Chicken Coop Chronicles
7 Comments Published by Seamus Ford September 19th, 2009 in Family/Children, Peak Oil, local food.I began asking myself, “How Do you build a chicken coop?”
About 5 months ago I met a lady who has been raising chickens in her backyard. My reaction at first was astonishment. I could not believe it. Like so many people I just assumed that it wasn’t allowed. After all weren’t chicken’s dirty and didn’t you have to have some special knowledge to raise them? Well kinda… but more on that later.
My astonishment soon became curiosity and before long a mild obsession. This woman was so much the suburban mom. I assumed that raising chickens required some sort of pre requisite like years in the 4H or having distant Menonite relatives. Yet at the same time, there was something so logical about it. Chickens are the perfect local food especially in the city.
I knew almost right away that I was going to go through with raising chickens long before I brought it up to my wife. I had to get an education on the topic so that I could respond to all of her potential objections, the biggest being how do you keep chickens when you have two 60lb hunting dogs in the house already. This was of course a real concern because one of them spends hours a day trying to figure out how to ambush any small animal that comes near the yard.
After a great deal of internet research and planning I determined that I could convert an old dog house that I had built into a coop for the chickens and create a fenced in enclosure that would protect them from the dogs and still give them space to walk around. I soon became so excited that I planned out each day what I was going to do.
First was to move the dog house about 3 miles from where I had built it to my current house. I had cleverly built it out of scrap lumber not giving any thought to ever having to move it, so by the time I was done it weighed over 200 pounds. I found a guy on Craigslist who rented himself and his truck for $25 per hour and after lifting it over two 6 foot fences, it was finally in my back yard. From there I began to partially dismantle it in order to prepare it for the birds. After a couple of false starts I came across an old set of kitchen cabinets in the alley that runs behind my house. They were made of cherry plywood and although water damaged, I was able to salvage the doors and the largest cabinet. Using some left over subflooring, I turned the cabinet in to a set of 6 vertical nesting boxes. I used the large doors to create the access pane for retrieving the eggs and cleaning the coop and the smaller door has become the door that the chickens use. I also managed to use an old ironing board that I had found earlier as the ramp for the chickens to get up in the coop. I still needed an enclosure and was able to find a 6 x 12 dog kennel on Craigslist. It took me about an hour to drive to get it, but it turned out to be the perfect size for the space I have next to my garage.
I was now ready to get the chickens. I had met some people who were raising chickens in the Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago and they told me about a place on Fullerton and Austin where they got their birds. They did not remember the name. After some creative Google searching I was able to find “John’s Live Poultry?” It is exactly what it says, a live poultry seller right there on the west side of Chicago. I called to make sure that they had laying hens and was told that they usually got their chickens on Saturday and that if I waited until Sunday, they might not have any left. (They really have become that popular)
I was of course very worried that after I had done so much work to prepare that I would have to wait another week. I couldn’t stand the thought so, even though I was working that Saturday, I arranged to go and pick them up. When I arrived and walked in, I was greeted by a couple of young guys standing behind a counter. In the background was the room where the chickens were processed including the feather plucking centrifuges that are used to separate the birds from their feathers. Over to the right were the cages where the what seemed like all manner of foul are kept waiting to be prepared for slaughter; ducks, quail, turkeys, and of course chickens, none of whom seem to be remotely aware of their fate.
I told them that I was the guy who called and had asked them to keep two laying hens for me to pick up that day. With a smile, one of the young men went into the back and emerged holding two birds by their wings asking his boss how much they were charging that day. In the mean time the other young man had taken a cardboard box and converted it into a quick chicken carrier by cutting holes into the sides and taping the bottom. Then with no more delicacy that throwing clothes down a laundry chute, the birds were stuffed in the box and slid across the counter to me. I handed over $24 and walked out the door. I took the chickens back to the worksite where they became a near constant source of fascination for anyone who was passing by.
I finally brought them home that night and placed them in the new enclosure I had created and sure enough my dog who is a Pointer could barely contain himself. It was as if he was outraged that I would bring these delicious morsels into his yard and but not let him eat them. He whimpered and cried and tried to eat through the chain link fencing of the Dog kennel but in the end he seems to have accepted that he must share the yard with them. None the less, I do not leave him in the yard for any length of time without me.
Since the Chickens have gotten settled and comfortable they are laying an average of 13 eggs per week. My wife and I have had a hard time keeping up with all the eggs so I have begun giving them to my neighbors as an icebreaker and to my surprise it has been an remarkably effective way of connecting with them. Like me, my neighbors have been surprised that you can have chickens and very curious about how I works
It is a very interesting social experiment to invite a perfect stranger into your garden or to see your chickens. Invariably genuine curiosity and wonder washes away their trepidation and people always leave wanted to stay in touch. In that way my chickens have become ambassadors of sustainability in the inner city.
If you are interested, here is a good resource for educating yourself http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/dual.html
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Fabulous! Chez du Poulet est très élégant!
Awesome! This is just yet another encouragement for me to join the urban chicken club. The biggest problem is that chickens are currently not allowed over here in Forest Park. Hey, so did you get any specific breed of chicken? Also, where do you buy your straw?
Thanks Jessica,
The two chickens I have are mostly Rhode Island Reds. I got them from John’s Live Poultry at Fullerton and Austin. They get them in once a week from Menonite farmers in Indiana. It is best to call ahead to find out if they have them in.
Re the Straw, you can get it at the “Feed Store” in Summit, or just make an arrangement with one of the farmers at your local farmers market to bring some on their next trip in.
I invite you to share this video with the people in your village govt as it shows that it can be done in a way that the Chickens have plenty of space and yet are not a problem for neighbors.
Thanks Again
Seamus-
A very cool video and coop. Looks like you’ve been up to some good stuff since June!
Milton
This is a wounderfull post. Keep it up…
Hi:
I live in Riverside, IL. I am trying to get the Trustees to allow backyard chickens. The current code does not allow it. Any ideas?
Rob D
Rob, I suggest that you consider coming to Green Tuesdays – Urban Gardening event being held on Tuesday, April 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Public Works Building in Oak Park ( 201 South Blvd. 60302).
You will be able to speak to some of the people in Oak Park who got the ordinance passed there.
For More Information you can contact:
Village of Oak Park
123 Madison St.
Oak Park, IL 60302