Garden Purl™: 2013 Chicken Chat & Coop Tour

This year's event proved to be interesting for some of our tour-goers! The forecast called for cool weather and showers - the clouds parted at times to reveal the warmth of the sun. Up at the Koehler Coop, the first coop participants to arrive were welcomed with snow showers! Ah, Springtime in Oregon!!

Regardless the weather (duh, we're Oregonians!) we venture out and support great events that help local organizations and bring community (and chicken lovers) together! This event supports our local 4H group: Oddstock & Crafts 4H Club.

The Shearer Sisters were back again this year, opening their talk with the "Chicken Song". They spoke on everything from the best backyard breeds to dealing with illness, climate conditions, housing/food/water requirements, and so much more! Their knowledge just astounds me, and if you've not had the opportunity to hear them speak, you're really missing out!

We had 9 stops on our Tour this year: 7 private coops and 2 local feed stores: Gerber Farm Supply & Old Farmhouse Feed & Garden Center.

If you were not able to join us this year, don't worry - we're doing it again next year!
Enjoy the Tour!

The Wade Creek House

This all-animal shed came to us from a Craigslist ad. The goats had rearranged the front, and a horse had rearranged the back. Using repurposed windows, shutters, door and roof, we constructed a wonderful new coop for our new flock.

This new structure will also provide enough room to store feed and gardening tools inside.

Steffanson Coop

I am first and foremost a gardener, so the design of this coop had to fit seamlessly into my garden. My husband built the coop with the same architectural style as our house. We used some salvaged building materials, left over paint and some good finds from The Wade Creek House to finish it off.

I wanted fancy chickens that would complement the coop, so I chose four Cochin hens. They are my constant companions when I'm working in the garden. They spend their days alternating between the run and the garden as well as laying eggs - when they see fit.

Mantei Coop

When I told my husband, "I don't care, I just want it to have wheels", this is what I got!

Partially constructed from recycled lumber (the window is recycled, too) the (2) floor trays and (4) nesting boxes are made from 24ga galvanized steel for easy cleaning. The coop has been painted a light "cappuccino" color to give it a bit of a protective coat.
Current residents are 1 yr old hens: (3) White Plymouth Rocks ("Ghost Hens") and (1) Wellsummer.

The newest flocks are taking residence in the greenhouse:

(3) Ameracauna and (3) Black Jersey Giants pullets (5-1/2 wks old)

26 Cornish Cross meat birds (6-1/2 wks old)

Winthrop Coop

The Winthrop Coup is a work in progress! It has undergone some major upgrades recently, due to trial and error trying to protect the Chickens from predators. We now have a very secure stall-built coup where we can collect eggs, feed, and clean while staying out of the weather.

The chickens can roam inside the barn on bad days or in the chicken run on good days. We let them run free in the yard when we are home to play with the other animals. Our 7 hens and 1 rooster get along great with our horses, dogs, and cats! Mr. Roo (a flamboyant Araucana) thinks he is a designer and if he does not like your shoes he will let you know they are not his style!

Marsh Coop: "Coop 'd Villa"

We went to the chicken chat and coop tour at The Wade Creek House in 2010, curious and not knowing the first thing about chickens...

In 2011 we built the "Coop d' Villa"!

The coop is 10'x10' with cedar shake exterior & metal roof with skylight. It has a linoleum floor, four nesting boxes and nice roosts with removal trays for easy cleaning.

We currently have 14 chickens:
(2) Speckled Sussex, (2) White Brahmas, (2) White Rhode Islands, (2) Ameracaunas, (3) Plymough Rocks, (1) Rhose Island Red, (1) black Australorp, (1) Wyandotte.

Out of the 14, four are rescued chickens. They all seem to be happy & healthy. Truly, there is nothing like fresh eggs!

Koehler Coop

We wanted a chicken coop, but knew that our location meant a lot of predators would like it as well. With that, we designed the coop with safety in mind.

By digging 6-8 inches deep. lining the floor with thick wire mesh & back-filling over, nothing can dig it's way in!

At present we have 9 birds: (2) Rhode Island Red, (2) Wellsummer, (2) Ameracauna, (1) Barred Rock, (1) rooster, and "Baby".

Baby is a Quail Banta and came to us from our son. Due to her size she was always last in line of the pecking order and was forced to live with the ducks. Here she has always been able to hold her own and holds a special place in our hearts. She is a real trooper and still lays eggs at 7-ish years old. We all get a kick out of her fluffy little face and how expressive it is!

Tawney Farm Coop

This unique coop is the oldest on the tour. Built in the 1870s, the "Shibley Ice House" stood on the Shibley Homestead in rural Clackamas County for nearly 100 years.

Now home to a troupe of Ameracauna and various bantam chickens, the ice house currently resides at the Tawney Farm in Colton, Oregon.

The coop has a large covered run to protect from predators while allowing the chickens to roam freely on a daily basis.

Background note:
Ice houses are buildings used to store ice throughout the year, commonly used prior to the invention on the refrigerator. Some were underground champers, usually man-made, close to natural sources of winter ice such as freshwater lakes, but many were buildings with various types of insulation. During the winter, ice and snow would be taken into the ice house and packed with insulation, often straw or sawdust. It would remain frozen for many months, often until the following winter, and could be used as a source of ice during summer months. The main application of the ice was the storage of perishable foods.
Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_house_(building)

Feed Stores