Chickens, Ducks and Other Fun Stuff

I am sure those of you that follow my blog have noticed that I have been away from it for some time now.  The break has not been intentional but a necessary one for a number of reasons. When I originally started this blog, I did so with the idea in mind that I was going to build the brand,"The Maine Harvest Table," for several future endeavors that I am working on now. At the time, the only thing I had to offer were good recipes and cooking techniques that I have learned or created over a number of years. I have every intention to continue to post recipes and other posts related to food. I am so passionate  about cooking but my love of food and working with it runs deeper than that.  Because of that, I knew at some point there would be a shift in the focus of the blog and that the shift would happen naturally when the time was right. That time has come, as I have felt the focus in my own life has shifted.  It has taken me away from cooking all the time and posting recipes regularly since the start of last summer.  

Raising chickens and ducks

At the beginning of March I decided to take on the responsibility of raising 6 baby chicks.  Just a week after getting the chicks, I purchased 2 baby Ancona ducks from a local breeder/farmer.  I understood that raising these babies was not necessarily going to be easy but I had no idea exactly how time consuming it was going to be.  Around the same time last year, I adopted 4 adult hens and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to care for them.  This is not so with baby chicks and most definitely not the case with ducks of any age unless you are better prepared than I am. Make no mistake my friends, the work that you put into raising poultry and water fowl is a labor of love even if you are not inclined to consider these birds your family pets.  You have to care about their health, their warmth, the food and water that you are feeding them.  You have to care and worry about a lot of things so even if you don't "love them," it has to be a labor of love just the same. 

A Family affair

For a little over two months, we raised and cared for these babies inside my home.  Having chickens and ducks in your home is not for the faint of heart and while I was prepared to deal with whatever that might bring, I was not so sure that my family would feel the same.  When I say that "we" raised them, I do mean we all did this together every day. I was plesantly surprised to find that my family not only accepted it but started getting involved from day one.  Of course it's easy to want to watch over these adorable babies in the beginning but as their little bodies grow, so does everything else.  Their poop gets bigger and stinkier so what was once a quick change of a couple of news papers and and two small handfuls of shavings becomes a full on cleaning of a larger brooding box and poop covered food and water dishes.  Without fail, my husband and my daughter were constantly there to help.  The chickens required a full cleaning of the brooding box every other day and fresh food and water at least twice daily.  The ducks on the other hand, had to be cleaned every single day first thing in the morning and as soon as I got home from work at night with several refills of food and fresh water throughout the day and evening.  It is stinky, messy and as they continue to grow, borders on disgusting at times.  While I had every intension of taking these chores on all by myself, it was a great relief for me to have their help and support.  

So what now?

Now that the chickens and ducks are all fully feathered, we have moved them from the breezeway to their new homes outside.  We purchased a used coop for the chickens that was built by a family friend and hauled it home in a large trailer.  This took the time and effort of many people.  It was not just a family affair but we had few friends, and as I recall, a neighbor of a family friend to help us accomplish this task.  A couple weeks later we purchased a new duck house; which my husband and I moved ourselves.  We moved the ducks into it as soon as we had it placed on the ground and I do believe they were just as happy to make the move as we were to move them.

So what now?  Now we wait.  We continue the work of caring for them and while it is easier in a lot of ways having them out of the house, it is still work. The chickens are about 12 weeks old and the ducks are 10 weeks.  None of them will start laying until they are about 20 to 25 weeks of age.  When you decide to travel down the road of raising chicks and ducks for eggs, please understand that there is no immediate reward or instant gratification for the work that you have done to this point.  If you are lucky and you have been careful to do everything right in raising them, they have all survived and have been able to make the transition to the coop. That is your reward at this point and it will have to be enough for now.  Please don't take me the wrong way, I love every second of the time that I spend taking care of these birds.  I just want to be clear that the decision to do this should not be made without serious consideration to the time and commitment it will take. If you do make the decision to do so, I promise that it will be an extremely rewarding venture for you and your entire family...eventually!

Much more to come

Now that I have filled you in on what has been going on here at The Maine Harvest Table over the last few months, please be assured that this will not be the main focus of the blog.  It does seem to be of interest to many that I have talked to who have seen my Face Book posts about my trials and triumphs throughout this experience.  I have also amused people with stories of my many blunders and the funny antics of my little birds that often have people shaking their heads at me in disbelief.  Let me reassure anyone who thinks I suddenly lost my mind and I am now the crazy chicken lady next door trying to fill a void (which I have heard from a couple of people believe it or not). This is just a part of the focus here at The Maine Harvest Table that was not done without careful consideration and a lot of research.  It has been and will continue to be carried out with the best of intentions and with a driven purpose.  

It is my hope to use this platform to continue to share great recipes, but to also talk more about the idea of living sustainably as we continue to move toward that here ourselves.  I want to talk more about the amazing food and other products being produced as well as the people who produce them here in the State of Maine.  We have so many resources right here at our finger tips that so few people even think about much less take advantage of.  Soon I hope to be introducing and selling our very own specialty foods and other products. 

There are so many things that I want to do  and talk about here at The Maine Harvest Table and while I can't promise a post every day or even every week, I can promise that it will always be interesting.  We hope that you will stay tuned and continue to follow us on this journey wherever it takes us.  

Many thanks to all for your support!