Chickens come home to roost—but the roost moves

Could this be more affordable housing in Lincoln?

You may have noticed the “chicken condos” on the Codman South pasture land. Pete Lowy, farm manager at Codman Community Farm, has established a moving free-range, egg producing, soil-improving, locally sourced, sustainable agricultural enterprise there.

The 1,000 Golden Comet hens are fed natural certified organic grains and given plenty of water each day. But they also scratch out a living from the soil in the large fenced in area. In doing so, they aerate the soil and fertilize it at the same time. Pete moves the coops forward every two days to ensure the birds have plenty of fresh grass to eat.

Guarding the chickens especially at night when they could easily fall prey to coyotes, owls and hawks is Toby, a trained livestock guardian dog who lives in and among his feathered friends. Toby is a Anatolian Shepherd/Akbash dog and loves being a working dog with purpose. Pete asks that people not try to pet Toby or give him anything to eat. He is a working dog and, while very friendly, has a serious job to do and should not be distracted from his work. Also, the fence around the yard is electrified and should not be touched, especially by eager children. Check out the chickens and come to the Codman Barn to but some super-local fresh eggs.