My name is Laura Menard.

I confess that the only math I have ever excelled at is “chicken math”. Indeed, I am addicted to chickens!

I have been keeping and breeding chickens in the San Francisco South Bay since 2004 - moving every few years and building new coops and breeding flocks in Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and now Aptos. My birds have lived in a variety of chicken coops - notedly my gorgeous timber framed, gingerbread chicken coop in Monte Sereno (which has been featured on CBS, NPR, the Daily Show, and is a Pinterest favorite).

I am excited about the NEW Poultry Barn I designed in Aptos. The Barn is 2,000 square feet of chicken goodness! Built during the Pandemic and the resultant materials shortage, I turned to Bonny Doon for my timber. The wildfires devastated the mountain community and CalFire required all burned trees be removed. Friends milled their trees on site, sold me their wood, and this barn is 85% Bonny Doon sourced. (I’m proud of how we made lemonade out of those lemons.)

The Poultry Barn features six spacious runs that measure 8’x20’. Each covered run includes my custom chicken box which houses a roomy, well ventilated roost box, 2 oversized nesting boxes, and a ventilated, insulated dark box (or storage space) below. Each run includes an automatic, nipple watering system, gravity feeders for pellets (organic, of course) and oyster shells. A visual screen shields each run from another which helps to calm the roosters’ defensive natures. Under that large corrugated roof there is also a grow out pen, enclosed storage, and a barn cat room. (I love organic pest control!) The Nursery is a large, insulated and well ventilated room for chick brooders, incubators, and fertile egg storage. The entire structure was designed to be both predator and rodent proof. A rainwater collection system has been installed to harvest and store water in two 5,000 gallon tanks for irrigation needs on the farm. An additional, stand-alone chicken coop serves as a teaching tool during classes and houses my bantam breeding flock.

I enjoy teaching - about chickens, construction, gardening, quilting, basketry, and canning - and am constantly learning (both from my mistakes and from others). I am happy to share my experience and knowledge, but don’t proclaim to be an expert. I hope I remain teachable.

With this website and my new chicken breeding facilities in Aptos, California, I am taking a deep breath and stepping into becoming a full time poultry farmer. I find so much peace in the company of my chickens, everlasting joy in the birth of new chicks, satisfaction in breeding quality, friendly birds, … and pride in my Peeps (aka customers-who-become-friends). We have an amazing chicken community.

This is a good life and I am grateful. Thank you for visiting!