Home to Roost Helping city folks raise chickens!

Chicago’s chicken-keeping community invites you to an open house of backyard chicken coops and eco-yards! Tour coops of your choice in Homewood, Barrington, and in between.

Whether you’re thinking about getting chickens, have just started a flock this year, or have been keeping chickens for a long time, this event is for you and your family.* Learn tips and tricks, connect with other chicken people, and share ideas and insights.

DATES: Saturday, Sept. 22, and Sunday, Sept. 23 from 10 am til 4 pm.

Find more information, including very important tour guidelines, site map, descriptions of each location, and language(s) spoken, at the Windy City Coop Tour’s site.  Please note the date and time each location is open and go only during those times.

Home to Roost will be stationed at 3717 N. Kenneth on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 10 to 4, offering helpful tips on chicken health. Feel free to stop by with your questions.

*Due to health and safety concerns, tour hosts cannot admit pets.

Come out for Harvest Day at Garfield Park Conservatory, Saturday, September 15, 2018, from 12 to 4 pm. Meet goats and chickens, learn about bees, and participate in fun activities for the whole family. For more information, visit the conservatory’s website.

This will be Home to Roost’s first year without MaryAnn, but Buttercup and Blossom will likely be there.

Many of you will no doubt remember MaryAnn, my favorite teaching assistant, from my classes and events. She was gently assisted out of this world by her owner last week. She was a wonderful girl, who lived to a ripe old age of about 10. Always gentle, patient, and good with kids, she was quite keen on snacks, and even laid an egg during classes! She will be missed greatly.

Leave a memory in the comments and send me any pix you might have of her! I’ll post them here.

Hanging out in my backyard before an event. “Just a chicken” certainly does not describe this bird!

Having a drink with sister Blossom. She was the lead hen, definitely the senior. Her sisters Ginger and Mrs. Howell passed years ago, so she ruled the roost for a good, long time.

In her cage in the car, where we had many deep conversations. I got a few photos to capture the memory when I realized she wouldn’t be with us much longer.

Coming out of her carrier to inspect the WGN green room. It sometimes took her a bit to warm up to a situation, but once she felt safe, she was the star of the show.

From humble beginnings to an interview on Michigan Avenue. MaryAnn was always aware that, for a chicken, she led a charmed life and was one lucky lady.

Getting comfortable in the WGN green room. Always adaptable, she seemed to fit right in with her surroundings.

MaryAnn chats up Steve Bertrand on air. She continually impressed people with her command of diverse and sundry topics.

This is one of my favorite pix of MaryAnn. She was always patient with kids; even moreso if treats were involved.

Text Marney at 708-846-5569. These two roosters are about a year old. They look like Serama bantams, which are very tiny (with big personalities!) and lively! Owners wants a good, no-kill home.  Text Marney at 708-846-5569.

NOTE CORRECTION – this is July 14, NOT June 14, as previously posted. 

Come out and see a lovely variety of edible gardens in Oak Park on July 14 from 9 AM to 1 PM. The Sugar Beet Co-Op is again hosting this family friendly event. Meet the gardeners, see their plots, and greet a few chickens along the way! Home to Roost will be at the Humphreys’ home this year.

Buy your ticket and map at the Sugar Beet Co-Op, 812 Madison, or purchase online. Click here for more information. 

The coop tour is in its planning stages. It looks like either Sept. 15-16 or 22-23 will be the dates this year. We always need hosts and volunteers!

For more information go to the coop tour page. 

With this mini-heat wave we’ve been having, I’ve been getting questions about chickens and heat.

When temperatures reach the mid-80s, your birds will probably start panting. In temperatures above 100, your birds may suffer heatstroke.

Chickens don’t have sweat glands, so they have different ways of releasing heat from their bodies. Combs and wattles serve as radiators to release heat. Their feet also provide a cooling mechanisms. Chickens will pant, releasing heat through their mouths. You may also see them standing with their wings away from their bodies. A good dustbath in a shady spot with cool soil also helps.

Here are some tips, excerpted from my class on chickens and heat.

1) Provide fresh, clean water – and lots of it.

2) Freeze 2-liter bottles and put them in the coop to cool it down. Your birds can snuggle up to these portable AC units.

3) Remove excess bedding, which traps heat.

4) Feed a mash or a crumble feed, rather than a whole-grain food. Grains generate heat as they are metabolized. Remember, though, that birds may not accept the new food immediately.

5) Provide shade.

6) Provide frozen, cool treats, such as watermelon.

7) Allow them to dustbathe in shaded areas.

8) Set up a sprinkler in a shaded area outside the coop/run.

If you notice that the birds are listless and lethargic (signs of heat stress), consider bringing them into a cool basement. Even a few degrees cooler would help. It’s best to change temperature slowly to prevent shock to the system.

As always, keep an eye on your birds and know what’s normal for them. This will help you catch problems before they become life threatening.

Contact Annette: 630 841 7110

The following are looking for homes.

A pair of Serama bantams

OWNER LOCATED for the bantam hen.
Contact Annette: 630 841 7110