The chicken house was built in the early 1940's so needed little restoration. At one time the chicken coop was easily accessible from the old house so that eggs could be quickly gathered for breakfast. We need to clear some overgrown brush and rebuild a walking bridge across the creek that leads from the old house to the coop before egg gathering can once again be quick and easy.

The chickens we have chosen to raise are breeds that would have been found on the farm in the mid 1800's and are listed by The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy as either "Critical", "Rare" or "Watch". Preservation of the older breeds is vitally important because of their genetic diversity and hardiness, along with other unique traits. We choose the older breeds because preservation is essential as agricultural practices change to meet the needs of the future. The Dominiquer's, which are listed as a "Critical" status, and were our first choice as these were very common on the farms in our area. Another common chicken found on farms in our area, and a great all purpose chicken, are the Rhode Island Reds and are listed as a "Watch" status. Australorps and are listed as a "Watch" status and have been known as great egg laying birds.