Urban Coop Tour shows off havens for backyard chickens

Info: wyldecenter.org/events

Chickens are making their way to the top of the pecking order in some Atlanta-area backyards.

The sixth annual Urban Coop Tour, on Oct. 5-6, demonstrates that chicken coops can be an attractive addition to the landscape, said Anne-Marie Anderson, a Decatur resident and tour chairwoman. Some coops on the self-guided tour are decorated with curtains, stained glass and recycled tin. Rain barrels, composting and “foodscaping,” or edible landscaping often using fruit trees or shrubs, also are incorporated into some coops on display, she said.

Twelve coops in communities including Decatur/Oakhurst Village, East Atlanta, Lake Claire, Virginia-Highland and the Historic Fourth Ward are on the tour, which is hosted by the Wylde Center.

Here’s a peek into five coops on the tour, with the descriptions provided by tour organizers.

"Beltline Garden Paradise": A 6-foot-by-10-foot coop is tucked beneath the Atlanta Beltline, built by Bridget Wynn and Matthew Hicks after last year's tour. The open-air coop in the Historic Fourth Ward is enclosed with a mesh hardware cloth to protect the eight chickens at night. Two enclosed runs make use of the dead space in the yard, which has fruit trees, a muscadine vine, native grasses and seasonal crops.

"Recycled Palace": A door from a 1910s house, decorative tin panels from a kitchen, a stained-glass window dating to 1890, brick destined for the Dumpster and cedar shingles from a Victorian renovation were repurposed for chickens in an East Atlanta coop. Homeowner Kara O'Brien, the owner of Kara O'Brien Renovations, used those items and other recycled materials to complete the new coop, run and chicken tractor (a movable coop that doesn't have a floor) for her and daughter Walker's 12 chickens. The roosts and ramps are made out of fallen branches.

"Designer Coops": Two coops in a Lake Claire backyard were designed to create a comfy home for chickens and add to the backyard's aesthetic. The coops have electricity, an automatic door opener and hinged windows for ventilation. Homeowners Bonnie Smith and Jennifer Campbell added a curtain, to give chickens privacy when laying eggs, and pictures on the walls. Donated items included shingles and cooper flashing for the roof, and a pickle barrel repurposed to collect rainwater.

"Pretty Predator-Proofing": Homeowners David and Therese May and their 9-year-old son, Riley, created in 2013 the "Fort Knox of chicken coops" by covering it with reinforced wire, which also is buried underground. The roofed henhouse and coop also incorporated drop-down doors for easier cleaning. Fruit trees, flowers and shrubs in the Decatur yard partially screen the coop and its four chickens, offering shade.

"Sociable Chicks": Decatur resident Beth Ann Schroder created her barn-red coop from scratch, with no premade designs or blueprints. It took three months — working on weekends — to build the 8-foot-by-4-foot coop for her three chickens.