Photos of Maine (Portland: farms, commercial, access)

[Elcarim]

Oh, I have a huge obsession with windchimes!! I'll be checking out that website.

[elston]

I love love love the tone of those kind of wind chimes! and they come in different sizes tuned in octaves so if you have more than one they are in tune. They have a wonderful sound that reminds me of the coast. I had one in NH that didnt make the trip to california; neighborhoods are too close here and wind chimes really can be invasive of anothers space. When I have a acre or more......I will be getting another of those chimes.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by starwalker

Forest, I love your wife's shots! The goats get a winter coat... so they are not cold, at least that's how ours in CO did. and like yours, all they wanted was their grain and hay and the ice broken or melted in the water bucket!

Their water bucket freezes solid everyday, so I break it up and throw it out. I am now accumulating piles of the ice. Most days when I refill their bucket with fresh water, they ignore it. Today two of them fought a bit over getting to drink. So I don't know it seems like most of the time, they don't drink water at all.

They really do not like getting wet though.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Their water bucket freezes solid everyday, so I break it up and throw it out. I am now accumulating piles of the ice. Most days when I refill their bucket with fresh water, they ignore it. Today two of them fought a bit over getting to drink. So I don't know it seems like most of the time, they don't drink water at all.

They really do not like getting wet though.

forest, can you throw some salt in the water?? most animals like salt, need it, and the water wouldnt freeze as quickly..

[Maine Writer]

Five wild mallards have joined my ducks. The male goes out in the morning to eat and drink then flies 3/4's mile down the road to visit a friend's ducks. He's back before I close the barn door late in the afternoon. I don't know how long they've been here. I discovered them Friday afternoon (funny story if anyone wants to hear). By then the drake knew the routine well enough to go into the barn. The four hens with him were already in for the night.

[elston]

Would love to hear the story! Do you keep ducks in the barn during the winter in Maine. Do they have to forgo swimming for the entire season? These guys look like they are out in the barn yard, is that right? What kind of ducks are your domestic ducks? I hope there is no hanky panky going on; or you may have hibred ducks.

[Maine Writer]

It was 52° this morning. Lots of hanky panky going on with thoughts of spring in their little heads. I have chocolate runners (tall and brown of course), fawn/white runners (tall, tan and white), one blue runner drake (tall and dark gray, green head, tallest in the picture, toward the left), and two mallard pairs that do belong here. There are two hybrids in the picture. They're mallard x brown or chocolate runners. They're tall, meaty birds. There were three dozen of them this year because I didn't get them separated (ill over the summer). They're destined for or already have been eaten.

edited to add answers I forgot - The ducks have to go out during the day. If I have to so do they. The exception is bitter cold and storms. I feed and water them outside most of the time so that the barn isn't icy all winter. They need to get out into the sunshine and get some exercise. There are times when no matter how nice it is out they want to stay in the dark barn. I chase them out and close the door. Once a week they get a sled full of water to bathe in during the winter. They need to keep clean to stay warm. I carry water out to them three or four times that day. Or, if it's warm enough for snow to melt off the roof, I put the sled under the drip line for the day. They have a swimming pool all summer.

I'd rather the ducks not go to my pond. There's no inlet or outlet. It's spring and rain fed. We stock the pond with rainbow trout. I don't want the ducks polluting the pond. Some of them will wander off to the pond now and then but not enough to do damage. There's a snapping turtle in the pond that could drowned ducklings. It might be big enough now to small and adult ducks. I'm thinking about digging up a natural spring in the spring so that they can have their own little pond. A backhoe and an hour's time is all it would take.

The story is here. I didn't realize how long it is until I pasted it in here. It's probably better that I not use up that much space with a personal story.

[msina]

Great Story MaineWriter! Thanks I enjoted reading it.

[rod67]

Union blueberry field looking east towards Camden.

[elston]

I love the picture of the blue berries! Are these wild berries or is this someones commercial enterprise? How do you know where you can go berrying and not be trespassing. Forgive us our trespasses.......