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Earlier this year, I visited HOPE Eco-Farms in Aylmer, Ontario, which is a co-operative
of Amish farmers that raise free-range hens. This is a flock of 500 hens that are kept
out on pasture in a moveable tent.
When the weather is comfortable, the tent door is left open so the hens can access the
open air. They rotate the tent every two to three days so the hens get fresh grass and
the ground gets the appropriate level of nutrients. All of the hens had the choice of eating grass
or organic grains and had access to nest boxes and perches.
The farmer told me that predators are not a concern, as the chickens are secure inside
the tent at night.
It was so wonderful to see hens foraging on pasture, pecking around for bugs and dust
bathing in the sunshine as the majority of hens inside Canadian egg barns are confined
to barren, battery cages and deprived of these basic natural behaviours.
We also visited two farms that had less than 100 hens each.
The hens are able to forage on the pasture during the day, and then return to the open
barn at night.
The hens have plenty of space to roam, and are naturally very inquisitive. Note that
their feathers are in very good condition. One concern with cage-free hens is that they
will peck each other, but there was no evidence here of feather pecking or feather loss.
Here you can see a hen dust-bathing, which is a natural behaviour that battery cage hens
are unable to participate in.
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