Prints of chicken paintings are available for sale this year at all 4 ticket locations on Saturday, May 19. Local artists Rick Bennett and Diane Rodger, have generously contributed their art to the Tour. There will be information about the prints at each site – they are available for sale for $10 each, and there are five to choose from. All proceeds from the prints go to Urban Ministries.
Ticket locations on Saturday, May 19:
1. Whole Foods Raleigh, 3540 Wade Ave.
2. Whole Foods North Raleigh, 8710 Six Forks Road
3. Seaboard Ace Hardware, 802 Semart Drive
4. Atlantic Avenue Orchid & Garden, 5217 Atlantic Ave.

View the mapThe featured coops page is now updated with descriptions and photos of all 26 coops, including 20 (!) that are new to the tour. We’ve expanded the tour geographically this year, with 8 coops located outside the I-440 beltline. There’s also a map that shows the approximate locations of each coop as well as the locations where you can pick up tickets with the coop addresses on the day of the tour. So you can now start to plan which coops to visit on May 19.
Get your ticket online today!

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 9:30 a.m. OR Sunday, June 3, 2:00 p.m. OR Monday, June 4, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Room 159, Kilgore Hall, NC State University
COST: A fee of $10 per person will be requested. (No pre-registration required.)
This presentation by long-time chicken-keeper Bob Davis will confirm that keeping backyard chickens is both desirable and attainable. Chickens produce eggs, are wonderful pets, and provide an earth connection for their owners. Details of their care will be covered, including sources of birds, housing, feeding, and health.
Bob will present the ‘Chicken Keeping 101’ talk on three separate dates and times. It is the same talk each time, so you need only attend one. The talk lasts about 2.5 hours, depending on questions, with time for further questions at the end.
Free parking is available in the Brooks Lot on the corner of Brooks and Hillsborough. Kilgore Hall is directly across Hillsborough Street from the parking lot (bamboo structures in front). Room 159 is located in the center of the building on the first floor. Please try to arrive a little early, so that we can start on time. Doors to the building are locked shortly after the class begins.

The Cameron Village Library in Raleigh is holding Made From Scratch: The Chicken In Art, their first chicken-themed art show (that we know of!)
Artists in all mediums are encouraged to submit their chicken-inspired work to the show. Professional and amateur poultry-inspired artists are welcome to apply. The library will display the selected works during the month of May.
Works will be accepted for consideration between April 13-20. The deadline for submitting works is April 20, 5:00 p.m.
Selected works will be displayed in the public areas of the library and will be visible to library patrons and visitors during the month of May.
For additional information, please contact: Cameron Village Regional Library, Patti Huopana (patti.huopana@wakegov.com)

Do you ever wonder what predators may be lurking around your coop after dark? The NC Museum of Natural Sciences and NCSU’s Wildlife Program want to help you find out.
As part of the Great Chicken Coop Stake Out they will be placing camera traps at volunteer coops around the Raleigh area to capture images of the predators. You can help the museum and NCSU test theories about carnivores in both urban and rural settings by participating in the study.
Read the full story or sign up to help on the NC Museum of Natural Sciences blog here.

Photos from the 2012 Cock-A-Doodle-Doo COCK-Tail Party

Benefitting Urban Ministries of Wake County
Your support of the party will help Urban Ministries continue to provide the basic necessities of life – food, shelter, and medical care – to 23,000 of our Wake County neighbors each year.
When: Sunday, April 29, 6 to 9 “o’cluck”
Where: Roost of Diane and Dave Rodger, 110 Pasquotank Dr., Raleigh
What: Kick-off for the 2012 Tour D’Coop!
The Rodger’s chicken coop and lovely woodland garden was featured on PBS’s “Growing a Greener World”. Guests will enjoy drinks, delicious food, a deviled egg tasting bar featuring recipes by Debbie Moose and a silent auction filled with surprises.
Tickets are $25 per person. Host sponsorships are $100 and include two tickets and recognition on event signage. Additional sponsorship levels are available.
Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to visit this lovely landscape, happy hens and enjoy wonderful fellowship! Space is limited!
Tickets can be purchased on the Tour d’Coop site. All major credit cards accepted.
To purchase tickets over the phone or to sponsor with a check, please contact Alisa Broadwater, Urban Ministries, at 919.256.2171, abroadwater@urbanmin.org.
Adults only please.
This year’s Cock-Tail features a book signing by local food writer, Debbie Moose! Copies ofher book, “Deviled Eggs from Simple to Sassy” will be on sale at the event, 20% of book sales will go directly to Urban Ministries. Find Debbie Moose online at debbiemoose.com

HOST SPONSORS to date:
Avian and Exotic Animal Care
Mary June and Henry Jones
Kaydos-Daniels engineers
Logan Trading Company
The Mosquito Authority
Tricia and Stuart Phoenix
Joelyn Harrington, Wells Fargo
Southern Wildlife and Land Management, Alex Freeman
Carla and David Liberatore
Wayne Freeman and Cronin Byrd
Dr. Stephen and Kim Andreaus
Atlantic Avenue Orchid and Garden
David Bridge
Drs. Jean and Michael Carter
Gaugert Financial
Garner Family Eye Care
Ilene and Larry Holmes
Susie Mallard Barnes and Art Barnes
Michael Manfre
Bev and Chuck Norwood
Orchid Hill Studios
Alan and Ruth Reberg
Murals by Kirsten Reberg-Horton
Sue and Bruce Reeve
Debbie and Larry Robbins
Diane and Dave Rodger
Seaboard ACE Hardware
Gerald and Mary Sibrack
Nancy and Bob Sumner
Danita Morgan and Chris White
Yardsprout.com
Whitney and Cliff Zinner
Sandra Cole Rodger – Cole Rodger Photographics
Become a cocktail party sponsor »
Learn about other sponsorship opportunities »

In the city of Raleigh there are many ‘secret’ coops tucked away in back yards. Pickets, cedar planks and privet hedges can hide many things from the view of the street. The residents enjoy their garden hens for companionship, insect control or the fabulous compost but even neighbors may not know that there are birds behind the gate.
For those of us who have back yard chickens the idea that birds aren’t the perfect garden pet seems so odd. We relish the life they add to our landscapes, we love the eggs, we enjoy the sounds they make. For years our neighbors in Cary could only envy our hens as their town council repeatedly voted down any attempts to legalize garden hens in that fair town.
We are happy to report that we’ve heard stirrings in the Cary town council that at least one member has reconsidered the joy of chickens. Read this post on council member Don Frantz’s blog about his change of heart regarding garden hens.
Good luck, Cary! We hope you can have fresh eggs for breakfast soon!
If you have a garden coop in Raleigh we’d love to have you apply for this year’s tour. Click here to scratch out your paperwork today. The deadline is February 18th!

We are now accepting applications from Raleigh chicken owners who wish to be a stop on the 2012 Tour D’Coop on May 19. Homes within the entire City of Raleigh will be considered for inclusion this year. Applications are due no later than February 18. Please fill out the online application and include 3 digital photographs of your coop.
Stay tuned for more information about the 2012 Tour.

WHEN: Saturday, October 29, 2011, 10:00 a.m. OR Sunday, October 30, 2011, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Room 159, Kilgore Hall, NC State University
COST: A fee of $5 per person will be requested. (No pre-registration required.)
This presentation by long-time chicken-keeper Bob Davis will confirm that keeping backyard chickens is both desirable and attainable. Chickens produce eggs, make wonderful pets, and provide an earth connection for their humans. Details of their care will be covered, including sources of birds, housing, feeding, and health.
Bob will present the ‘Chicken Keeping 101’ talk on two separate dates and times. It is the same talk each time, so you need only attend one. The talk lasts about 1.5 hours, depending on questions, with time for further questions at the end, so you might want to allow about two hours. Please try to arrive a little early, so that the class can start on time.
Free parking is available in the Brooks Lot on the corner of Brooks and Hillsborough. Kilgore Hall is directly across Hillsborough Street from the parking lot (bamboo structures in front). Room 159 is located in the center of the building on the first floor.

Coops from the 2011 Tour d’Coop were featured on a recent episode of Growing A Greener World, a television show distributed by American Public Television.
You can view their chicken keeping episode here:
http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/episode210/