One Elora family is helping to bring other families back to the farm.
RiverBound Farms offers chick and duckling raising programs for home education or for anyone interested in adding to their flock at home.
Shiona Kaastra operates RiverBound Farms with her husband Al.
She says it all began as a hobby for the couple, and soon grew to become an educational experience for visitors as well as an opportunity to learn about sustainable living.
“For kids, it’s educational. There’s a link to the farm. We get children coming here and telling their parents, look, there’s a rooster! It makes them think about farm life and animals in a different way,” Kaastra said.
For people wondering what it might be like to raise chicks, RiverBound Farms provides three to six just-hatched chicks of their choice, and enough food and bedding to get started.
All that’s needed is a safe place for them and lots of love to give, according to Kaastra.
People can raise chicks for as long as they would like, or until September 4th, whichever comes first. At that point, the chicks can be kept as forever pets or returned to the farm. People can also choose to keep the hens and return the roosters.
“A lot of people in cities cannot keep roosters. They can only keep hens," Kaastra said.
“It can be stressful in town when your neighbour says, ‘you’ve got a rooster that’s waking me up’. So, we want to be that space for people.”
The chick program was something the couple had talked about pre-pandemic because people were looking to raise their own chickens.
“So, this all began in 2020, in the thick of COVID-19. I was a little unsure at first. But as I spend more time with chickens, I realize how much fun it is to go out collecting eggs every day. And when you raise them from babies, they will bond with you,” Kaastra said.
“This has been a great thing for families and it brought them outside more. I have pictures of teenagers during the pandemic reading a book outside with their chicks right beside them. And messages from parents thanking us saying it got my kids outside,” Kaastra said.
Kaastra and her husband are also parents of two small children. Both are graduates from the University of Guelph.
“I did my masters and PhD out of the vet school. So, it’s a nice link and a great hobby for us. And being able to teach, we both work full-time and so we’ve lost that teaching part, something that we both really enjoy. So, it’s great to be able to that again here,” she said.
For anyone interested in raising chickens from RiverBound Farms, people can request what breeds they are interested in.
“We have to know which eggs to collect and which eggs to put in the incubator. It takes 21 days from the time we put them in the incubator to when they hatch. So, we need about a week to collect the eggs, and then about three weeks for them to hatch,” Kaastra said.
“So takes a bit of planning ahead. People can choose which breeds they want, and we give them enough food to get them through the baby stage."
When new chick owners send photos, Kaastra says everyone guesses as to whether they are hens or roosters.
“We love being that safe space where people can ask all the farming questions they have,” Kaastra said.
“And we talk about things such as whether or not their chicks are ready to start roosting, how they want to set up their coop, or what to do if the chicks are not getting along with one another. We just work through the whole process until they feel secure with what they are doing in their backyard coop. So, it’s great that we have these ongoing relationships.”
Kaastra says when it’s time to collect eggs, people look forward to ending up with a fun variety in their basket.
“We have a couple breeds that lay fancier eggs, including the Americauna that lays blue eggs and the Black Copper Maran that lays a dark brown egg,” Kaastra said. "And because we have these breeds, we wanted to make it so people could raise them, bond with them, and if they happen to become roosters, then they can bring them back."
But RiverBound Farms did not stop with just chickens in its coop.
“During the pandemic, we actually had a couple from Toronto contact us saying that their kids were obsessed with ducks and asked if we could offer the same,” Kaastra said.
RiverBound Farms supplies two just-hatched ducklings and enough food and bedding to get started.
The farm is currently booking for hatches on Fridays up until June 30, and from July 14 to 28.
“If chicks or ducklings come home, and it doesn’t work out, they can come back here and join our flock,” Kaastra said.
"We have a place for them. We would never leave anyone with a bird they were no longer able to care for."
Kaastra says there have been instances of animal rescues becoming overloaded with the ducks and chickens from simliar programs.
“That’s absolutely not what we want from this. We want people to be excited and happy with the birds they have and to be passionate about them as we are. So, if they are not, please bring them back to us. We have a home for them,” Kaastra said.
Schools have visited RiverBound Farms as well as a resident from a local long term care home.
“When she held the chick, she just reminded me so much of my own grandmother. It was just so lovely to have her here. But that’s just it. Chicks and ducklings have such a peaceful quality,” Kaastra said.
“For kids, it’s about interacting with animals. Kids want to explore. It's amazing to see the look on our four-year-old’s face when we ask him what he would you like for breakfast, and he says the eggs I picked. He will choose which eggs. So, it’s gets him excited about food too.”
Kaastra says she and her husband enjoy being a resource at the farm because both used to have that role in teaching.
"It's not a part of our jobs anymore so it’s great to be able to engage in that way again. And also, it's great to be able to provide knowledge in something that we are both very passionate about,” Kaastra said.
“We love helping people get back to the farm and making that link again.”
For more information about RiverBound Farms, visit here.
