Cooptastic - The National Backyard Poultry Conference

Cooptastic.

My goodness, who knew there was such a thing? Haha! But of course! 

This national conference is dedicated to the art & science of raising backyard poultry, with a focus on education. I couldn't be happier to be a part of it. It's coordinated, facilitated, and hosted by the Alabama Cooperative Extension, designed specifically to cover information related owning and managing backyard flocks.

I will be speaking at a session on Saturday, and look forward to a great event! They will be covering some amazing topics for all skill levels, from beginning chicken keepers to advanced. You can check out their conference agenda and get more details at the link below.

What is Cooptastic?

"Cooptastic is made just for backyard flock poultry owners. It is open to all current or future backyard flock owners from across Alabama and the nation. At this conference, you will join your fellow feathered-friend enthusiasts to learn about the ins and outs of keeping chickens. 

At this event, poultry professionals will help you make those decisions by arming you with specific information designed for backyard flock owners."

When: March 15–16, 2024

Where: Alabama 4-H Center, 892 Four H Road Columbiana, AL 35051

 To register, click HERE. 

 

 

Live Broadcast With Farmer Fred!

I had the privilege this Sunday (Feb 28th) of being an in-studio radio guest for Fred Hoffman (a.k.a. "Farmer Fred"), which aired live on Talk Radio KSTE 650 and KFBK 1530 from 9:30 to 11am.

The KFBK Garden Show and Get Growing happen each Sunday morning in the greater Sacramento region, and I've been an avid listener for many years! So it was a huge deal to me personally to be on the show. It was great to see the behind-the-scene activities of a radio show, and Fred was a gracious host! We talked about bringing home new chicks, took phone and email questions, and had a blast.
My husband took pictures, so here's a look:

In case you missed it live, there are podcasts! Woot! Woot!

The podcast link to the first half (on KFBK) can be heard here:
http://kfbk.iheart.com/media/play/26768179/

The link to the second half (on KSTE) can be heard here:
http://kste.iheart.com/media/play/26768230/

ITunes Users:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kfbk-garden-show/id271150038
and
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-growing/id281910939

Chicken Classes - in March & April!

Mark your calendars, our next "Backyard Chickens 101" classes will be held on Saturday, March 19th and Saturday, April 23rd!

Finding Chickens in British Columbia, Canada

We recently returned from a family adventure in Canada! We took a road trip up to Vancouver Island and made stops along the way to see the sights. Naturally, looking for "anything chicken" meant keeping our eyes peeled for our feathered friends.


Along our way through Washington, one of the stops included the Museum of Flight in Seattle. What a great collection of planes and history!



Who could resist a plane called "Wyandotts"?


Once in Victoria, B.C., we made a visit to the world famous "Miniature World" on Humboldt Street. The building is filled with miniature displays (filled with replicas of just about everything you can imagine).


A farm....see the chickens at the top and to the left?

In Duncan we went to the Cowichan Valley Museum; I loved their artwork and cultural totem poles! This was a design of a hummingbird (I love hummingbirds).










Also in Duncan, we visited the Pacific Northwest Raptor Centre and saw some incredible birds! Here is Emily, our Raptor Presenter during the flight demonstration.



Emily with a Bald Eagle.



A barn owl swooping in.

Back in Victoria, we spotted a food truck called the "Hungry Rooster". 



A food truck in downtown Victoria, near the harbor.

Admittedly, the chickens were scarce on our trip, until the very end......

In Washington.

Fun Day in Davis! Tour de Cluck Adventure

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!

"Chickens 101" Class" Was a Success!

Our class at Robinson's (on April 14th) was a huge success! We had more than 100 people attend and learn about raising backyard poultry. Good Morning Sacramento (Ch. 31) helped promote our chicken clinic and aired a quick segment in the 8am hour. Here are some pictures....

Hal of King's Feed and JR of Manna Pro both did a great job presenting on their products. Their support was much appreciated! 
Many thanks to Robinson's for their hospitality and sponsorship! The staff, as well as Rex & Susie, were wonderful to work with! Please take time to go see them and check out the great poultry items they have in their store.