Do you have chickens, or know someone who does?

‘Cause we need ‘em for this years third annual Boulder and Lyons area Tour de Coops!

The Lyons area saw it’s first Tour in 2009, where I gobbled up loads of inspiration for my garden (thanks Betsy and The Lyons Farmette!). While I read about people keeping chickens in smaller, urban areas, I just couldn’t wrap my head around how that all worked.

Chickens, in my mind, existed on the iconic midwestern farm or, sadly, crammed together in factory farms. But in people’s small backyards?  Don’t they smell? Aren’t’ they noisy? And boy, they must be a lot of work, right?

Well, I was so inspired by the first Lyons Tour de Coops that I not only got some (not smelly, sometimes noisy and not too much work) chickens, I also decided to start a tour for the Boulder area. Going into its third year, we have more support than ever.

This year, you can expect to find snacks and refreshments at various coops along the way, keeping you nourished and refreshed on your journey. And, thanks to the folks over at Visionary Values, we now have an interactive website where coopsters can register and manage their homestead profile, while tour goers can map out their own routes based on what they want to see and where they want to eat.

So, if you or someone you know has a coop and wants to be on the tour, get in touch with Laura at YummyYards.org, or register online at TourdeCoopsBoulder.com and we’ll get you on the map. Otherwise, stay tuned as we continue to expand this day of chickens, gardens and hives, oh my!

Lyons area Tour:  August 12^th, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., in conjunction with The Farmette Farmers Market.

Boulder area Tour:  August 26^th, 2-5 p.m.

Here are some photos of last year’s event:

For more on free range and coops, please read Free Range Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be. ~ Laura Ruby.

Laura Ruby is an avid foodie enthusiast, sniffing out fresh, local and yummy food wherever she goes. She worked as the Garden Coordinator for the Growe Foundation for the past three and a half years installing gardens and teaching garden curriculum at Boulder Valley elementary schools. She is also the founder and owner of YummyYards, an edible landscaping company, working to co-create more functioning, self-sufficient landscapes, and is a co-facilitator and teacher at the Lyons Permaculture Design Course at the Farmette. When not teaching about growing food, you can usually find her in a garden somewhere.

~

Editor: Cassandra Smith

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