Chicken Coop Chic on the Radio

I recently read a slimly substantiated op-ed piece on Slate about the supposed media driven non-trend of backyard chicken rearing. The author contended that these news items were popping up and that news outlets where all feeding off each other. The argument hinged around the fact that the numbers were never included. Well a raspberry to you, Slate. In the course of the last few months several friends have expressed interest, had owned chickens in the past, or have begun to build their own coops. The chicken and duck workshop I attended had over 40 attendees. At least three other people I know bought chicks. I either live in a chicken bubble or the trend is real.

So it was great to hear this story on NPR. There is also a link to the "Chicken Whisperer" and his web radio show from Atlanta.

As for our three little ones, it is amazing how fast they have been shedding their downy feathers and how much they grow each day. The kids love to watch them.

Coop Slides

Chicken Build-a-palooza

Chicken Coop-raising

Today was a full day of shelter building for our new chicks. Although they will be indoors for some time to come, we are getting an early jump by building our yard-tractor coop. This A-frame enclosure is designed so that you can move it around and have the chickens graze on different patches of the yard (and act as a fertilizer spreader). We have to thank our friends Thuha and Debbie for hosting our little build-a-palooza, and Thuha for making sure that 98% of our building materials were reused. She got all the supplies from Habitat for Humanity's East Bay ReStore.
Thuha is building her own poulet chalet at the same time. A great thanks also goes out to our friend Oliver who brought his considerable skills and calculator. Thank goodness he invited Sohcahtoa as well.

And as if Thuha had not done enough, she also got us our downy chicks. She got some of them from a Concord feed store and the rest from a chicken rescue outfit on Sherman Island in the Delta. We have three of them: a Buff Orpington, a Cookoo Maran (a great name for a boxer, don't you think?), and a Welsummer. No one is more excited about our new arrivals than our almost 3 year old son, Elias. This is only the beginning. We'll keep you posted.