The Long and Short of it in Maine

Maine is a rural agricultural state and no tour would be complete without me showing you the animals we saw visiting the DIL's farmer relatives.  These chickens were a bantam breed, ie. small and I thought they were very beautiful.

The same chickens next to a Buff Orphington Hen who is normal sized so you can see just how small they are.

Highlander cattle are a scottish breed and a good many of the farms seemed to have them.  I suspect because the Maine winters were much easier for the Highlanders to thrive in.

This little mini foal was only four  weeks old.  She had been rejected by her momma and was being bottle-raised.  DIL's brother would put her in his pickup and pack her around so he could bottle feed her every four hours.  He hadn't named her yet and we all suggested it could be nothing else but Minnie!

A black Highlander calf with a bell

The view from where the Highlander cattle's pasture was located.  I think the Red tree is a sugar maple.

A Highlander family - Bull, calf and cow.

A duck - I have no idea what breed but certainly something we don't find in Wyoming.

A pair of ponies with some ducks.  Neither of these were Minnie's parents. Both of the ponies were broke to drive.

The ducks and chickens with two dwarf goats in the back.

A regular sized dairy goat.  I was quite smitten with her and could have taken her home but I suspect Delta airlines would have objected to the new passenger.

A 1800's Maine farmhouse.  These were all over Maine and they are one long continuous building, house, wood shed, tool shed, and barn.  This one is unusual in that it still has the silo standing.

The front of the same Maine Farmhouse

The right side of the same Maine Farmhouse.  These were built so they could go milk their cows and feed livestock without having to go out in the Maine winter.  They told me they used to get snow up to the 2nd story of the homes but they don't get that much anymore.  Can you imagine snow that deep?

The silo and the back of the barn of the same Maine farmhouse/barn.  Note the iron bands holding the silo together.  Some of the bands were getting loose and slipping down.  It did not look like it was used anymore and I bet will probably be taken down in a few years.  I am glad I have the photos of it.

In town also, the attached concept was used in the 1800's.  Here is a typical set-up you would see in town, a home with an attached carriage house/barn for the horse(s) of the family.  Usually the barn and house were all painted the same color but in this home it looked like the carriage barn was in disrepair and not being used at all. Or perhaps they were renovating a home and just have not gotten that far yet.

Sometimes the barns/or homes would catch fire from mouldering hay or maybe the wood stove.  Then they would lose all their buildings and homes in one fire. They started to build separate units sometime in the 20th century.  I found all them very interesting, don't you?

Next post will be Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.