Tour de Cluck
On Saturday we attended the annual "Tour de Cluck" in Davis, California. It's an urban coop tour of people's coops - all different types & kinds - located across and around the
mid-sized community. There they allow up to six back yard hens per residence (within city limits) and people have fashioned a variety of coops and chicken runs. We saw everything from "budget-friendly" (made from scratch wood or converted dog runs) to fancy (custom-made of redwood) and Ikea-style (built from a kit). The New York Times was even said to be darting about and taking pictures!
This was our first year attending - tickets sell out fast, and this year we planned-ahead!
We ordered our tickets online ($15) before they had a chance to sell-out just a few days later. With the car loaded (bikes, snacks, and drinks) we headed out to Davis early and arrived by 9:30 a.m. The farmer's market was already well under way, and after securing a parking spot we found the will-call ticket booth.
The "tickets" consisted of a tour map:
We started out on the cruiser bikes, but after the first loop (3 miles worth, haha), we opted to continue the tour via car (note to self - using the GPS on our smart phone was a good idea...too many times the map lead us to dead-ends, where only bike paths were available and we couldn't get through). We saw some great designs, especially for those who just want a few hens for eggs in their urban backyards. Here's a sampling:
I have to add, there was more to see than just coops.....the people of Davis have some wonderful gardens and yards! We were inspired by the blooms, art, and architecture, as well as how people made excellent use of a space.
This would be a fantastic event for first-time chicken people to attend, especially if they haven't decided on what kind of coop would work best (and they want to see what works or doesn't work). Each location had a posted description about the particular design and what the coop owners would do differently (very handy); the home-owners themselves were more than happy to talk about both their chickens and the coops.
We made it to all 18 coops along the tour, including the stops at the 4-H and FFA school site. I was excited to see that a child-development program (for children 5 years and under) also had two coops, and learned that the chickens and gardening were an essential educational tool for them. Future 4-Her's in the making!
What a great way to spend a Saturday! Great job, Davis!
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