Funky Chicken Coop Tours

On April 11, 2009, eighteen Austin area residents, farmers and gardeners came together for the first Austin Texas Funky Chicken Coop Tour. They invited the curious over to answer questions about small area chicken farming and demonstrate how Austinites can easily get into the urban farming of backyard chickens. Questions from what are the best egg-laying breeds, how to build a chicken coop, and methods to protect your bug-eating, ground-clearing chickens from predators were all addressed.

Some of the coops were designed for a permanent location while others had side-mounted wheels (called tractors) to allow the structures to be moved. The chicken coops can be moved around the yard with the chickens inside the structures allowing them to remain safe while aerating and fertilizing the area at the same time. One urban farmer painted colorful chickens on the sides of the coop, while another built their tractor to resemble their house in structure design and color scheme.

Go to their site: fccooptour.blogspot.com for more info and further ideas on the backyard chicken movement.