a much greater danger than cold. If you haven't done so already, definitely our Learning Center at https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center. There is loads of useful information there. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your flock through the winter.

 

[drumstick diva]

I've heard Maine winters can last about 9 mos. It would be a great idea if you joined you state thread and got survival tips from chicken folks who live through it every year.

Welcome to Backyard chickens.

 

[N F C]

Welcome to BYC!

And congrats on your new flock. If you would like to connect with other members from Maine, they can give you ideas on what works best for their flocks in the winter. You can find some of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1370/maine

Thanks for joining us!

 

[UKinMaine]

I've heard Maine winters can last about 9 mos. It would be a great idea if you joined you state thread and got survival tips from chicken folks who live through it every year.

Welcome to Backyard chickens.

ha- it sometimes feels like 9 months!! Thanks! I'll look into finding a group

 

[UKinMaine]

Welcome to BYC!

And congrats on your new flock. If you would like to connect with other members from Maine, they can give you ideas on what works best for their flocks in the winter. You can find some of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1370/maine

Thanks for joining us!

thank-you!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!