VideoAre you hiding chickens at home?

In many cities in the US and Canada, backyard chickens are illegal. The Perennial Plate takes a close up look at some of the outlaws hiding them.

The post Video: Underground Chickens appeared first on EcoSalon.

The grass is greener (and prettier) on this side of the chicken wire.

Chicken coop design is a rather specialized disciplined, either the domain of dedicated DIYers or idealistic urbanites looking to spruce up their homesteads with modernist prefab-esque aviary dwellings.

Here are a few noteworthy models – egg-shaped, solar-paneled and all – that are in strut with the backyard chicken-keeping trend. Please note that “trend” is not meant to be taken flippantly. An increasing number of municipalities are relaxing regulations against urban and suburban chicken husbandry. Meanwhile, our eggs have never been so organic and home-hatched. It’s not so much a trend as it is a common sense renaissance, one that designers and architects are answering with innovation.

Hand-crafted in the UK, the egg-shaped Nogg can house two-four domestic chickens. Reinforced stainless door frame protects from the elements and a twistable, liftable glass top aids circulation. The Nogg is made from antibacterial cedar wood.

Bonus feature: Nogg egg cups, just because.

While not commercially available, the coop by Mitchell Snyder and designer Shelley Martin has been the envy of every urban dwelling chicken-keeper since it was hatched during the nascence of the chicken craze. It was built behind a 1924 craftsman bungalow in NE Portland, Oregon. Windows control ventilation and the roof features a planted terrain for rain water filtration and heat absorption during hot summer months.

The RAAD is a luxe chicken coop by a New York firm that has elevated chicken keeping to a “new standard in living that liberates the lifestyles of modern chickens.” It features floor-to-ceiling windows and a solar-powered fan.

Moderncoop is what you would describe as a “sporty chicken coop” made from recycled cedar. It is also mobile (allowing your yard to “re-cooperate”) with a look is altogether trailer chic.

Now for two truly innovative coops designed by Studio H, a public high school design/build curriculum. The first, called Chicktopia was made from one hundred reclaimed sticks salvaged from a tobacco farm.

The second, another reclaimed Studio H coop, the Chicken Circus.

Finally, there’s Breed Retreat from designer Frederik Roijée, an elevated hen house with private “rooms” and a glassed-in egg-laying area.

It’s an urban paradise, proving yet again that life is for the birds.

Image: The Nogg via Life of an Architect

The post 7 Design-Forward Chicken Coops We Love appeared first on EcoSalon.

A friend of mine in Berkeley kept chickens in her backyard. I was devastated when she moved to Seattle before I could have a look. But then, cluck was with me, because I moved into a new place in San Francisco, and my downstairs neighbors had chickens!

Urban chickens were in our midst. The myth became our truth. And thus, my chicken lessons began. The baby chicks were originally born in our apartment laundry room, so the grown chickens liked to return to their first roost. This meant shooing away chickens off our third story deck as they tried to sneak into our place. Clucking surreal! Who knew chickens would even walk up and down stairs?

The luster began to fade when I found myself stepping in chicken poop every time I went to water my deck garden. Really? I wasn’t even enjoying the benefits of fresh eggs! OK, my neighbors have set me up once or twice. Wait a minute – could I somehow benefit from this poop? Fresh poop for fertilizer?

We recently had family in town visiting, and on our way to nearby Glen Canyon Park, we heard an animal sound. Could it be? It was.

Up on a neighbor’s front porch. Urban goats.

If you’re thinking about raising your own urban chickens, find out more from this chicken expert interview.

Image: Emily Mills

The post Feeling Clucky with Backyard Chickens appeared first on EcoSalon.