Coops

We built our coop with a goal of an almost self-sufficient flock that allows us to travel. Stop by, meet the hens, and see how we did it. At our place you can: visit a Gonza Tacos y Tequila food truck, hear some music, see the coop you can win (hint: buy a raffle ticket), grab this year’s Tour D’Coop Tshirt, check out local author Frank Hyman’s book ‘Hentopia,’ and see his creative solutions for hassle-free chicken-keeping. We are growing hundreds of sunflowers, and hoping for blooms by Tour day!

We were on the Tour a few years ago at another location, but now our chickens truly live downtown. We designed our coop around a stained-glass window from a yard sale and it features a solar chandelier and a preening station for the ladies. Our honeybees moved with us and love pollinating our raised vegetable gardens and flowers. If you’re interested in seeing what can be done in a small urban setting—our coop is a must see!

Our city chickens are happy and content in the shadow of downtown Raleigh. Despite the truly urban locale, they have a large area to roam and scratch, with a dirt bath “spa”, mirrors, climbing structures and compost pile to entertain. We capture rainwater and even have some agave and carnivorous plants to nab pesky flies. We will have corn hole set up for human entertainment, so stop by, chat with the chickens, and enjoy our coop. (Please park at the former Disabled American Veterans building, 625 New Bern Avenue; walk to the rear of the parking lot and cross Edenton St. to this coop)

Built into an existing shed and stone wall, our coop serves as the backdrop for growing herbs, food, and native plants on dry-stack stone terraces. The creative landscape behind our historic home features outside art work, funky concrete test cores, and even garden fairies. We enjoy a fire pit and play area, actively compost and capture rainwater, and love showing all the creative things you can do on a city-sized lot. Kids—come draw some chalk art on our basketball court.

Our chickens reflect our desire to live more sustainably in the city. On the Tour before, we’ve added a new run to give our hens safe space to roam. We’ve got lots to show you, including decking material made from recycled milk jugs; DIY ‘no-waste’ feeders; a thoughtful landscape design to minimize run-off and capture rainwater—including permeable paving, a rain garden, dry creek, cistern and rain catchment area; drip irrigation, integrated food and native plant landscape; and composting areas … all on a tiny city lot!

Who says you have to be a chicken to love Tour D’Coop? Rescued pot belly pigs Theodore and Talulah, invite you to see their feathered friends’ large coop, built mostly of reclaimed wood, and designed to match the aesthetics of the human home. T and T are jealous of the chickens’ swing, sky lights and solar lighting! Russell Crow(s) will also be on hand to show off his lovely harem, along with representatives from The Urban Chicken, Raleigh’s own urban agriculture store.

Larry’s Coffee. No chickens, but so much to see here. And the best part? You can enjoy it all while sipping slow-roasted, fair trade coffee! Our entire building is full of eco-friendly components from our cistern and water catchment system to the natural lighting and vege oil delivery bus. Bet you’ve never seen a whiskey barrel bee shelter! Alice Hinmon from Apiopolis will be on hand from 10-11 AM to answer all your bee questions. We’ve got pollinator plants, compost stations and a lovely patio. All we need is you!

Science, art and poultry all mix at our little urban “farm.” Our flock of five — each named after royalty — live like queens in a movable A-frame coop. These girls are truly lucky to live with plant scientist Chris, who is working on a dwarf-tomato plant breeding project (Cluck! Cluck! Lots of “test” tomatoes to eat all summer long…). And with writer Karin, who was inspired to pen a visually gorgeous and poetic book, “Chicken Haiku,” after watching the flock’s antics. Tomatoes, books, chickens — so much to take in at our vintage stone house.

Welcome to the Well Fed Community Garden, where we reconnect humans to the source of our food — plants, chickens, bees, soil and each other! Our flock plays a vital role in balancing our garden ecosystem. With a mobile coop, aka “chicken tractor,” our urban hens stay busy eating weeds, chasing pests, and leaving ‘deposits’ that fertilize organically grown berries, fruits, vegetables and herbs. Have you visited Irregardless Café? Then you’ve eaten food our chickens helped produce! Check out our bees, vermicomposting (worms), and pollinator gardens, too.

Chickens wanted! And not yet here … But who needs chickens when your entire yard is an urban homestead, full of pollinator plants, fruits, vegetables and wild edibles? We made a comittment to supply all our own fruits and vegetables within five years, and we’ve almost made it. As one of the founders of Piedmont Picnic Project, eating is our focus. Visit and see how worms, compost, clover and more nourish the soil AND our family.

Last year was truly a first for the Tour D’Coop — a chicken coop WHERE? At a doctor’s office? We said “why not?” So come see how wonderfully a coop integrates into a professional setting in a modern office park. Doctors and staff alike benefit from watching the daily life of Frizzle, Silkies and Polish hens, who love their starring role on ‘Chicken Cam’. This year we also have Fullsteam Brewery and Two Roosters Ice Cream on hand to help us celebrate our second year on the Tour D’Coop.

More than just chickens, a true menagerie lives at our place! Our hens peck and roam through a lushly planted double-lot yard, with winding paths, past a greenhouse, pond, gardens and beehives. Our rescued potbellied pigs and fabulous ‘fainting’ goat are once again eager to greet and entertain visitors, and we will have baby chicks to see, so come say “hello.”

We have a lot to show you in the heart of Midtown — two coops, designed for easy clean up and to capture rain water — and home to a large assortment of breeds (come visit us if you are trying to decide on a breed for your new flock). The coops fit beautifully into our urban, terraced backyard, where our own bees pollinate herbs, vegetables and flowers. Between feeding garden scraps to our flock of 14, collecting rain water, recycling, and composting, we produce very little trash.

From the front, our home fits seamlessly into our Midtown neighborhood. But walk around back … and we have a mini-farm filled with animals, vegetables, and fruits, all of which fit nicely on our city lot, with room to spare for hammocks and porch swing. We have a breeding flock of Seramas (the smallest chicken in the world) along with five heritage breed, laying hens; two Nigerian Dwarf goats; and ducks. Come see how all these critters fit comfortably amongst our neighbors, while contributing to the compost we use to nourish our plants, along with collected rainwater.

You won’t find our city chickens lurking in the backyard — our home is unique in that our designer coop is situated up front, so that our street community can enjoy our chickens, too. Our “girls” are central to the gorgeous garden we created using permaculture techniques such as composting, rain water collection, solar energy and more. Come visit our Certified Wildlife Habitat and pollinator, fruit and vegetable gardens and learn how you can create your own urban “Eden” in just a few short years.

Our small flock with multiple breeds provides the heart of our sustainable, urban “farm” and life which includes ornamental and edible gardens, hundreds of plants types, water features, fire pit, playground, green house and many other garden displays. Organic gardening, water conservation, and permaculture techniques are on display on our little acre just two miles north of Crabtree mall. You won’t believe you are on a busy street in the heart of Raleigh when you see our urban oasis!

We’ve got a BIG coop … for very special small people. Part of Raleigh Oak Preschool, our coop is parent- and kid-built and painted, and reflects our school’s emphasis on eco-friendly practices like collecting rainwater, composting and gardening. The chickens offer “real” work for our youngest students, who care for Leghorn, Australorp, Cochin and Lavender Orpingtons living in a coop on their own naturalistic playground. Got kids? You gotta see our coop!

Our large custom built coop with an Adorstore automatic door is not as close to neighbors as some, which means you can see fifteen wonderful hens … and HEAR one very devoted rooster! Multiple breeds thrive in our flock, including Brahma, Rhode Island Red, Golden Comets, Lace Wyandotte and more. Come see our little slice of the country, visit our garden, and if you get lucky, the rooster might crow. Complimentary water, lemonade and snacks will be available. (Turn down the gravel road at the Tour D’Coop sign and follow it approximately 800 feet to the coop)

France can keep its “Chunnel,” we’ve got the CHICKEN TUNNEL! Our girls can choose to hang out in their colorful custom coop, overlooking the pool, or — should they be adventurous — they can head off via a safe and secure wire tunnel that allows them to roam far from the coop, yet be safe from predators. Our suburban yard also features a worm compost bin and edible landscaping. When you visit, we’ll have a scavenger hunt to find food plants hiding in plain sight, and a corn hole game for kids of all ages.

The address might look familiar if you are a music lover! Yes, Walnut Creek Amphitheater (Coastal Credit Union Music Park) has gone to the birds!! And also gone ‘Green…’ Come see our new, custom-built coop, backstage, where our flock of five will soon be entertaining and laying eggs for some of the music industry’s biggest names. Visit our girls and garden—enriched with composted food waste from concert-goers just like you. Learn about all we are doing to divert most of our venue’s waste out of the landfill. We’ll have kid-friendly activities.

Come visit “Feathertown,” a complete town created from salvaged chicken coops and featuring Town Hall, “Cackle” Cathedral, the “Fowlness” Center for sick birds, NC Jail Bird Correctional Center, the Chicken “Tinder” Bar and Grill, and even the “Chick-Inn” Resort! Our lucky hens and two friendly roosters get to free-range most of their day, but at night, they can choose from multiple dwellings when they are ready to roost. Come see “their” town, you won’t believe it!

Our chickens aren’t truly rural or urban, living near the heart of Apex, yet on a large plot of land. Our “girls” have the best of both worlds – living in a coop created from a vintage outbuilding, yet overlooking our beautiful farmhouse style pool and pool house, created from a former barn. With a large flock, representing over 20 breeds, we’ve got lots of chickens of all sizes and colors to see.

Welcome to ‘Central Perk’ Coop, home to five hens and one very lucky rooster. Our chickens live the good life in a coop our family built, but they mostly enjoy being out free-ranging as we tend blueberries, veggie beds, fig and pear trees, and the largest Kiwi vine you’ll ever see! We love art, and have used upcycled materials to create garden art and ‘Flower Trees’ throughout our large property. We’ll have art activities for the kids plus complimentary coffee & baked goods on Tour Day!