I thought after raising chickens for awhile that I wanted to try hatching them myself instead of buying them. After my 80 % hatching success I no longer buy hens. I do trade out my rooster every year due to the blood lines and no inbreeding going on. I being letting my roosters in with the hens around march and house them up around july so the girls as I call them don't get pestered! I have a 800 sq foot brick house that is insulated and new windows. I have 100 individual nesting boxes. I have been known to have a few chickens in my house. I open the chicken house up at 530pm which means they get to free range all day, close u at night. I do have a timer in the winter months for the right amount of sunlight for them. Honestly my I feel my chickens get the royal treatment!!!!