Poultry

Our birds roost in insulated buildings, with windows & ventilation. Breeding pens are set up within the coops for easy separation. During the "Off" season, all the birds run together in an open house concept indoor and outdoor. Except the bantam birds. They have their own private space.

They are fed a free choice diet of layer pellets, oyster shells, mixed grains, and fermented/sprouted grains in the warmer months. Free ranging in the summer months for bugs & fresh greens is their favorite thing to do!

There are several areas made just for dust bathing! Mixed sand, dirt and wood ash keep their feathers fluffy & clean! We use apple cider vinegar in their water sources for optimal health. Its a great preventative for parasites and promotes hydration during the hotter months.

We use straw bedding inside their coop & nesting boxes. We've tried many different bedding options over the years and have found that straw works best for us! We love to use it for our gardens and it makes great compost!

The perches inside the coops are 4-5 feet off the ground and easily accessible. We have found that if the perches are too high off the ground, the chickens are more susceptible to injury when trying to get onto the floor. Our Orpington birds are too heavy in the body to perch higher off the ground.

The outdoor runs are very large and spacious, which provides a comfortable atmosphere for the chickens to enjoy their personal space. Having the larger runs does have its downfalls, giving aerial predators more access. We have lost many chickens in the past unfortunately. Our dogs alert us to birds of prey, but they cannot get into the coop to run them off. (The dogs are easily distracted by the chickens and may start to chase them instead!) To help manage the loss of our birds, we have created a huge netting system above the runs made of twine from our hay bails. We attached bells to the twine, and since doing this we have seen a huge improvement in deterring the aerial predators.

If you have more questions about how we house/raise our poultry, please feel free to contact us!