John Jay began developing approximately 700 acres near Bedford, New York, as an income-producing farm in 1787. The farm included chickens along with hogs, cows, oxen, and horses, and five subsequent generations of the Jay family continued to farm there. Three poultry houses were built on the farm in the early 20th century, and by the 1930s it was mainly an egg farm. Farming continued until the late 1940s. Chickens returned to John Jay's Bedford farm in 2011 when InterGenernate began a chicken co-operative made up of 25 local families who work together to care for the chickens, learn the basics of backyard farming, support breed diversity, and enjoy fresh eggs. The chickens live at John Jay Homestead year-round, with wheeled coops moved to fresh grass every two weeks in spring, summer, and fall, and winter shelter in the foundation of the cow barn behind a solar-powered electric fence.