Grand Opening Held For Manitoba's Newest Free-Run Aviary (VIDEO)

A new free-run aviary layer barn operation near Rosenort, MB is expected to begin production this week. About 400 people attended an open house hosted by Siemens Farms last Friday. Owner Harley Siemens explained why they decided to switch over to this style of barn. "It all comes down to, if the animals aren't happy they're not going to lay eggs," he said. "This is our business, this is how we make a living, so we want to make sure that those birds are kept in the best possible environment so that they stay safe, they stay healthy, because when they're like that they're happy, they lay eggs, and it looks good because we want to make sure that people, when they buy their eggs, that they know that it came from a good, happy, healthy hen." Siemens notes there are only a handful of these types of operations in the province, due to the availability of pullet birds. The total cost of the project was just over $3.5 million dollars.