Free Range Chickens at Bristol Aggie
When you walk around the BCAHS campus you will notice many different kinds of chickens. Here our chickens are housed in a "free range" setting. "Free range" chickens live outdoors with plenty of fresh air, sunshine and open space to roam. People commonly mistake "free range" with "cage free". Our chickens spend most of their day roaming around our campus eating and hanging out! When it starts to get dark out our chickens make their way to their chicken coop. Our coop is mobile which means that we can move it so that the chickens can have a new view. In the coop is where they rest, sleep, perch, lay eggs, eat and stay safe from predators.
Currently on campus we have 10 hens and 1 rooster. Our hens usually lay 1 egg a day but in the colder weather their egg production declines. Hens start laying eggs at about 5 months of age depending on the breed. Backyard chicken flocks are becoming a more popular trend with people. If you are thinking about getting some chickens you will want to check with your town regulations first. Roosters tend to be noisy and wake up neighbors at early hours which makes them hard to keep in cities or small areas. Small hen flocks of 3-5 chickens is usually sufficient to supply an entire family with enough eggs!
Currently on campus we have 10 hens and 1 rooster. Our hens usually lay 1 egg a day but in the colder weather their egg production declines. Hens start laying eggs at about 5 months of age depending on the breed. Backyard chicken flocks are becoming a more popular trend with people. If you are thinking about getting some chickens you will want to check with your town regulations first. Roosters tend to be noisy and wake up neighbors at early hours which makes them hard to keep in cities or small areas. Small hen flocks of 3-5 chickens is usually sufficient to supply an entire family with enough eggs!