This market is presented by SCARCE, featuring all manner of gardening supplies, seedlings, compost and more. I will give a short talk on the main points of chicken keeping. It is a family-friendly event, with lots of advice and vendors for green gardening! I hope to see you there. More info is available at the link below:
SCARCE Environmental Education Center 800 S. Rohlwing Rd (IL 53), Addison, IL Note: Located on west side of Rohlwing Rd, about 1/2 mile north of North Ave
SCARCE is an environmental education group dedicated to creating sustainable communities. They present innovative, hands-on education programs for schools and organizations, demonstrate care for people and natural resources through the Reuse Center, and engage the broader public through community-wide events and programs.
If you’re interested in learning how to live more sustainably, join us for the 14th annual Green Living Expo, held online on November 6! Come anytime betweeen 10am and 5pm. I will have a virtual booth at the Expo and also speak about chicken keeping at 3:30pm. When you visit the Home to Roost booth, download our coupon for 25% off a 1-hour session of chicken consulting!
Yes, this will be an adventure, both for us and anyone who attends! We have never participated in an online expo before.
Visit www.mchenry.edu/greenexpo to register and view the agenda for the expo. There will be four unique tracks:
Renewable Energy Waste Reduction Food and Farming Fun and Recreation
Plus, sessions throughout the day focusing on areas of importance to our audience. Hope to see you there!
Other coop owners have shared their Windy City Coop Tour photos with us, displaying their fabulous coops and birds! Here are some highlights:
Elizabeth of Chicago says: “I have learned a lot in past years from going to the coup tour. It’s fun to see everyone’s set-ups. This is the first year we hosted and it was rewarding having people come through. I think the general consensus is that we have some spectacularly spoiled hens.”
#1 accessory for the stylish chicken mom: a chicken stroller!
No wonder, given that they have a chicken stroller! Elizabeth’s husband Art made the stroller, which has a yellow plastic bin for chicken snacks and a hole in the clear plastic panel for the chicken to poke its head through. Sounds like a fun way to give your hens a change of scenery (and show off your flock to the neighbors) when you go out for a walk.
Melissa in Darien, IL enjoyed giving tours of her totally redesigned and improved coop to visitors who ventured out to the Southwest suburb. “This was our second year being a host of the windy city coop tour,” she said. “We have young boys who really love showing the guests around the coop and how they collect the eggs every day. They even enjoyed showing off some of the essential chicken health care items we keep on hand in case any of our hens get injured… We really enjoyed sharing our knowledge and hearing from other chicken enthusiasts alike.”
Redesigned coop in Darien, IL, complete with decorative shrubs and outdoor lights! See more photos at: Instagram.com/adventure_awaits_mom
What a beautiful coop. We especially love the landscaping in front of the run!
As you probably know by now, I spent my Saturday at a coop with 25 chickens, located in the backyard of a Chicago bungalow.
Tim the owner said “I get to share my chickens and my garden with others… it’s pretty great! This year a young woman came by to say Hi and report on some asters and goldenrod I dug up for her garden last year. They’re doing great! Another woman will come by soon to dig up some Althea – Rose of Sharon for her garden.”
Tim has an eco-yard for his 25 chickens, who were roaming around providing photo ops for the many visitors who came to see his coop. One of the most photogenic was Buffy the rooster, who can be seen strutting his stuff in the photo below:
Look who’s cock of the walk at the Windy City Coop Tour!
All day Saturday visitors came through, ranging from toddlers to senior citizens. I can’t resist sharing this video of two kids who were having a great time during the Coop Tour, following the hens who were wandering around the yard. I showed them the different feather types on a chicken’s wing and gave them some grain for the chickens. Children and chickens get along so well!
I am showing these kids the different feather types on a chicken’s wing!
I spent Saturday talking to folks about chicken keeping, ably assisted by the 25 chickens roaming around the Coop Tour location where I was stationed! We had lots of visitors, ranging from toddlers to senior citizens. I was there mainly to answer questions, but I went into Chicken Consultant mode when I noticed one of the roosters had a foot injury.
One of the scales on the rooster’s foot had lifted up and was bleeding. That can happen with these feather-footed varieties! I treated the wound by stopping the bleeding with a little cornstarch and pressure. Missy the rooster was happy to be released and get back to his hens.
A group of Spanish-speaking visitors stopped by, and I answered their questions about the coop and translated while Tim, the coop owner, talked about the chickens’ love for blueberries:
I’m so glad that I got to combine two of my favorite things, chickens and speaking Spanish! Yes, the chickens at this site really love their blueberries. We watched them jump for their favorite treat when Tim called each chicken over by name!
A yard with 25 chickens provides endless entertainment. The birds dustbathe, sun themselves, engage in chicken play, and announce the momentous occasion of egg laying. The three roosters made a raucous chorus at 8:30 in the morning and crowed occasionally throughout the day. This Chicago bungalow has a small farm in the backyard, with beehives on the roof. It’s amazing to see what is possible in a smallish backyard when you are really comitted to urban agriculture, or at least to the joy of chickens!
Stop by anytime between 10am – 4pm on Saturday, Sept. 25! I will be talking about chickens and chicken keeping. The coop owner has 25 chickens, ranging in age from 15 weeks to nearly 8 years. Three of them are roosters, each with distinct roles in the flock.
I was at this same location last year. In the video below I am showing Coop Tour visitors how to locate a chicken’s crop. When it is filled with grain it feels like a beanbag or hackysack. We had a lot of visitors last year and are looking forward to an amazing experience again this year!
In honor of the chicken, who provides so many of us with eggs, companionship, and entertainment… we are pleased to announce that September is National Chicken Month! We at Home to Roost strongly agree that a bird as important as the chicken should have its own month. After all, the average American ate 97.6 pounds of chicken in 2020, according to the National Chicken Council. And that number is expected to rise in the coming years.
Why September? For more than 20 years, the National Chicken Council has called on all of the major chicken producers in the U.S. to promote chicken sales in September, just as the summer grilling season begins winding down. Thanks to their efforts, September is now one of the year’s best-performing sales periods!
Visit the website NationalToday.com for a list of National Chicken Month Activities to help you celebrate, as well as some fast facts about chicken and the history of chicken dishes. Many restaurants are running specials on chicken dishes during this month, so it is definitely a great time to eat more chicken!
Register now to become a host of the 2021 Windy City Coop Tour and welcome participants to see your coop! You can host on either or both days of the Tour (Sept. 25 & 26), and choose a time slot that works in your schedule. Apply at the link below:
The Coop Tour is a self-guided tour of backyard coops and eco-spaces, presented by Chicago Chicken Enthusiasts and Home to Roost LLC in partnership with Advocates for Urban Agriculture. Visit the chicken coops of Chicagoland and see what is possible in terms of raising chickens and other urban livestock in your backyard!
More information about the 2021 Coop Tour is located HERE.
Visit with Home to Roost during the tour!
During the tour I will answer questions about chicken keeping and talk about the services of Home to Roost LLC. I will be stationed at the following tour location on Saturday, Sept. 25:
3717 N Kenneth Chicago, IL 60641
I hope to see you there! Last year I was also at this location, talking with folks about chickens and chicken care:
It’s that time of year again: visit the chicken coops of Chicagoland and see what is possible in terms of raising chickens and other urban livestock in your backyard!
The Coop Tour is a self-guided tour of backyard coops and eco-spaces, presented by Chicago Chicken Enthusiasts in partnership with Advocates for Urban Agriculture. The Tour also showcases other sustainability practices (intensive food production, rain gardens, pollinator habitat, composting, solar and other renewable energy…)
More information about the 2021 Tour is available HERE!
2021 Windy City Coop & Eco-Yard Tour Saturday Sept. 25 & Sunday Sept. 26
Do you enjoy raising chickens and think you have a great coop? Do you love talking to people about your birds? Consider applying to become a host of the 2021 Windy City Coop Tour and invite participants to see your coop!
Host Registration deadline is August 27! The registration form is located HERE.
I write about chicken care for Backyard Chickens magazine.
A participant asked me to sign a copy of Backyard Chickens magazine for her!
A lot of people turned out at the Lemont Public Library last night to hear me talk about chicken keeping. I was ably assisted by Cluck Nut the chicken, who was a very good sport! She is a client’s chicken I borrowed for the occasion.
It was great to present a live chicken-keeping class for the first time in over a year. Among other topics, I talked about chicken breeds, chicken coops, chicken feed, and how a chicken purse led me to my improbable career as an urban chicken consultant.
A great time was had by all — even the chicken. I invited participants to feel her crop, where all the food goes when she swallows. Filled with grain, It feels a lot like a hackysack! Have you ever seen a chicken’s ears? On Cluck Nut, they are small but unmistakable. While I talked, Cluck Nut roamed the table next to me, getting to know the people lucky enough to sit up front. In-person classes are so much fun!
I will have a booth at the Growin’ Green Garden Market this Saturday, May 1, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. I hope to see you there, up close and in person! (Or at least as up close as we can get at this time…)
This market is presented by SCARCE, featuring all manner of gardening supplies, seedlings, compost and more. I will bring a chicken and and give a short talk on the main points of chicken keeping. It is a family-friendly event, with lots of advice and vendors for green gardening!
LOCATION: SCARCE, 800 S Rohlwing Rd (IL Rt 53), Addison, IL
A complete list of requirements for coop building from Home to Roost LLC!
When building a coop for your hens, it is important to choose a design with the right dimensions, features, and materials. Get all this information on the Chicken Coop Spec Sheet, now available from Home to Roost! Purchase on PayPal using the button below.
CHICKEN COOP SPEC SHEET – $6.00
NOTE: I will e-mail you the spec sheet after I receive your payment. Your e-mail address will automatically be included in the notification I receive from PayPal.
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