Chicken Breeds; The Unique Ones and the Dependable

Backyard Chicken Breeds

The Unique Ones and The Dependable in our backyard

A chicken yard is certainly more fun when you have some handsome hens scratching around.  We really enjoy a spunky looking chicken; they hold a special spot in the flock and our hearts.  Most people begin raising chickens in their backyard for the fresh eggs. It doesn’t take too long to realize how much fun chickens really are and how it’s so easy to start raising chickens just because you love them so much.  We have always had the “feather foot” here or the “puff top” there mixed in with our more practical breeds. Since we live in Maine, we choose weather hardy chickens and good egg layers.  This year we added a new group of chicks much different then our past flocks.  Thanks to another backyard farmer, Glamour Chickens, we have introduced a fun variety of beautiful breeds to our farm.

The photo below shows the chicks on their arrival day to our farm. We were so excited to see how these girls looked full grown.  You can keep cruising down this blog to see more pictures, but the video above shows you how each chicken matured in a video format.

Serama-Cemani Mix this one is named Carless

 

Silkie-Sultan mix “Sulkies” named Angus and Isabelle

All of the chicks came with little bands on their feet to help with identification of breed and gender.  We clipped them off easily once they moved into their new coop.  These two chicks are Angus and Isabelle.. see below for their updated look a couple weeks later.

Lavendar Orpingtons

We did get a few of these birds.  They are very dependable egg layers.  As full size hens, they will be gray with a hint of lavendar.  They are a particularly popular breed of laying hens and average 200 medium sized eggs that are light brown in color. The one featured here is named Morgan.

There is also an Aracauna in our flock.

These young chickens are already getting up on their third floor perch by the fresh air.  I’m pretty impressed that these younguns were able to do that. And look at these photos below; Alexia made a swing for these new fancy chicks to play with.  They seemed to enjoy their first time giving it a try.

Jupiter is an Ayam Cemani Sizzle mix 

This baby chick is very unique and should grow up to be a curly dark hen. 

Angus Napping by Alexia

Inkie the Sulkie reminds me of the birds in Rio. Photo by Acadia.

Fuzzy Mozart: photo by Acadia and entered in 4H exhibit hall.

Fuzzy Mozart and the other chicks take a trip outside their coop and around the backyard

Jupiter up on the tower of the play set.  He was contemplating jumping off, so this photo shoot was cut short

Carless on the upturned wheelbarrow, such a natural place for a chick to hang out at the farm.

Fuzzy Mozart, getting a little blue on her cheek

                      The twins Abigail and Isabelle, we tell them apart by the color of their beaks.

Angus going for a walk.

Check back on this post... I’m sure you’re as interested as I am about how these girls will look as they age.   This year, the kids have been excited to meet this fun flock of girls.  They are such a great addition to the farm.

Cameron is a rooster strutting his stuff.

Jupiter, not all black anymore. He’s our feisty rooster!

The many nameless, Lavendar Orpingtons.  Only Morgan is named, she is plumper then the rest.  I’ll catch you a photo of her later and add it.  Morgan sleeps on the grain barrel at night.

Fuzzy Mozart all grown up: what a little fuzz ball she is.

Inky and Isabelle 

Cameron

Carless, we think is also a rooster.

Jordan’s 4H Maple Syrup Project 2020

  Here is how you make Maine Maple Syrup and the materials you need for getting the sap

4H Exhibit Hall 2020

By Jordan Castonguay

The materials you need for getting your maple trees tapped

#1 A spile which costs 4 dollars.  each
#2 A hook costs between 50 cents and 1 dollar. each
#3 A 3 gallon sap bucket with a cover that costs around $10. each
#4 A rubber mallet that costs 7-12 dollars or you could just use a hammer.
#5 a 5/16 inch drill bit or a 7/16 inch drill bit.

  I personally just bought a Maple Sugaring Starter Kit from Tap My Trees that had 3 aluminum buckets, 3 metal lids, 3 stainless steel spiles, 3 hooks, a drill bit, some cheesecloth, and a Maple Sugaring at home book.

The materials you need for making Maple Syrup

#1 Clean buckets that can hold sap in preferably with a cover so stuff doesn’t get in it and keep it in a cool area.

#2 Cheesecloth that keeps little pieces of bark and other materials out of the sap.

#3 A Sap Evaporator which usually costs around $1000 but instead I used a Turkey Pot because we were only getting sap from 5 trees.

#4 A candy thermometer.

How to get ready before the season for tapping your trees starts

#1 Find your maple trees before the winter so you can make sure it is a maple tree and mark it so you know which one to tap.

#2 Use bleach to wash your buckets, spiles, and lids before use, and wash it out with cold water so that you can't smell the bleach

                       How To Tap Your Trees

          #1 The day that you tap during the day it should be above freezing, and the night should be below.
          #2  When you tap the tree, the best spots to put the hole is below a large branch or above a large root.  The Tree also has to be at least 12 inches wide to tap.

          #3  Either use a 5/16 or a 7/16 inch drill bit and use a drill bit that is sharp so it doesn't make a rough hole.  When you are drilling your hole to make your sap flow easier, hold the drill slightly upwards, and go in about 2- 2 1/2 inches deep. When you are starting to drill, make sure you look at the color of the wood.  If it is light brown or tan, then you are all set, but if the color is dark brown or a chocolaty color, you should find a different tree to tap.

         #4 Once you have made your hole, you use a stick to clean out all the wood shavings in the hole. After you have cleaned the hole out, use the hammer or rubber mallet to hit the spile into the hole, and don't forget to put the hook in with the spile or else you can't put the bucket on. Don't hit it too hard as it might split the tree wood, and don't use copper because it is poisonous to the tree. Make sure that when you hit it, that the spile is sturdy and cant be pulled out easily or the sap may not be able to run too well.

   #5 After you have hit the spile and hook into the tree, put the bucket on. Next you get the cover and the metal piece for holding the cover on and put the metal piece through the holes in the spile so that the cover stays on when it is windy.
                                             

                                              Collecting and Boiling

                   #1  Now that you have tapped your trees, the sap will start coming out slowly.  On the days that it is above freezing, you will usually get some sap and on the days that it is below freezing, you will only get a little amount.  When you collect the sap, pour it into a container that can be covered to keep germs out of it and keep the container in a cool area.

                   #2 After you put the batch in the container, you are supposed to evaporate it by one week so it doesn't get moldy.

                  #3 When you are pouring your sap into the evaporator, make sure you use a strainer and cheesecloth so you don't have bugs or little pieces of tree bark in it.

                  #4  Then let it evaporate while you check it often to make sure it’s doing well.

                  #5    Bring it inside when it is almost done so you can pay closer attention to it.

                  #6 When it is near 219 degrees, check it to see if it drips good but it’s not too watery.

                  #7 To know when your sap is ready, you use a candy thermometer.  When it is 219 degrees, it is done and ready to be poured into a container or used.

                  #8  I prepared and used a half a pint mason jars for my maple syrup and poured it in.

                    

Final Product

       My final product came out amazing! The color of it the first few times was Light brown because we evaporated it a little too long then it got closer and closer to being perfect like the last time. My product tasted like hot fresh Maine Maple Syrup, yum!

Future Goals

    For next year my goal is to tap 25 trees and get a sap evaporator that works smoothly and can evaporate faster.  I also want to make more syrup and maybe try to sell some too. Next year I am also hoping that I can get a Brix scale (measures how much sucrose in 100 grams of solution) because they can be more accurate than a thermometer.

(Note from Blogger: Angela.  This is Jordan’s first year doing 4H.  He was very excited to make this product and did the work of collecting the sap daily and boiling the sap weekly by himself.  He works very hard to help with the heavier duty chores around the farm. Mom and Dad are very proud of his energy to be a successful businessman.  This year, there will be a virtual  4H exhibit hall, which was not the grand finale he was looking for with this project, but glad we’re doing something.  There is always next year with all the improvements he has planned.  Alexia’s duck project was our last post and Acadia's Barn cat project will be coming soon; so check back.  Please leave him a comment; this project was a lot of work and he has been very eager to share it with you all.)

Alexia's 4H Duck Project 2020

I Raise Khaki Campbell Ducks.

4H Project: Exhibit Hall 2020

By Alexia Castonguay

 My ducks are very messy. They tend to spill their water,and they stink!  My ducks are brown and white. I got my ducks as ducklings, though I've always wanted to try hatching eggs.

When they're still ducklings, I keep them inside their house.  To keep them warm, I use a heat lamp. 

I have ten ducks. I hope to have a mix of boys and girls, but we can't yet tell them apart.  I'd like to have a mix of boys and girls because I would like to have duck eggs, and duck meat, and I'm also hoping to keep one male for breeding.

Getting ready for the ducks was hard work.  We had to paint their coop.  The fencing on the door was broken and their outside pen needed repairing as well.  But now that the everything is patched up, the ducks are able to roam around more safely.  

  

My ducks started to grow their feathers around their necks, and now they have fully grown their feathers.  I will miss my tiny fluffy friends.

They follow each other around in big groups and always stay near another duck.  They don't like to be held, but we managed to take a picture of this one holding still.

Farm ducks don't actually need a tub of water to swim in. But if you do, put it in their  coop after they have grown their feathers.  When baby ducks try to swim without a mother there to teach them they can drown because of the weight of their fluff.

Every day they need fresh water.  A slimy substance forms around the ring of their dish, so frequent cleaning is necessary. 

I give my ducks a rubber bowl for their food.  I buy poultry chick crumble for my ducks.  We store our grain in the barn we have been working on.

(Note from Blogger: Angela.  This is Alexia's second year doing 4H.  Last year she did her 4H project on preparing for and raising her 2 Sheep Nala and Natalie.  This year, she wanted ducks and she is one of the main motivators for our backyard farm's growth.  She takes her work seriously and is in charge of the daily animal chores and distribution of work among herself and siblings. Mom and Dad are very proud of her efforts.  This year; due to the virtual nature of the 4H exhibit hall, the students are limited to three exhibit submissions.  This is her main one, but I will add her other two smaller additions later.  Hint: one is chicken swings.  We will also be posting Jordan's Maple Syrup project and Acadia's Barn cat project soon; so check back.  Please take a moment to comment on her project below.)

Here is Carless checking out the new swing.  This was Alexia’s second project

Going Upta Camp; A Traditional Maine Vacation

Going Upta Camp; 
A Traditional Maine Vacation 

I love how everyone puts up a sign on Maine camp roads.  It is such a welcoming site and looks so creative and rustic.  Try to find ours: clue it’s midway on the tree to the left.


Even homesteaders need to take a step back and enjoy the beautiful Maine countryside.  We find our refuge in Danforth Maine where East Grand Lake connects us with Canada. So here is Pepere Larry’s camp “Castaway Lodge” and Nana’s swing.  There is so much to do at camp and time just flies by when we’re up in the tranquility of nature.

East Grand Lake in Danforth, Maine

When we first get to camp we go and check out the water. The week we were at camp this time was pretty choppy. But we still went swimming, kayaking, skipping rocks and fishing. Jordan got the most skips with this fiver below.

 

Campfire and S’Mores

 

We learned how to make spider-dogs.  They are fun for the kids, but they won’t fit in the bun. Just slice an x into each end and heat. Watch as the ends peel away from each other and delight the littles.

A timeless camp activity is the campfire and roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over the open flames.  I’ve never tried filming campfires in slowmo before but you should watch this short video clip; it is hypnotizing.

Fresh Maine Spring Water

 

The most delicious water; cold and crisp coming straight out of this natural spring, can be enjoyed after a little effort to collect it. The kids took turns going to collect gallons of this pristine element taking the 4 wheeler with Pepere Larry. Listen to that marvelous water rushing out in all its natural pureness.  We collect spring water because Camp water comes from the lake and can be used for washing, but not drinking or cooking.  

Hiking New Trails

 

 Since the entire Spring sports season was cancelled for the children this year of 2020 and Covid-19, our family has taken to go on adventures trying out new trails.  It is a great activity for all of the ages and interests, at least in our home.  From the little guy getting the ride to the two racing ahead to find trail markers and my nature observers as well.

The Maine Outhouse

Yes, there is an outhouse at this Maine camp. We rarely use it as there’s also an indoor bathroom. But it is used in the winter time visits to camp as there is no running plumbing in the winter due to freezing; camp water is pumped up from the lake. Like any good outhouse there are a set of rules. See the funny list below.

 

The Fairy Houses

One of our favorite things to do at camp is build fairy houses. We use a hot glue gun and find lots of fun supplies from nature and put it together into a cute little home for a fairy. We find a nice spot in the woods and leave our fairy house there to find the next time we come.  See the video below for the close up of fairy houses 2020!

 

Fun Finds at Camp

So we were visiting “Pirates Cove” and noticed the giant rock man practicing his back float in the shallows.  The belly button is part of the rock, we only added the facial features.

Suspiciously big Moose tracks... aka just interesting marks on the ground that just happens to look like a giant moose hoof print.

 

Daisies at the lake’s edge and a frog at the spring.

A pile of wood for chopping and stacking to be used in the wood stove this winter. Thankfully this week was for relaxing and Pepere didn’t put us to work.

A mother duck and her seven ducklings kept coming to visit, which kept the kids jumping from rock to rock to have the best view of this sweet little family.

 

A watercolor painting I made a few years ago of another camp’s yard we saw while walking; it was so unique with the rake hanging on the tree that I had to photograph it and the later, paint it.  Pepere agreed and requested a copy to hang at camp.

Saying Good Bye to Camp

Packing up and heading home.  Transporting kayaks is really not that much work and totally worth it even for a day trip. 

We really saw this beautiful rainbow with the moon and blue sky for a backdrop just north of Waterville on our way home.

Thanks for checking out our post on going upta camp.  Please share your favorite Maine camp location or vacation spot in the comments.