Your blog is really a big help for me. You nailed them all with your dedication and information. Now, my long search about raising a chicken comes to an end. Thank you so much and advance Merry Christmas to you !!!

Thank you for your comment! We do not force the chicken outside. The older they are, the more likely some will venture out if the weather feels good to them.
We leave the lights on in the house 4 to 8 hours. This does eliminate some stress and gives the birds a rest. Birds will have rest cycles even in the lights. The problem coming out of the dark periods is they all want to eat at the same time, which creates a more aggressive enviroment.
In response to living space for the chickens- we start our baby chicks at just under 1 per square foot and market those birds at 6 to 7 weeks of age.

Thanks again for your comment, and I hope this answered your questions!

I’m wondering how you manage to get your chicks trained to go in and out of the coop? Chickens would not naturally go out of doors unless “driven” out and coaxed back in on a daily basis for at least three days (this is the voice of experience speaking). Once trained they will go out and come back in on a daily basis. Pray tell, what percentage of you typical flock does actually go out?

How many hours per day do you keep the lights on in your houses? One way we reduce the possibility of leg damage from too rapid a growth cycle is by allowing your chickens to go to bed and wake up with the sunrise and sunset. Granted this increases the time to market and reduces the number of life cycles you can fit into a house in a single year, but it is better for the birds, don’t you think?

Finally, how much living space does each mature bird get? In other words how many birds do you raise in a traditional 33,000 bird sized house?

I look forward to you candid and honest replies.

Thank you!
Ron Shurie