When we moved to Maine, we had no idea how much our lifestyle would change. We had always talked about having a garden and maybe chickens someday, but once we finally had the space, things snowballed pretty quickly.
Before we knew it, we had laying hens, meat chickens, raised garden beds, fruit trees, and a long list of ideas for what we wanted to try next. Apparently when we decide to do something, we go all in at about 100 miles an hour.
This was our first real year experimenting with a more self-sufficient lifestyle, and we learned a lot. Some things we loved and still do today, some things became completely overwhelming, and a few ideas eventually landed in the “maybe someday” category.
We knew we wanted laying hens, so after researching chicken coop plans, we finally found a design we liked on Etsy. Then, like so many of our house projects, the plans sat around for a while.
Brian’s birthday was coming up, and since men are so hard to shop for, I decided to give him the coop plans along with the windows needed for the design. Nothing says happy birthday quite like shed windows and a construction project! Luckily he was completely on board, and from late January through early March he built the coop from scratch while working around the Maine winter weather.
When it came time to choose chickens, we had no idea what we were doing. We originally planned to order them online, but one day my hairstylist mentioned Tractor Supply had pullets in stock. That evening we were there, Googling chicken breeds while trying to decide which ones to bring home.
We ended up with Buff Orpingtons, ISA Browns, Pearl Leghorns, and Olive Eggers. Sadly, we lost one of our Pearl Leghorns on day two, which was heartbreaking. We also discovered that one of our “girls” was actually a rooster.
He was adorable at first, but that didn’t last long. He became loud, bossy, and pretty rude to the ladies. Our hens, however, have been such a joy, and by the end of summer we were getting beautiful brown, cream, and green eggs. As for the rooster… when he spends all day crowing, pulling feathers, and waking everyone up at 5 a.m., I may or may not occasionally browse chicken recipes.
Raising meat birds was a completely different experience from keeping laying hens. After watching way too many YouTube videos about raising and processing them ourselves, we drank a bottle of wine and somehow ended up ordering 28 Cornish Cross chicks online. I remember Brian looking at me completely serious and saying, “We’re really doing this? Let’s push the pay button together.” We may have woken up in a slight panic the next morning, but there was no turning back!
Raising them was more work and definitely more emotional than we expected. We eventually processed them ourselves, and although it wasn’t easy, the experience gave us a much greater appreciation for where our food comes from. We still raise some of our own meat, but these days we keep things at a scale that feels manageable for us.
Naturally, after having chickens and building our garden (I’ll get into that later below) we decided that the homesteading life is for us. We want to live off the land and grow as much of our food as possible organically and respectfully. We think raising meat is the next step for us.
So after watching YouTube videos on raising your own meat birds (and processing them yourself) we drank a bottle of wine and bought 28 cornish cross chickens online. I remember Brian looking at me dead serious “We’re really doing this? Let’s push the pay button together.” We may have woken up in a panic the next morning, but it’s all good now. Remember head first is how we roll.
So did you know you can have baby chicks mailed to you? It’s so common in Maine where we live that there is a special window at the post office to pick up chicks. It’s so cute all the chirps you hear behind the desk. They don’t mess around either. They call you at 6 am begging you to pick them up ASAP.
All chicks need to stay extremely warm for the first several weeks, so we built a brooder box with a heat lamp. Many people act like you’re going to burn down your house, barn, land, and maybe even the neighbor’s house using a heat lamp.
For us we’ve followed precautions and it’s been fine, if you’re looking for heating advice please do your own research and do what’s best for you. We’re not teaching anyone anything at this point, we’re still learning.
Brian built a chicken tractor for the Cornish Cross once they were fully feathered. They grow incredibly fast and are usually ready for processing at around eight weeks. That made the whole experience feel very real, very quickly. We moved the tractor onto fresh grass two or three times a day and kept them supplied with food, water, sunshine, bugs, and garden treats. Raising meat birds can be emotional, but it gave us a much greater appreciation for where our food comes from and how the animals are raised.
We eventually processed them ourselves. It wasn’t easy, but it was an important part of the experience and one we took seriously.
Now on to the garden! We chose raised beds because they look nice, are easier on my back, and help keep wildlife out. I stained them with dark half, the same all natural food safe stain we used on our DIY coffee table and kitchen floor. We plan to add rocks to the pathways and a picket fence for a little charm and extra protection from animals and chickens.
I didn’t mean for this blog post to be so long so I’m going to knock this out! We’re growing chamomile and I’ve been dehydrating it to drink tea for fall and winter. It smells divine!
I’ve honed in on my jam making and water bath canning skills. This is dandelion jam. Picking all those flowers was such a pain, but the delicate flavor makes it worth it.
I started all our seeds indoors, and being our first year it wasn’t cheap at all. Starting a garden or any homestead isn’t cheap. Don’t plan on saving money the first few years. Maybe we’ll break even in year 2 or 3? Our long-term goal is to eat healthy and save money, but honestly, we also garden because we enjoy it.
We grew butternut squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, cabbage, peas, and beans. We also had more than 70 tomato plants. Other crops included jalapeños, Thai chilis, broccoli, bell peppers, potatoes, parsnips, rhubarb, carrots, strawberries, blueberries, celery, and plenty of herbs. Not to mention the wild blackberries and raspberries that came with the property.
It’s been an adventure for sure! So far our harvest has had a few hiccups, but it’s overall going great. Thanks for reading!
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Chicken Coop Plans HERE
Chicken Coop paint Color – Hawthorn Yellow & Simply White by Benjamin Moore
Garden Box Stain & Chicken Run Stain HERE
Cornish Cross Poultry Source – Myers Poultry
Chicken Tractor Plans HERE