Green Obsession: Chicken Coops

Yes. We're sort of obsessed with chickens.

It's strange. And, we don't know if it's because we're reading The Omnivore's Dilemma or because of recently hearing Alice Waters speak on locally produced food, but we've been thinking about how great it would be to have a few.

We've heard that they make nice pets and then of course there are the fresh eggs and the homemade fertilizer (a euphemism if we've ever written one).

So we've been casually looking at coops.

Of course, having chickens right now (without a yard) is out of the question.

Still, it's fun to look. The EcoCoop (pictured) is a movable, small coop made largely out of recycled materials.

We also like Wine Country Coops. Although they don't seem to use recycled materials, their coops are prefabricated, which means there is little waste. And they'll design them to match your house.

We really thought urban chicken raising was out of the question until we heard Jennifer Roberts, San Francisco- based author of Good Green Kitchens, mention that she recently bought a few and is raising them in the city.

Do any of our readers have chickens? How's that going?

Comments (10)

Some of L.E. Leone's Cheap Eats columns in the SF Bay Guardian used to be about urban chicken-raising. (You may have to search under "Dan Leone," as she established that career while still a he. And we all thought switching from maiden names to married names was complicated!)

In many parts of Houston, particularly in the latino neighborhoods in the East End, the Heights, and the unincorporated north, it is commonplace to have chickens (and even goats in some neighborhoods). But chicken coops? It seems they are rarely used and the chickens run free in the suburban streetscape - which, if you ask me, is fantastic.

We raised chickens in our backyard in Southfield, Michigan, USA in the 70s and 80s. Also lambs. It was great. The roosters attacked, but . . . Fresh eggs every day. Only sad part: the foxes and racoons would get them. (not the lambs: they were raised for roasting at easter).

We got them from science projects at school: every year in 4th grade we would have a science project in which the shell of an incubating egg is cut away and replaced with a "window" to see embryonic development. When they hatched, they need homes. We were one of the homes.

As a child I remember this being a great experience, but my mother just reminded me that it wasn't so great for her, and that we never wanted to clean the coop (we built an off the group coop for them, and a fenced in roaming area for them; both had to be mucked out pretty regularly).

My husband's aunt and uncle have chickens in their house in Salem, MA. The chickens live in the basement of their house and are allowed in their small backyard from time-to-time.

OMG! I have been coveting chickens for years! I really, truly, am obsessed. I lived in Seattle when I was in grad school and it was fairly common for people to have backyard chickens. Local ordinance allowed people to have up to 3 per household (no roosters allowed). I can't wait until I have a yard so I can have some.

The Lawn tractor type of coop is the way to go! (I think the eco coop would qualify)-- with the lawn tractors, you move the coop around your yard. The chickens help keep your lawn trimmed and fertilized...

Oh how I long for the day when I have a yard so I can keep chickens.

Btw, there was a great NYT article recently about a family in Manhattan who had chickens inside apartment for a while. The title was "All Cooped Up in a Manhattan Co-op." Check it out!

My hometown of Portland hosts a great event every summer: Tour de Coops.

I worked with a guy who had chickens at home. I thought it was sort of strange, because I've never heard of anyone other than farmers doing that. However, it doesn't really seem like a big deal the more I think about it. I am sort of freaked out by birds so this whole idea's not for me, but it sounds pretty cool for everyone else.

I grew up with a handful of chickens in the back yard - they eat your food scraps, provide eggs and fertiliser, they're great!

Some plans for making your own mobile chicken coop here: (pdf) Mobile Chook Pen. Because it's mobile, you can move it around the yard to take advantage of sun/shade, or get the chooks to fertilise different areas.

I built my City Biddy Hen House using a professionally drawn plan from http://www.uBuilderPlans.com

Since I used a plan I was able to use a large percentage of re-claimed and used lumber and still get an attractive and solidly built coop that has already lasted me about 6 years. The plan was very easy to use as well and did not require many tools.

In my opinion building your own is the way to go.