Maine

[SilverLaceWy]

Hey Everyone,

I am a newbie here on BYC, I live in Lisbon and I am a homeschooling mom. So what started out as a homeschooling project last year (raising chickens for eggs and trying to grow tomatoes in my basement in a growroom under our stairs, which was successful) has now turned into a desire to start homesteading. I've been doing a lot of reading up on things and figured I'd try and reach out to the Mainers on here that might be doing some homesteading. Basically I am looking for someone(s) who would be willing to share any knowledge---- from soil tips.....to the feeding schedule of BB White Turkeychicks......processed some cornish rocks last month had them on a feeding schedule just wondering if there is such a thing as that for meat turkeys. If I sound stupid it just shows how new I am at all this.
I realize homesteading is not easy but if I take it slowly I am aiming to succeed. I'd luv a hoop house or green house but a growing room is all I can do. My son moved out so I am converting his room in the basement to a growroom.
Any helpful input would be appreciated I get enough laughing and weird expressions from friends already.
Thanks and God Bless. Hope to hear from you.

 

[Mainechick168]

Hey Everyone,

I am a newbie here on BYC, I live in Lisbon and I am a homeschooling mom. So what started out as a homeschooling project last year (raising chickens for eggs and trying to grow tomatoes in my basement in a growroom under our stairs, which was successful) has now turned into a desire to start homesteading. I've been doing a lot of reading up on things and figured I'd try and reach out to the Mainers on here that might be doing some homesteading. Basically I am looking for someone(s) who would be willing to share any knowledge---- from soil tips.....to the feeding schedule of BB White Turkeychicks......processed some cornish rocks last month had them on a feeding schedule just wondering if there is such a thing as that for meat turkeys. If I sound stupid it just shows how new I am at all this.
I realize homesteading is not easy but if I take it slowly I am aiming to succeed. I'd luv a hoop house or green house but a growing room is all I can do. My son moved out so I am converting his room in the basement to a growroom.
Any helpful input would be appreciated I get enough laughing and weird expressions from friends already.
Thanks and God Bless. Hope to hear from you.

Welcome! Don't worry, no questions are stupid! Questions are how we learn, even if they sound silly!

I wouldn't quite say I'm homesteading here, I'd like to, I've got chickens for eggs and a nice garden. Maybe I can be helpful on some things, but I'm sure with the combined knowledge of everyone on this thread ( who I must say have been super helpful/supportive) you should be able to find answers to many of your questions.

 

[thatsjustducky]

For those that were asking about Aroostook Milling Company Feed. We just returned from a trip to the north and stopped by the AMC store in Houlton. They are selling layer mash in 50# bags for $10.78. looks like pretty good stuff, Will let you know how the birds like it. Thinking about making a bulk purchase if they like it. Have to make another trip up there before the end of the summer.

 

[CoopChick719]

Hey Everyone, I am a newbie here on BYC, I live in Lisbon and I am a homeschooling mom. So what started out as a homeschooling project last year (raising chickens for eggs and trying to grow tomatoes in my basement in a growroom under our stairs, which was successful) has now turned into a desire to start homesteading. I've been doing a lot of reading up on things and figured I'd try and reach out to the Mainers on here that might be doing some homesteading. Basically I am looking for someone(s) who would be willing to share any knowledge---- from soil tips.....to the feeding schedule of BB White Turkeychicks......processed some cornish rocks last month had them on a feeding schedule just wondering if there is such a thing as that for meat turkeys. If I sound stupid it just shows how new I am at all this.
I realize homesteading is not easy but if I take it slowly I am aiming to succeed. I'd luv a hoop house or green house but a growing room is all I can do. My son moved out so I am converting his room in the basement to a growroom.
Any helpful input would be appreciated I get enough laughing and weird expressions from friends already.
Thanks and God Bless. Hope to hear from you.

SilverLaceWy!! Wonderful people on this thread and others who are very helpful & supportive!! Laughing & weird expressions??!! NOOOO!! I get those all the time from friends but mostly my family. My husband & children look at me like, "There she goes again about those darn chickens!"

For those that were asking about Aroostook Milling Company Feed. We just returned from a trip to the north and stopped by the AMC store in Houlton. They are selling layer mash in 50# bags for $10.78. looks like pretty good stuff, Will let you know how the birds like it. Thinking about making a bulk purchase if they like it. Have to make another trip up there before the end of the summer.

Hi that'sjustducky! Will be very interested to hear your review on this feed! We have a camp up near Houlton. So if this is good stuff, I will pick it up while I'm there.

 

[CoopChick719]

Hey Everyone, I am a newbie here on BYC, I live in Lisbon and I am a homeschooling mom. So what started out as a homeschooling project last year (raising chickens for eggs and trying to grow tomatoes in my basement in a growroom under our stairs, which was successful) has now turned into a desire to start homesteading. I've been doing a lot of reading up on things and figured I'd try and reach out to the Mainers on here that might be doing some homesteading. Basically I am looking for someone(s) who would be willing to share any knowledge---- from soil tips.....to the feeding schedule of BB White Turkeychicks......processed some cornish rocks last month had them on a feeding schedule just wondering if there is such a thing as that for meat turkeys. If I sound stupid it just shows how new I am at all this.
I realize homesteading is not easy but if I take it slowly I am aiming to succeed. I'd luv a hoop house or green house but a growing room is all I can do. My son moved out so I am converting his room in the basement to a growroom.
Any helpful input would be appreciated I get enough laughing and weird expressions from friends already.
Thanks and God Bless. Hope to hear from you.

SilverLaceWy!! Wonderful people on this thread and others who are very helpful & supportive!! Laughing & weird expressions??!! NOOOO!! I get those all the time from friends but mostly my family. My husband & children look at me like, "There she goes again about those darn chickens!"

For those that were asking about Aroostook Milling Company Feed. We just returned from a trip to the north and stopped by the AMC store in Houlton. They are selling layer mash in 50# bags for $10.78. looks like pretty good stuff, Will let you know how the birds like it. Thinking about making a bulk purchase if they like it. Have to make another trip up there before the end of the summer.

Hi that'sjustducky! Will be very interested to hear your review on this feed! We have a camp up near Houlton. So if this is good stuff, I will pick it up while I'm there.

 

[lazy gardener]

Hey Everyone,

I am a newbie here on BYC, I live in Lisbon and I am a homeschooling mom. So what started out as a homeschooling project last year (raising chickens for eggs and trying to grow tomatoes in my basement in a growroom under our stairs, which was successful) has now turned into a desire to start homesteading. I've been doing a lot of reading up on things and figured I'd try and reach out to the Mainers on here that might be doing some homesteading. Basically I am looking for someone(s) who would be willing to share any knowledge---- from soil tips.....to the feeding schedule of BB White Turkeychicks......processed some cornish rocks last month had them on a feeding schedule just wondering if there is such a thing as that for meat turkeys. If I sound stupid it just shows how new I am at all this.
I realize homesteading is not easy but if I take it slowly I am aiming to succeed. I'd luv a hoop house or green house but a growing room is all I can do. My son moved out so I am converting his room in the basement to a growroom.
Any helpful input would be appreciated I get enough laughing and weird expressions from friends already.
Thanks and God Bless. Hope to hear from you.

Hi Silver Lace Wy. You've come to the right place. I admire your diligence in home schooling your children. I'm home for the summer with my 6 and 11 y.o. grand children, and looking forward to the opportunity to teach them some of the basics. The 6 y.o. is a sponge. Yesterday, we made a lasagna garden for her own personal use after she single footedly mowed down a row of corn in my closely planted garden. She's fascinated with the process of butchering chickens, and my goal is to teach her basic sewing next week. Not so much enthusiasm from the 11 y.o. , however he's loving learning to drive the ride on mower, and target practice. One of the threads you might want to check out is the DIY/self sufficiency thread. No dumb questions here. I find the enthusiasm refreshing. A lot of like minded people here, and I've found on the Maine thread that even where people agree to disagree they can do it civilly. Not so much so on some of the other threads. Take some of the dispute with a grain of salt, and choose the most logical path for you. Ask away. My personal passion is: gardening under a permanent mulch. Got into chickens more for the benefit that they will provide me in insect, weed control, and fertilization. I built a cattle panel hoop house last fall, absolutely love it. It has provided a nice head start to the leafy green season, and now my tomatoes and peppers are looking totally pampered in that space, more peppers to plant after I harvest the garlic. Built the coop on the same cattle panel concept, with a closed in loft. (I'll never do that again!) I also have plans for a very simple and easy to assemble/knock down smaller hoop house using 10' PVC and 2 x 3 and 1 x 3 - 4" lumber. Eggs and the thrill of incubating, brooding, enjoying chicken behaviors, eventual plans to breed sex linked OE are a pleasant side benefit. If I don't have a project or an experiment going, life gets pretty boring!

 

[yankeehill]

I'm super interested in the idea of Aroostook Milling as well. Is this the same feed I've heard other folks talk about feeding grower pigs? There's a fella in Kenduskeag who talked with me about it, and I think they make a few big delivers to places down around my parts (Dover Foxcroft area).

 

[thatsjustducky]

It would be nice to find Aroostook Milling products closer than Houlton. But we usually make a trip north 2 or 3 times a year as we have family up there.

 

[hoppy]

RT farms in winthrop cares aroostook mills feed.

It would be nice to find Aroostook Milling products closer than Houlton. But we usually make a trip north 2 or 3 times a year as we have family up there.

 

[ashandvine]

Corn here is nearly a knee high here but my Arugula is bolting. Seeds for fall I hope.

So, been thinking a lot and feel I should share: I have learned a lot in the past three months about diseases and sales policies, swapping and practices going on in NH as well as here. Given what I want to do with my flocks and the principles I want to live by I have come to a very difficult decision [although I did have some help from my bf and a few breeders and chicken enthusiasts]. The decision is that I am going to cull all the birds in my barn [I have more than one group/location of birds and this is just one]. These are flocks I have spent more than time and money on, but thought and heart and discipline. Its not an easy decision. I am not choosing this because they are sick or exhibit signs of becoming ill or because I have bought from a known source of sick birds. I am deciding this for several reasons that all spiderweb together. First and foremost I don't want to take chances and while I have had them for a while I bought them started. I don't want to wonder if the birds I bought from someone a year or two ago are secret carriers. I do want to start with 'clean' birds and keep them that way and I want to be able to say I know they all are. Now is the time. I can make the choice on my terms. I can move forward with a flock that is tested and that way also avoid having to get into chemicals which I would rather avoid as a part of my future practices. People keep asking me if my birds are sick or why do it if they seem fine. I can't really answer in a clearer way than to say I just feel like I want to take some control of my own peace of mind and the kind of peace of mind I can offer others I share birds with or show with in the future by securing as clean a flock as possible. I am choosing to take the loss now while I can handle it and where I can be in control of it. While I know some things are transovarian I feel I am increasing my chances of raising decent birds to be great birds by starting with all new stock out of eggs I hatch here. Now that I have laid out some of the reasoning ... this is so much harder than I am letting my family know it is. I do all the work. I try not to be attached but even if the birds aren't named they have their own personalities and memories attached, values beyond just being big named breeder's birds or rare birds or what ever. Some are the kids favorites. Some raised chicks here or have stories. They are all part of an intention and plan I have been working toward ... part of the principles I want to live by. Its more than education or homesteading. Its about living a way that feels honest; clean, honest food, honest materials, honest ways of raising our food, honest ways of life/death .... I am rambling. This is a loss of more than money and time and if there is anywhere I can just blurt that out its here. I hate killing them. I will miss certain faces and eggs Funny how you get to know who laid what based on size or color or both. But I am going to do this my way, right and know its right or not at all. Can you tell I was the kid who didn't like to work in groups in school? I think I am done with swaps too for clear reasons. Sorry, I like seeing you all, but maybe at shows? I am not done with birds or educating or any of that. I hope someone understands. Or tries. Be careful everyone. You don't have to be 'proactive' like me. Just be careful.