Life with Animals on The Homestead

Rouminou (Red Cat) the guardian of the homestead, and the first animal on the farm.

This post is long over due.  And it's simply because there is too much to say. Every day is a new adventure living with farm (and wild) animals.  Just last week, right before sunset a mother deer and her two fawns came into our yard and munched on some of our fallen apples while we got to sit and watch their beauty from our window. My first instinct was to take a picture. Alas, the camera was in the car... Living closer to the natural circadian rhythms of nature here on the homestead has taught me however that some things are kept more sacred in the mind's eye.

When we first moved here I thought: how exciting! that our town has an ordinance permitting the raising of chickens within town limits.  I was so psyched about the possibility of feeding my own chickens and getting to eat their eggs.  Plus our intention was for the chickens to either roam free or have a mobile chicken tractor, allowing them to eat the insects and mow the grass all over the property.  It would have been a win win win all around.

One of the three raccoons we've caught so far

While it certainly is rewarding to have fresh eggs from your backyard, and the chickens do create hours of entertainment for the kids who visit us, it isn't as simple as I first imagined... First off, we were - and still are - amateurs when we got our first chicks, and there were many things we didn't anticipate. In retrospect I would admit and suggest to anyone who wants to start raising backyard chickens, to ensure your coop is predator proof BEFORE getting your hens... we didn't take predators seriously enough at first, and as a result we lost 3 adults and 9 chicks...

We'll never be sure who the predator was, but we caught 3 raccoons so far in the have-a-heart trap and have released them in a wooded area far away from any chickens (and other homes of course).  Its upsetting to find out some of your chickens were killed in the middle of the night, but when you think about that poor raccoon getting trapped just trying to survive, you have to also understand his position, and that is why it's ultimately our responsibility to secure the chickens from predators.

The coop is now (hopefully) predator proof, unfortunately it is no longer a mobile chicken coop, but we can now go back to living in harmony with the local wildlife without feeding them chicken for dinner!

Our flock is quite diversified, in breed and in age.  We got our first 6 juvenile chickens for New Year's Eve (3 of which turned out to be males so they ended up in the freezer when they started crowing) from a small farm in Maine. They were Sussex and Marans.  Of the three hens, only the two Sussex remain, and they are the Mamma's of the group!

The first chicks on the VenRosen Homestead

They started laying in early spring and since we have been enjoying the ritual of feeding and collecting the eggs so much. The decision was made that it was time for a bigger operation. We ordered Chantecler chicks, the only breed originating from Québec (I had to keep my roots alive!).  Chanteclers are extremely cold hardy and good for eggs and meat.  They were scheduled to arrive 1 week before Léo's due date... maybe not the best timing in hindsight! Mittendrinen (in the midst of it all), a neighbour wanted to get rid of his laying hens...so we inherited 4 new - 8 week old - chickens (I think they are New Hampshire Reds).

We now have Splecked Sussex, New Hampshire Reds and Buff and Partridge colored Chanteclers all of different ages living together.  And combining the flocks isn't always easy, as the older girls feel the need to show the younger ones who's boss.  But with regular surveillance from me, patience and ample food and space, they settled down and realized that there is plenty of room for everyone.

We are slowly getting more eggs than we can eat in a given week, so I have started pickling them to keep a good supply in case the production gets too low in the winter months or to give away as thank you presents for coming to visit us :).

So, it has been a challenge at times, but we get a lot of love and food out of it! And we are reminded every day of where our food comes from, and of our connection and interdependence with other beings.

Now that the chickens can't mow our grass anymore (and we would rather not have to use the ride-on lawn mower), Alex and I along with a good number of our neighbours are petitioning the town to further change the town ordinance to allow sheep, miniature goats and other small farm animals within town limits.  I think it would be a first in Maine, but bringing back our food closer to our lives is crucial in establishing more sustainable local food & economic networks.  Not to mention the beneficial educational and responsibility building exercise owning animals has proved to be for a community's youth and adults!!

We are excited, we should know by winter if the ordinance change is accepted, and hopefully next year we'll be raising two sheep, who will mow the still grassy sections of the Homestead, and provide us with meat and wool for the winter months.  This time however, we'll do more research before getting them :) and we'll be prepared.

'Til next time, be well.