Chickens in the City: Austin's 3rd Annual Funky Chicken Coop Tour
For families looking for something new and different to do this Easter weekend, we invite everyone to come and join the fun at Austin’s Funky Chicken Coops! On Saturday, April 23, 2011, Austin-area poultry keepers will open their backyards to the public for the third year in a row, to show off their chickens and their urban coops. After such a huge turnout for the 2010 tour, with at least 1500 visitors, we knew we'd be having a great time with this year's tour! Chickens and other backyard livestock are growing in popularity. Besides being easy-to-care-for pets, chickens provide insect control, supply delicious fresh eggs, and help create better yards and gardens. Most chicken owners report that it's just plain fun to have them around.
Visitors to the tour sites will see how recycled materials can be transformed into a low-cost coop or how a fashionable coop can enhance a landscape. Our backyard coops show the many ways that chicken (and other poultry) housing can be incorporated into a city residence without violating city ordinances or creating a nuisance. Many of the homes on the tour have featured various alternative energy sources, such as solar panels, along with other environmentally sound practices such as rainwater harvesting and xeriscaping. A lot of the coops on the tour also have interesting and unusual features; for example, one of our tour hosts on this year's tour keeps dairy goats along with chickens and another has a chandelier inside the coop!
Our organization, Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour, operates in association with another local organization, The Sustainable Food Center, http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org. The tour will be a fundraiser for the first time this year, with all proceeds (after expenses) to be donated to the SFC. The SFC will be raffling off prizes donated by our sponsors throughout the day at our Information Center on the day of the tour, located at Buck Moore Feed and Pet Supply at 5237 North Lamar Blvd. All attendees are eligible to enter a free raffle to win a brand new chicken coop from our sponsor Mobile Chicken Coops! The coop will be donated by Josh Hudgins of Mobile Chicken Coops: https://mobilechickencoops.com/. The drawing will be held shortly after 4:00 pm, following the end of the tour.
2011 will mark the first time for us to offer a commemorative poster. Artist Joe Wirtheim, of http://victorygardenoftomorrow.com/, has created unique artwork for the tour. Wirtheim is an artist advocate who is using his art to promote civic innovation and social progress through better food, better gardens, and better cities. These posters are available through his Etsy Store http://www.etsy.com/shop/joeseppi. Our commemorative T-shirts, based on the poster design, are available at the SFC Farmer’s Markets as well as Buck Moore Feed and Pet Supply, while supplies last.
Urban chicken-keeping continues to be a growing trend and The Funky Chicken Coop Tour will include coops all over the Austin area. We're hoping to have more people than ever interested in checking out what Austin poultry people are doing to keep their birds housed and happy. Maps to the coop locations can be downloaded from our website at http://fccooptour.blogspot.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Printed copies of the map will be available in limited quantities at select locations, also listed on the website. So, make some time on Easter weekend to check out this free event. The free, self-guided tour will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, rain or shine.
TIME AND DATE: April 23, 2011
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Rain or Shine
Free
URL: http://fccooptour.blogspot.com
CONTACT: Christy Sanders
512-487-7737
pr@austincooptour.org
RESOURCES: See our website for chicken coop tours in other cities and other urban poultry resources.
***** The Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour is held in partnership with Sustainable Food Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution as a sponsor is a tax-deductible donation. Proceeds from the event will benefit Sustainable Food Center www.sustainablefoodcenter.org. Thank You For Supporting The Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour!!!!
