tour de coop

The Tour de Coop is a bicycle tour of urban chicken dwellings in Bellingham, Washington.

Tour de Coop is open to all current and future urban chicken farmers. Come see how we've integrated our flocks into the neighborhood!

Do you have Chickens in Bellingham? Follow Tour de Coop on Twitter and Facebook . View photos of the Tour de Coop on flick r . Would you like to help? Contact Josh Parrish at 360.746.0256

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Silicon Valley “Tour De Coop” Bike Tour of Chicken Coops & Urban Farms

Event details.

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Silicon Valley Tour de Coop 202 — a self-guided bicycle tour of chicken coops and urban farms all over the Silicon Valley of California.

The eighth annual Silicon Valley Tour de Coop, bike ride and coop tour is taking place 9am – 4pm Saturday, May 21, 2022. This free, self-guided bicycle tour of chicken coops and backyard urban homesteads, including honey bees, worm composting, and organic gardening, and, of course, chickens coops. Experienced coopsters will show off their coop handiwork while sharing their joy of raising chickens and the benefits of creating backyard ecosystems that support the residents as well as the planet.

Complete tour and registration information available on the SV Tour De Coop website at: http://www.tourdecoop.org

In addition to providing a fun, family friendly, bike ride and community building event, the organizers also hope to energize those “on the fence” to jump into the urban homesteading movement. As Michael Pollan says in his book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, “What we eat determines to a great extent the use we make of the world– and what is to become of it.” In a time when lists of ingredients are virtually unintelligible chemical names, raising chickens or bees, and gardening organically provides wholesome, fresh, nourishing food, as well as being a balm for the earth.

This year’s tour features a variety of coop tour routes, with individual city loops (5-10 miles) and a larger 50 plus mile loops including stops from San Jose to Menlo Park and every city in between. Participants, or “tourists” register for a limited number of reservations on Eventbrite and a few days prior to the tour receive a printable map showing the tour route. Full details are available at the Coop Tour website, http://tourdecoop.or g.

So grab your bike, your friends, and family and join us on the Silicon Valley Tour de Coop! Find out for yourself how to reconnect to the great outdoors of your own backyard. Enjoy meeting your neighbors and making new friends while cruising between coops on bikes!

——————

Feel free to grab and use photos for articles on our website at under resources .. previous tours.

For more information, contact Tour de Coop organizer Scott at [email protected] or at (650) 793-0475.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.

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Despite having ample room to run along the enclosure, Geleynse’s hens tend to stick together in groups.

Katherine Simpson/Town Crier
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Geleynse’s original chicken coop, above, was transported almost in whole from their neighbors, who donated the coop and six hens when they moved.

Screenshot from Tour de Coop website

Gelensye’s hens gather to feed themselves at the enclosure’s automatic feeder box.

Floof, the Silkie hen pictured above, is a little broody, Johnston-Tyler said. She once incubated some fertilized eggs a neighbor brought for Johnston-Tyler to hatch.

Johnston-Tyler lets her hens roam free within her fenced-in yard during the day. Hens Summer (Welsummer breed), Grey Goose (barnyard mutt) and Floof (Silkie), left to right, venter towards the front door.

A clucking good time: Tour de Coop bike ride returns with 4 local stops

Katherine Simpson
May 17, 2022
May 17, 2022 Updated May 25, 2022
2 min to read

In its 10th year, the Silicon Valley Tour de Coop is highlighting urban farmers from Menlo Park to San Jose, whether it’s a “coopster’s” first time on the tour or their fourth.

The Tour de Coop is a free, self-guided bike tour of area chicken coops, beehives and urban homesteads. This year’s event is scheduled 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Participating in the annual bike tour will give families and fowl enthusiasts of all ages the opportunity to discover more than 20 chicken coops. The Mountain View/Los Altos coop loop features five stops.

The coop owners have stories to tell of how they grew their homestead from a few plants or chickens to full-on oases.

Jan Johnston-Tyler and Joedy Clarin describe their Mountain View coop as a tribute to the area’s history as the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Johnston-Tyler has lived in the Bay Area since the 1960s and said she misses the sense of “living close to the land” that used to define the region.

“Many people who live here now don’t know what it used to be like,” Johnston-Tyler said.

In addition to free-roaming chickens, her garden features a beehive, native pollinators and several fruit trees – white peach, navel orange, Meyer lemon, honey crisp and granny smith apples, lime and apricot – around a custom chicken coop built by students from nearby Alta Vista High School.

In fact, it was the combination of the Tour de Coop, which Clarin read about in the pages of the Town Crier, one of Clarin’s co-workers looking to rehome four chickens and an old Alta Vista program that inspired and enabled the pair to build what they call their “Silicon Valley Micro Homestead.”

“As part of the construction class, if you paid for the materials, (the students) would build you a coop for free,” Johnston-Tyler said.

Their home has been a coop stop for four nonconsecutive years since they first participated in 2015, and their garden has grown according to their needs. For example, the beehive began as a way to pollinate the lackluster flowers in the yard (Johnston-Tyler said she used to pollinate flowers by hand, using a paintbrush) and resulted in 5 gallons of honey in their first year.

“This was all part of my evolving plan when I bought the house 19 years ago,” she said.

Protecting ‘Fort Knox’

Melanie Geleynse, a first-time coopster in Los Altos, similarly grew her flock of 18 chickens from an original six that her family adopted from a neighbor who was moving away. Geleynse said the chickens really belong to her daughter, who is in her third year at UC Davis and planning to pursue veterinary school after she graduates, inspired by her experience raising them.

“She would put (the chickens) on her shoulder and baby them,” Geleynse recalled.

The garden – which boasts blackberries and raspberries, figs, artichokes and plums, among other produce – surrounds a Dutch Colonial farmhouse built in 1898 and featured on Los Altos’ Historic Resources list. Although the family still has the original chicken coop they transported almost in its entirety from the neighbors who gave them their first chickens, they’ve gradually upgraded the fully enclosed run to protect their flock from foxes and hawks. Geleynse calls it “Fort Knox.”

The coops have automatic doors that open at sunrise and sunset to let the chickens in and out in the morning and evening.

“Chickens put themselves to bed,” Geleynse said, adding that the chickens will line up to enter the coop at night even if the door doesn’t open.

The family also built an automatic feed box – a hungry hen only has to hop on a levered platform to open the feed compartment – which deters rats and saves the family from having to feed the chickens every

Tour de Coop participants can tour Geleynse’s, Johnston-Tyler’s and other coops during the first in-person event since 2018. (The 2019 tour was canceled due to a coronavirus affecting chickens, not humans.)

To register and for more information on the Tour de Coop, visit tourdecoop.org .

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Silicon Valley – Tour De Coop

Bike and explore Silicon Valley backyard chicken coops and urban homesteaders of Silcon Valley

Tour De Coop 2020 Golden Ticket

Here is your golden ticket to the, silicon valley virtual, tour de coop 2020.

This year we won’t be sending you around on a fun bike ride visiting back yard coops but instead, we are getting you some special back yard passes to see virtually some of the 2020 Tour De Coop – coop stops on line.

We encourage you get to still out on your bike and give a few good loud “chicken clucks” to those you pass and just imagine a coop in your future! Life will seem better! Maybe this is the year to build your own coop!

As more coops add their videos here, we will update this page so please come back after Saturday May 16th to see more videos! We hope to be back next May 2021 SV Tour De Coop with real clucking fun with our feathered friends and on bikes.

Clucks all around,

SV Tour De Coop Organizers

Coop Stop #1

Coop Stop Name: Clorofil Micro-Sanctuary

City: Los Altos

Coop Stop #2

Coop Stop Name: The Chick Inn

Coop Stop #3

Coop Stop Name : Vanderlip Farm

Description: A video showing the coops and various gardens and hacks to let them harvest some of their bounty rather than simply feeding the local squirrels. Some inspiring ideas for local community farm stands too.

City: Los Altos Hills, CA

Coop Stop : The Ettus Coop

Description : Meet our chickens and see how our family built the coop from the ground up with reclaimed redwood siding, diy feeders a whole watering system and more. It all started with 5 baby chicks, now there are 7 lovely pampered hens!

City : Monte Serno, CA

Coop stop : The Cambell’s Urban Homestead

Description: Neighbors love to walk by and see our overgrown wild yard with garden beds and buzzing bees. Our chickens live out back however, so here’s a sneak preview for coop tourist only!

City: Redwood City

Coop Stop: Redwood Estates Coop

City: Los Gatos

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Tour D'Coop, Raleigh's Annual Tour of Urban Chickens and their Coops

Raleigh, North Carolina’s Chicken Tour

About The Tour
Photos/Video
Sponsorship

Stay tuned for updates about future tours

We built our coop with a goal of an almost self-sufficient flock that allows us to travel. Stop by, meet the hens, and see how we did it. At our place you can: visit a Gonza Tacos y Tequila food truck, hear some music, see the coop you can win (hint: buy a raffle ticket), grab this year’s Tour D’Coop Tshirt, check out local author Frank Hyman’s book ‘Hentopia,’ and see his creative solutions for hassle-free chicken-keeping. We are growing hundreds of sunflowers, and hoping for blooms by Tour day!

We were on the Tour a few years ago at another location, but now our chickens truly live downtown. We designed our coop around a stained-glass window from a yard sale and it features a solar chandelier and a preening station for the ladies. Our honeybees moved with us and love pollinating our raised vegetable gardens and flowers. If you’re interested in seeing what can be done in a small urban setting—our coop is a must see!

Our city chickens are happy and content in the shadow of downtown Raleigh. Despite the truly urban locale, they have a large area to roam and scratch, with a dirt bath “spa”, mirrors, climbing structures and compost pile to entertain. We capture rainwater and even have some agave and carnivorous plants to nab pesky flies. We will have corn hole set up for human entertainment, so stop by, chat with the chickens, and enjoy our coop. (Please park at the former Disabled American Veterans building, 625 New Bern Avenue; walk to the rear of the parking lot and cross Edenton St. to this coop)

Built into an existing shed and stone wall, our coop serves as the backdrop for growing herbs, food, and native plants on dry-stack stone terraces. The creative landscape behind our historic home features outside art work, funky concrete test cores, and even garden fairies. We enjoy a fire pit and play area, actively compost and capture rainwater, and love showing all the creative things you can do on a city-sized lot. Kids—come draw some chalk art on our basketball court.

Our chickens reflect our desire to live more sustainably in the city. On the Tour before, we’ve added a new run to give our hens safe space to roam. We’ve got lots to show you, including decking material made from recycled milk jugs; DIY ‘no-waste’ feeders; a thoughtful landscape design to minimize run-off and capture rainwater—including permeable paving, a rain garden, dry creek, cistern and rain catchment area; drip irrigation, integrated food and native plant landscape; and composting areas … all on a tiny city lot!

Who says you have to be a chicken to love Tour D’Coop? Rescued pot belly pigs Theodore and Talulah, invite you to see their feathered friends’ large coop, built mostly of reclaimed wood, and designed to match the aesthetics of the human home. T and T are jealous of the chickens’ swing, sky lights and solar lighting! Russell Crow(s) will also be on hand to show off his lovely harem, along with representatives from The Urban Chicken, Raleigh’s own urban agriculture store.

Larry’s Coffee. No chickens, but so much to see here. And the best part? You can enjoy it all while sipping slow-roasted, fair trade coffee! Our entire building is full of eco-friendly components from our cistern and water catchment system to the natural lighting and vege oil delivery bus. Bet you’ve never seen a whiskey barrel bee shelter! Alice Hinmon from Apiopolis will be on hand from 10-11 AM to answer all your bee questions. We’ve got pollinator plants, compost stations and a lovely patio. All we need is you!

Science, art and poultry all mix at our little urban “farm.” Our flock of five — each named after royalty — live like queens in a movable A-frame coop. These girls are truly lucky to live with plant scientist Chris, who is working on a dwarf-tomato plant breeding project (Cluck! Cluck! Lots of “test” tomatoes to eat all summer long…). And with writer Karin, who was inspired to pen a visually gorgeous and poetic book, “Chicken Haiku,” after watching the flock’s antics. Tomatoes, books, chickens — so much to take in at our vintage stone house.

Welcome to the Well Fed Community Garden, where we reconnect humans to the source of our food — plants, chickens, bees, soil and each other! Our flock plays a vital role in balancing our garden ecosystem. With a mobile coop, aka “chicken tractor,” our urban hens stay busy eating weeds, chasing pests, and leaving ‘deposits’ that fertilize organically grown berries, fruits, vegetables and herbs. Have you visited Irregardless Café? Then you’ve eaten food our chickens helped produce! Check out our bees, vermicomposting (worms), and pollinator gardens, too.

Chickens wanted! And not yet here … But who needs chickens when your entire yard is an urban homestead, full of pollinator plants, fruits, vegetables and wild edibles? We made a comittment to supply all our own fruits and vegetables within five years, and we’ve almost made it. As one of the founders of Piedmont Picnic Project, eating is our focus. Visit and see how worms, compost, clover and more nourish the soil AND our family.

Last year was truly a first for the Tour D’Coop — a chicken coop WHERE? At a doctor’s office? We said “why not?” So come see how wonderfully a coop integrates into a professional setting in a modern office park. Doctors and staff alike benefit from watching the daily life of Frizzle, Silkies and Polish hens, who love their starring role on ‘Chicken Cam’. This year we also have Fullsteam Brewery and Two Roosters Ice Cream on hand to help us celebrate our second year on the Tour D’Coop.

More than just chickens, a true menagerie lives at our place! Our hens peck and roam through a lushly planted double-lot yard, with winding paths, past a greenhouse, pond, gardens and beehives. Our rescued potbellied pigs and fabulous ‘fainting’ goat are once again eager to greet and entertain visitors, and we will have baby chicks to see, so come say “hello.”

We have a lot to show you in the heart of Midtown — two coops, designed for easy clean up and to capture rain water — and home to a large assortment of breeds (come visit us if you are trying to decide on a breed for your new flock). The coops fit beautifully into our urban, terraced backyard, where our own bees pollinate herbs, vegetables and flowers. Between feeding garden scraps to our flock of 14, collecting rain water, recycling, and composting, we produce very little trash.

From the front, our home fits seamlessly into our Midtown neighborhood. But walk around back … and we have a mini-farm filled with animals, vegetables, and fruits, all of which fit nicely on our city lot, with room to spare for hammocks and porch swing. We have a breeding flock of Seramas (the smallest chicken in the world) along with five heritage breed, laying hens; two Nigerian Dwarf goats; and ducks. Come see how all these critters fit comfortably amongst our neighbors, while contributing to the compost we use to nourish our plants, along with collected rainwater.

You won’t find our city chickens lurking in the backyard — our home is unique in that our designer coop is situated up front, so that our street community can enjoy our chickens, too. Our “girls” are central to the gorgeous garden we created using permaculture techniques such as composting, rain water collection, solar energy and more. Come visit our Certified Wildlife Habitat and pollinator, fruit and vegetable gardens and learn how you can create your own urban “Eden” in just a few short years.

Our small flock with multiple breeds provides the heart of our sustainable, urban “farm” and life which includes ornamental and edible gardens, hundreds of plants types, water features, fire pit, playground, green house and many other garden displays. Organic gardening, water conservation, and permaculture techniques are on display on our little acre just two miles north of Crabtree mall. You won’t believe you are on a busy street in the heart of Raleigh when you see our urban oasis!

We’ve got a BIG coop … for very special small people. Part of Raleigh Oak Preschool, our coop is parent- and kid-built and painted, and reflects our school’s emphasis on eco-friendly practices like collecting rainwater, composting and gardening. The chickens offer “real” work for our youngest students, who care for Leghorn, Australorp, Cochin and Lavender Orpingtons living in a coop on their own naturalistic playground. Got kids? You gotta see our coop!

Our large custom built coop with an Adorstore automatic door is not as close to neighbors as some, which means you can see fifteen wonderful hens … and HEAR one very devoted rooster! Multiple breeds thrive in our flock, including Brahma, Rhode Island Red, Golden Comets, Lace Wyandotte and more. Come see our little slice of the country, visit our garden, and if you get lucky, the rooster might crow. Complimentary water, lemonade and snacks will be available. (Turn down the gravel road at the Tour D’Coop sign and follow it approximately 800 feet to the coop)

France can keep its “Chunnel,” we’ve got the CHICKEN TUNNEL! Our girls can choose to hang out in their colorful custom coop, overlooking the pool, or — should they be adventurous — they can head off via a safe and secure wire tunnel that allows them to roam far from the coop, yet be safe from predators. Our suburban yard also features a worm compost bin and edible landscaping. When you visit, we’ll have a scavenger hunt to find food plants hiding in plain sight, and a corn hole game for kids of all ages.

The address might look familiar if you are a music lover! Yes, Walnut Creek Amphitheater (Coastal Credit Union Music Park) has gone to the birds!! And also gone ‘Green…’ Come see our new, custom-built coop, backstage, where our flock of five will soon be entertaining and laying eggs for some of the music industry’s biggest names. Visit our girls and garden—enriched with composted food waste from concert-goers just like you. Learn about all we are doing to divert most of our venue’s waste out of the landfill. We’ll have kid-friendly activities.

Come visit “Feathertown,” a complete town created from salvaged chicken coops and featuring Town Hall, “Cackle” Cathedral, the “Fowlness” Center for sick birds, NC Jail Bird Correctional Center, the Chicken “Tinder” Bar and Grill, and even the “Chick-Inn” Resort! Our lucky hens and two friendly roosters get to free-range most of their day, but at night, they can choose from multiple dwellings when they are ready to roost. Come see “their” town, you won’t believe it!

Our chickens aren’t truly rural or urban, living near the heart of Apex, yet on a large plot of land. Our “girls” have the best of both worlds – living in a coop created from a vintage outbuilding, yet overlooking our beautiful farmhouse style pool and pool house, created from a former barn. With a large flock, representing over 20 breeds, we’ve got lots of chickens of all sizes and colors to see.

Welcome to ‘Central Perk’ Coop, home to five hens and one very lucky rooster. Our chickens live the good life in a coop our family built, but they mostly enjoy being out free-ranging as we tend blueberries, veggie beds, fig and pear trees, and the largest Kiwi vine you’ll ever see! We love art, and have used upcycled materials to create garden art and ‘Flower Trees’ throughout our large property. We’ll have art activities for the kids plus complimentary coffee & baked goods on Tour Day!

Love Chickens? Interested in volunteering or finding out more about being on the Tour D’Coop now or in the future? Fill out our interest form!

Tour de Coops is Back!

Our 2023 Tour de Coops is coming up on Sunday, September 17th! When: 1:00 - 4:00 PM Where: You can start the tour at Agrarian or Stomping Ground

This year's tour will feature coops near agrarian in broad ripple and in historic woodruff place. pick up your map at either location starting at 1:00 pm on september 17th. maps will include suggested driving routes and a bike route along the monon between the two featured neighborhoods. coop owners will be on hand at each stop to share about their coops and chicken keeping experience. and be sure to check out the vendors and live music on location at agrarian tickets are $5 in advance and $10 the day of the event. presale tickets are available in person at agrarian, by calling 317-493-1166, or clicking the link below. day-of tickets will be available at agrarian and stomping ground., get your tickets today and check back frequently for event updates.

Want the chance to take the Tour de Coops in the Chicken Limo? One lucky person will get to take the tour in this fantastic ride with up to 7 of their closest friends!

There are two ways to enter:

Buy a presale ticket before September 10th. Every presale ticket is an automatic entry into the drawing.

Share Agrarian’s social media posts with your network. Every Tour de Coops post you share will be an additional entry into the drawing. (Be sure your privacy settings allow us to see your name.)

The winner will be announced on Sunday, September 10th. The winner and guests will meet the limo at Agrarian at 1:00 pm on the 17th to be chauffeured through the tour route and return to Agrarian by 4:00 pm. Must be a ticket holder to win.

Thank you to the partners and sponsors helping to make the 2023 tour a success!

Chicken coops wanted for Tour De Coop

Gather your feathered friends, it's time for the annual Tour De Coop.

That’s right: Anyone with a few chickens and a small henhouse can apply to be featured in the tenth year of the backyard chicken coop tour, hosted by the Homegrown Sioux Empire chapter of Dakota Rural Action.

Last year's event was semi-virtual, but the Tour De Coop will be held in-person for 2021.

Chicken coop connoisseurs will have a chance to show off their love for eggs and other food-related items in their yards, if chosen. About four to six coops in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area will be included.

Coops can be of any size, whether they be small in-town operations or large acreage henhouses.

“We want to show all the ways you can grow and raise food in your own yard," Stephanie Peterson, Dakota Rural Action treasurer and member of the Homegrown chapter, said. And submission ideas can ruffle a few feathers.

"We even had a tour with quail, so we're very open to ideas," Peterson said of a previous year's event.

The Tour De Coop will round out the ag-focused organization's Yard to Table month and take place on Sept. 25. The event is free to the public. Coop stop locations will be announced as soon as selectees are picked.

Applications for the Tour De Coup are open until Aug. 8. More information can also be found on the Homegrown Facebook page . Selectees will be notified by mid-August.

Chickens Coop Tours

Tour de Coop: Kate in Los Angeles

I met Kate from Farmhouse 38 soon after I won the Blue Ribbon Blogger Award from Country Living Magazine back in 2011. Instantaneously, we developed a lovely friendship. We were two kindred spirits living on opposite coasts. There is just something about folks that keep chickens that makes you feel as though you have known one another all of your lives. Kate is one of those people. I was ecstatic on my last trip to Los Angeles that we were able to workout a visit in person. I could not wait to meet and take a little tour of her newly remodeled chicken coop. How could I resist!

As I peered up, a green tidy shelf was organized with supplies. Fresh herbs were drying from hooks on the right.

Photo Credit: Tilly’s Nest

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Write a comment, 11 thoughts on “tour de coop: kate in los angeles”.

Very creative. I love the cottage feel and colors

Sweet! I follow her posts so I've seen her lovely coop and yard, her girls have it made!!

I love it!! Going to share a link to it. I have been wanting to see her coop re-do. Thanks for sharing!!

Great post, her coop is darling! As a fellow small flock owner I love to see examples of successful small coops.

I just love Kate–she's so amazingly creative. What lucky girls she has–their new digs are fabulous! Thanks for the tour!

Yay! Thank you for the visit and the lovely post, Melissa–it was so much fun! The photos are beautiful–the girls were struttin' it for ya! LOL!

Great tour! How nice that you and Kate could have a visit. You're both amazing! ~Katie

I can't keep chickens where I live, but I love reading your blog and learning about new things! What a treat for you to get to visit your friend, and what a beautiful area she's created!

Just Beautiful! Thank you for the tour and thank you Kate for the inspiration! Now I have extreme-chickenyard-door-envy, but with my dear husband looking over my shoulder, he reminided me that a beautiful door like that wouldn't last long here with our Minnesota winters, oh pooh. But a girl can dream. ♥

I'm completely jealous! Ah, but such a lovely visit it was – thank you for sharing and the photos are delightful – as is the coop re-do!

Virtual Tour de Coop

I enjoy seeing how chickens live on the other side of the proverbial fence and learning about the lengths to which their people will go to ensure their happiness and comfort. Coops from the small and simple to the large and ornate intrigue me and entertain me and move me to be creative with my own.

Regardless of the set-up I started with or the current arrangement in my backyard, I know that there will always be changes to it either out of necessity as my flock changes, or as the result of inspiration that moves me to alter the way things appear or function. I assume that at least a few other people share my voyeuristic obsession with coops and have created this pictorial tour of my coops to share with you. Thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoy the tour!

In the beginning, there was grass. Our first coop was a pre-fab , courtesy of the Pennsylvania Amish.

I asked the post office to call me the moment the chicks arrived. 6am it was. (note to self: be careful what you ask for!)

The new chicks were an Australorp, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Silkies, Easter Eggers, a Buff Orpington, and a White Plymouth Rock.

After many months of re-design and tweaking, this is the view from the “people door.” We raised the roosts to maximize floor space and added a droppings board to keep it as clean as possible. Both the roosts and droppings board are removable for cleaning.

The automatic pop door opener was one of the best Christmas gifts ever. Highly recommended, particularly for those not interested in beating the early bird to the worm.

We added windows for ventilation on the north and south sides of the coop in the summer of 2010, which was one of the hottest in New England history.

The nest boxes on the right have nest box curtains for the privacy and darkness that laying hens and broody hens appreciate.

The winter of 2010 was unreasonably snowy. Pretty, but unbearably cold and snowy. Did I mention… snowy?

No longer pretty. Still snowy. In February, I dug the the clearing on the left for the new coop, willing winter to go away. It flatly refused.

This is the south side of the coop. People door on right, run door in its initial, miniature size. After several near-concussions, it has been made taller. Husband adding corrugated plastic roof panels (which, thankfully, were operational prior to Winter Fest 2010, above).

This is the PVC feeder that I built after learning to use a drill . I have since replaced the cake pan with a plastic corner litter pan . The Christmas lights were removed prior to Memorial Day (any longer and I could have just left them up!).

The copper weathervane was a gift from my husband for our seventh wedding anniversary. Did you know seven is the copper anniversary? True story.

Clarice enjoying the view from the bench. I’d have been happier if her working end were facing the other direction.

My husband built our second coop during the coldest, snowiest winter in the annals of New England meteorology. The project started in the garage where he built the floor, walls and roof joists.

Building a coop was a much more costly and time-consuming proposition than I had bargained for. I stopped tracking the actual cost after the initial planning stage as the numbers had already far exceeded the budget I originally envisioned. Clearly, my husband’s vision was different from mine, but I’m not complaining.

Presenting: “The Little Deuce Coop.” I asked for a Hoopdie and he gave me a Mercedes. That’s love.

We spent a weekend digging rocks out of the woods behind the coops to build this rock wall. (it has been un-built and re-built at least twice since then)

The Little Deuce Coop’s people door and oyster shell dispenser (below the window).

Nest boxes to the left of the people door. Feedbag artwork inspires the ladies. :)

I was thrilled with the performance of the droppings board in our first coop and was confident it would be as useful in the new coop. What I did not anticipate was that half of the chickens would roost in the rafters, defeating the entire purpose of the droppings board. Outwitted by chickens again.

Pop door, awaiting automation. PVC Feeder alongside window. Cap on feeder is essential with rafter-roosters.

Chicken Cam . Gotta have one. I use the area to the right of the PVC feeder as brooder and grow-out space for chicks.

Windy, my crooked toe Blue Splash Marans, taking a break from the hard work of pecking and scratching.

Interior remodeling of our new coop. We installed an automatic pop door opener and raised the roosts and droppings boards because I wanted the floor space underneath it accessible.

Silver Spangled Hamburgs enjoying the view from the rafters. But not for long, sorry ladies! As much as they loved it, I decided that rafters were not a good place for my heavy birds, particularly the Black Copper Marans . The sound of the landings from that height made me worry about bumblefoot and other injuries, so I decided we’d put plastic poultry netting on the rafter s . The girlz were very unhappy about it for about a week. Very unhappy.

Pine shavings falling out of the doors is a pet peeve of mine, so kick-plates were installed at the thresholds.

These mums were beautiful for about a week until the chickens took turns standing IN THEM. <sigh>

My coops are ongoing project as I find reasons to modify them every few months (whether they need it or not!).

I wasn’t happy with the layout or height of the roosts and droppings boards so…back to the drawing board we went. The challenges were that the pop door on one side of the coop with a nest box on the opposite wall. We didn’t want to lose access to a nest box or hinder the operation of the automatic pop door opener. In the most recent set-up, the roosts were too high and that the chickens had to hop up onto the droppings board before getting up onto the roost, plus the droppings board was too close to the lowest roost, creating an environment in which the chickens’ fluffy butts could get dirty. Not acceptable.

Two and a half hours of adjustments later (in 30°F temperatures) and this is what we have. The hens can still access the nest box and exit the pop door. Mission accomplished.

4/7/12 This yard-sale find keeps the girlz entertained when the nest boxes are full or feed station is occupado.

10/30/12 This pre-Halloween snowstorm left us without power for 8 days, wreaked havoc on the roof of the small run and took a toll on many of the trees throughout Connecticut and in our backyard.

April 2012: We replaced the damaged roof and put some of the fallen limbs to good use in the run this spring. The plastic, corrugated roofing was replaced with metal.

5/13/12 New Nest Box curtains hung in both coops! Thanks to Debbie Cade for her beautiful work!

Nest box curtains in the ‘Little Deuce Coop,’ more than just pretty, functional too!

This ladder was a real find at our local landfill- I turned it into a planter for less than three bucks. Here’s how . Spring 2012, we hatched Coturnix quail and built this quail coop to match the Little Deuce Coop. July 2012, we installed The Chicken Fountain in all three coops. They were life changing.

We did a little landscaping while addressing the problem with water flowing down the hill through the run.

August, 2013: It took three days to install tongue-in-groove wall-boards in The Little Deuce Coop. I wanted walls because it will make cleaning easier. I love the look!

Thanks for taking my Virtual Tour de Coop and check back for the inevitable revisions!

Kathy Shea Mormino

Affectionately known internationally as The Chicken Chick®, Kathy Shea Mormino shares a fun-loving, informative style to raising backyard chickens. …Read on

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Blown Egg Topiary

Hoppy Easter!

“buck-buck the chicken,” a children’s book, read aloud.

Thank you for the tour of your wonderful ‘Chicken Compound’! I live at the other end of the States- Alaska. Interesting to see how much snow you get-! I have two House Hens who share my cabin; an Old English (2 years old), and an Easter Egger (3 yrs)- rescued in Feb this year when she lost both feet to frostbite with an inexperienced poultry caretaker. She’s learned to walk in the wraps & booties I put her in each morning when I bring her down from her roost box on top of the kitchen cupboard. “Jem” is the sweetest, … Read more »

I love your coops and runs. I have a question. Do your runs have floors?

Thanks, Pam. The run is dirt with sand on top- lots of sand on top.

Love the tour. I’m sure I’ll be referring to it in the near future. We acquired some stray chickens and now we must house them. Gathering all ideas we can find.

You may find my book especially helpful for best practices in keeping your new pets simply. It’s The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens –> http://amzn.to/2lm8fWo

Thanks for the beautiful tour of your coops. My flock is very small, but we’re always thinking of ways to improve. So thanks so much for your wonderful information, I love you on Facebook.

LOVE the tour! thanks!

Affectionately known internationally as The Chicken Chick®, Kathy Shea Mormino shares a fun-loving, informative style to raising backyard chickens. …Read on

Peter Kay gigs pulled just a day ahead of Co-op Live's launch in Manchester

Peter Kay was due to open the new Manchester venue Co-op Live this week with two huge comedy gigs, while singer Rick Astley's preview concert over the weekend was also hit with problems.

Arts and entertainment reporter @BethanyMinelle

Monday 22 April 2024 15:19, UK

British Comedian Peter Kay introduces singer Robbie Williams at 'Help for Heroes', at Twickenham Stadium in London on Sunday, 12 September 2010.(AP Photo/Mark Allan)

Comedian Peter Kay has been forced to postpone two shows at Co-op Live in Manchester due to the brand-new arena's power testing falling "a few days" behind schedule.

The record-breaking stand-up comedian had been due to open the new venue - which is now the UK's biggest arena - on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

The 50-year-old Phoenix Nights star said in a statement: "I'm truly gutted as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets, but obviously it's a brand-new venue and it's important that everything is finished and safe for full capacity audiences.

"Fortunately, we've been able to reschedule the shows to next week, (I'll have to miss my Bums & Tums class) but hopefully I'll see you then."

Co-op Live shared a statement on their Twitter feed, telling followers: "Following our first test event on Saturday, regretfully we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our two opening performances by Peter Kay.

"These dates will move from 23 April and 24 Wednesday to Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 April."

The spokesperson for the venue explained that an issue around the power supply was the cause of the cancellation.

"It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind.

"Rescheduling gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly. This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size."

An important update from Co-op Live. Following our first test event on Saturday, regretfully we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our two opening performances by Peter Kay. These dates will move from 23 April and 24 Wednesday to Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 April. pic.twitter.com/SxW50Ph5hm — Co-op Live (@TheCoopLive) April 22, 2024

The statement added: "Peter Kay has very graciously agreed to perform his record-breaking comedy at Co-op Live on 29 (rescheduled from 23) and 30 (rescheduled from 24) April 2024. All tickets remain valid and ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase."

They said refunds would be available for any ticketholders who could no longer attend the event, and flagged that the date change might mean new tickets become available for fans who missed out the first time round.

The venue added: "We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause for some. We are thrilled to welcome Peter Kay as our grand opening act just a few days later than planned."

Over the weekend, a preview concert starring Rick Astley was also hit by delays, with ticket capacity slashed just hours before his gig was due to begin.

Astley fans who had their tickets cancelled have instead been offered seats to see US rock band the Black Keys play next week.

Once fully open, the arena - which is next to Manchester City's football ground - will have a capacity of 23,500, overtaking the capacity of the existing Manchester Arena which has a capacity of 21,000.

Built at an estimated cost of £365m, the arena counts former One Direction singer Harry Styles as one of its investors, with the pop star also advising on some elements of the arena's design.

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Other stars set to play at the venue include Take That, Liam Gallagher, Olivia Rodrigo and Eric Clapton.

Peter Kay has been on a comeback tour - his first since 2010 - since December, with stops in Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds scheduled through to next year.

In 2010, Kay won the Guinness World Record for the biggest-selling stand-up tour of all time - playing to a total of 1.2 million people.