Saturday, April 24, 2010

Raleigh's Tour d'Coop

The Hen-side the Beltline Tour d’Coop will be held Saturday May 15, 10am- 4pm, rain or shine. It's the Fifth Annual Tour of Raleigh’s Urban Chickens and Their Coops, sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

Raleigh’s city chicken owners invite you into their backyards for a first-hand look at keeping chickens in an urban environment. Discover the variety of breeds that might be nesting in your neighborhood, such as these attracdtive young Light Brahma pullets. Learn about raising chickens in a healthy neighbor friendly environment and see how families integrate chickens into their gardening practices. Kids and chickens have a natural affinity. In addition, you’ll be impressed by the ingenious coops that can be devised to shelter these feathered pets.

http://hensidethebeltline.blogspot.com/

Previous years’ Tours have been huge successes, with thousands of visitors enjoying the event. This year’s tour includes 21 returning and new coops and informational booths. You do not want to miss this unique “Parade of Combs” and their homes. Bring the family, but please leave pets at home, since some flocks are not accustomed to four-legged visitors.

Being Green, Eating Local and Fun Too!
Why do I keep chickens? Coop owners who were asked that question gave answers as varied as themselves. “I wanted to teach my children where food comes from”, “I wanted to live a more sustainable life”, “I grew up on a farm and wanted to continue some of those traditions”, “chickens make me laugh!”, “chicken manure makes great compost.” Gardeners, parents, farmers’ children, environmentalists and people with a sense of humor all enjoy keeping chickens in an urban environment.

Admission: Please bring a non-perishable food or cash donation for Raleigh Urban Ministries.
100% of the food and money collected goes to Urban Ministries. The 2009 Tour collected 2342 pounds of food and raised over $5300 for Urban Ministries. Founded in 1981, Urban Ministries of Wake County is a non-profit organization that provides essential basic services to close to 20,000 families and individuals in Wake County every year. These services include emergency and transitional housing, medical care, prescription medications, food assistance and other support services to promote self-sufficiency and a stable home environment for those in need. 94 cents of every dollar goes to services!
New this year the Tour d’Coop attendees have the option of donating online through Paypal prior to the tour through our website (www.urbanmin.org/chickentour)
Thanks to Rick Bennett for providing this information and the terrific photos!

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