Lifestyles of the Free-Ranged and Feathered

I recently received an e-mail requesting pictures of our laying hens' living quarters. Since Shayn finally has the coop finished (awaiting just a bit more trim on the outside) I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to take all of you on a tour as well.

Here is the outside of their coop. Barn red, of course. Two windows, plus a window in the door, allow a lot of natural light in the coop during the day. Plus we can keep it cooler in the summer with the windows open. I'm thinking we need a weather vane on top. You know, one of those with a rooster on it? I think it would be a nice touch.

Inside are the laying boxes, thirty-two of them to be exact, along with a ladder the hens can roost on at night. There will be one or two hens hanging out in here during the day when they have an egg to lay (you can spot one hen in the picture). But for the most part they are all outside enjoying the grass and the sunshine. They all come in at night to sleep, play some pinochle and chat about the day's events (ha!).

Another question we've received is..."do you cut your chicken's beaks?". Answer - NO. No no no. Yuck. As you can see their beaks are in tact and beautiful. We have no reason to cut them because they don't use them to harm each other. Stressed out birds (those confined, living in deplorable conditions, etc) hurt other chickens. Ours are happy and relaxed. Plus, a chicken needs its beak to eat grass, which we have a lot of around here.

I hope this helps give a better overall view of how we raise our layers. If you have any questions leave a comment on this post or let us know on the "contact us" page of our site.