Extension offers workshops for Mainers with backyard chicken flocks

Orono, Maine — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host multiple 2-hour workshops for backyard poultry producers throughout April in Bangor, Ellsworth, Falmouth and Oxford. The first workshop is scheduled for Friday, April 19, 10 a.m.-Noon at the Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Avenue, Bangor.

The series, titled Feathered Homestead: A Comprehensive Guide to Raising Backyard Chickens in Maine, is for beginning and intermediate level producers who want to learn more about brooding chicks at home and raising laying hens in Maine. Participants will learn how to raise chicks from egg to feather and how to care for them once they are older.

Presenters Dr. Colt W. Knight, Extension Livestock Specialist and Ashley Wright, Area Associate Livestock Agent with University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, will cover housing, nutrition, winter care and common diseases.

The cost of the program is $12 (reduced rates available) which includes lunch. Visit the program webpage for a full schedule and to register. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Melissa Libby Babcock, melissa.libby1@maine.edu.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension:

As a trusted resource for over 100 years, Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. Extension seeks to build thriving communities and grow the food-based economy, focusing on aspects from production and processing to nutrition, food safety and food security. Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H which offers hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement and creates a positive environment where participants are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles.