Maine

[Widget]

THanks to everyone who chimed in about the goats! I'll show DH what everyone says and maybe that will change his mind. He's not opposed, he just thinks we can't do it here....we have 3 acres of lawn, so I don't know what his problem is! Less mowing would be nice! I'd love to have bees here too...but I suppose I need to do one thing at a time

Well if you decided yes then my two would love to move in. Both females but a bit older than what you would want for milk production. But they will help with the yard work and Trinket is adorable.

 

[Clover Run]

Just a reminder as Spring Fever - Chick Fever - Egg Hatching Fever - whichever you have caught -is fast approaching and for some of us already here

:

PLEASE - PLEASE - PLEASE -make sure any hatching eggs and/or chicks you are purchasing and ordering are from a NPIP Certified flock. Please make sure you get a copy of the flock owners certificate with your order/purchase.

There is a difference between being NPIP Tested and NPIP Certified.

There are some who have made the mistake of ordering eggs non NPIP and are now very sorry. This can quickly spread to a problem for everyone.

Pullorum is passed on to eggs and then any of those eggs that do manage to hatch to chicks and so forth.

 

[Renie]

From your facebook page, it looks as if you sell chicks and maybe pullets, too? If so, what are your prices? I'm not ready yet to buy any and probably won't be until early April -- do I still have a chance to buy then? thanks.

 

[Widget]

From your facebook page, it looks as if you sell chicks and maybe pullets, too? If so, what are your prices? I'm not ready yet to buy any and probably won't be until early April -- do I still have a chance to buy then? thanks.

You should be fine waiting until April for chicks. All depends on what you want as far as breeds go and age. Your local feed store (Paris Farmer's Union, Tractor Supply Company, Blue Seal and many others) usually get chicks in around that time. And many on this list also have chicks available either privately or at the swaps held around the state (usually at Tractor Supply).

Feel free to ask any questions. We are a friendly bunch and love to talk chicken and just about any other critter you could possibly want to own.

 

[Clover Run]

From your facebook page, it looks as if you sell chicks and maybe pullets, too? If so, what are your prices? I'm not ready yet to buy any and probably won't be until early April -- do I still have a chance to buy then? thanks.

Welcome Renie - yes I do hatch chicks and raise pullets- there will be plenty of options in April. The best thing to do is research the different breeds and see what you want and then we can help you find them. I encourage you to avoid farm stores and big box farm supply stores and buy from a local breeder. The big box stores are ordering from large commercial hatcheries - so low quality and questionable health all around. The more we can avoid the low quality over breeding the better! There are so many right here that can provide basically every breed you can think of - my advice is to choose breeds hardy for our region.
Have fun - chickens are addicting!

 

[Clover Run]

Taking a drive to pick up some LF Cochin chicks and some BLRW chicks next weekend. Yeah!! Can't wait.

 

[Keric]

You guys are going to make me reveal my plans for this place, but since this is the forever house, it can take some time.

We've got 4 wooded acres. And I mean wooded. They really didn't clear enough land when they built the house. We need to clear some big trees out. My husband and I can handle the small ones, but, there are some giants that we are getting the MOFGA low impact loggers in to help with.

I have a place marked out for the chickens. It is a treefall area that I am going to fence in (I've done free range chickens, no more). I also need to build a coop. We are going to do layers and meat chickens. But I have to get the husband on board for the meat chickens.

Then, I want to get a goat to start clearing the underbrush on about a half acre. BUT, I don't know how I am going to contain it, and I have to get some sort of shelter.

After the goat, we are going to get a piglet, put the piglet on the same half acre as the goat, and then move the goat to the next half acre. Again, housing is an issue.

If I can clear a reasonable amount of land (over the course of time) and build a good pasture using this method, and I can get a run in shed built, THEN we are going to get a horse. My husband says no horse till my school loan is paid off though!

I want to build all these shelters for as cheap as possible, but, I am not quite sure how. But, I've got time and imagination, so I'll get there.

Maybe you can bring the logs that you plan to cut down to a local saw mill, If they are soft wood of course. That is what we do over here. The coop, pig house and wood shed are all rough saw Hemlock from a local saw mill. Even if you don't use your own logs for building coops and barns the saw mill wood is better for these kinds of projects. The fence is all hemlock also with three hot wires. No goats yet but it works good for the pigs. Pigs are also social creatures and they do better in pairs.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I also have some bees just to make things interesting.This year I hope to get things a bit more organized. The yard needs to be tidied up and I have a few home improvement projects I would like to get done as well. I know they say that animals help with stress. I agree. Only mine seem to produce stress not alleviate it.

. Bu they are worth it in the long run.

Widget, I just signed up for a beekeeping class in Thomaston which starts in 4 weeks. It's only 50$ and runs every Tuesday night for 6 weeks with a Saturday hands on class after the didactic classes are over. There's a bunch of them all over the state, but that's the "closest" one to me.

You guys are going to make me reveal my plans for this place, but since this is the forever house, it can take some time.



Then, I want to get a goat to start clearing the underbrush on about a half acre. BUT, I don't know how I am going to contain it, and I have to get some sort of shelter.

I have a nubian wether and doe. They are insanely loud. They sound like sheep on amphetamines. BAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

We built movable panels for the goats.The panels are 4 feet high and 8 feet long and are easily made and go over all terrain. The cross beam is extra protection from them trying to bow and destroy the fence:


We built (I love saying that... but I mean he built) the goat house in pieces, and then assembled it one weekend. You can see it above. But it was pretty easy to build. We still need to shingle it - didn't get to that before winter. The "free" goats that we got also came with a 3 sided shelter, which they love, but it's not enough protection for winter. It's a good 3-season home, though, and they still hang out in it:

Echosrevenge, it looks like you have some good goat experience. I want Nigerian dwarfs BAD! I understand I need more than one, so ideally, I'd like to start with 3. Only problem is the husband. He is sure that they will take A TON more work than chickens....I understand they are larger animals..mammals, and will have some different needs, I guess what I am saying here, is how much work are they really? Any advice? I wouldn't mind doing the dairy thing?

I think I should just send you a pm....I've got too many questions

Goats not in milk are not a lot of work. Mine get grain twice daily, although they could have it once daily, or not at all (but I'm trying to fatten mine up). Plus hay. BF built them a hay feeder that has almost zero wasted hay, and my life is so much better for it. What used to be a twice daily chore of lugging hay is now a once a week 4-flakes at a time easy peasy task. All the wasted hay I used to have to rake off the ground. That's no longer an issue. Their stall/house needs mucking out - I find mine gets gross after about a week. You could also do it daily and avoid a big mess at the end of the week. They need fresh water daily - one of mine really likes hot water so I bring it right from the house and fill her bucket with it. Goats also like browse, or forage, so I take mine for walks every day. That also helps them burn off steam and energy. Mine frolic (that's really the best word) and kick their heels up and jump, it's hilarious. They also go right back to their house and fenced in area, no fighting. Mine are quite well behaved, with exception of the screaming. So really... 5 minutes in the morning to let them out and give them grain. Maybe 10 minutes in the evening doing the water, and more grain. Additional time for walks, and love. Lastly, you should trim their nails every 4 to 8 weeks.
I really enjoy my goats, although when I first got them and had hay issues (and unrealistic noise level expectations) I disliked the goats. Now that I've trained them to behave a bit better, got the hay wasting under control and spent more time bonding with them, I couldn't imagine my life without them.

Hope that helped.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

And in case you were still on the fence about goats:





How can you not want any of these adorable creatures?

 

[Widget]

Quote:
Have fun.

I learned a great deal when I took a class about three years ago. Although no amount of classroom time really prepares you for installing your first hive. You learn how to do it but the fun starts when you have a few thousand bees buzzing around while you try and remember exactly how to get them into their new home. Thank goodness the bees know what to do. Otherwise they would be doomed.