Chore-Time / CTB Breaks Ground on 79,000-Square-Foot Milford Expansion

CTB, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, held its ceremonial groundbreaking June 10 for a 79,000-square-foot manufacturing addition at Chore-Time's Milford headquarters in Kosciusko County. Physical construction began in April; the target operational date is Q1 2027. The project carries a 10-year tax abatement from the Milford Town Council and Redevelopment Commission, with KEDCO support. No total dollar figure has been disclosed, the 2021 campus renovation covered 38,000 square feet at approximately $20 million, but that was a renovation. This is new construction at more than double the footprint.

The real driver behind the dedicated shipping configuration: cage-free system fulfillment, pulled forward by state mandates including Michigan's Public Act 132, which took effect in January 2025. Chore-Time's primary competitor, Big Dutchman, has already surpassed 200 million bird placements in cage-free aviary systems. The Q1 2027 target is a direct timeline race for distributor order-fulfillment speed. If you supply into this sector, the window to be positioned as a preferred vendor before that facility goes live is now, not next year.