Tour de Coop, aka "The Chicken Ride"

Last fall while I was attending a training, Jon and Elsa took part in a neighborhood bike tour of chicken coops, beehives, and gardens. They had such a great time and talked about it so much that I was excited to be able to join them this year.

On an unseasonably cool fall morning (for Memphis), we joined several other families to embark on our tour. Elsa loves a good bike ride from her perch on the front of Jon's bike, so she was thrilled even before we reached our first destination.

One of our first stops was a house with very impressive gardens in both the front and back yards. Jon and I were extremely impressed with the way the back yard was so functional. The raised beds were made from reclaimed roofing material and featured built-in benches so that caring for the various vegetables (planting, weeding, etc.) would be more comfortable. This set-up also allowed for great entertaining potential. We also really liked the screened-in deck, which is something we've discussed doing at our house. Someday, our yard will be more than just weeds...

Continuing along our tour, we saw some more gardens and beehives (Grandpa Walstrom would be so proud of Elsa's interest in honeybees) before finally getting to see what the day had promised: chickens. There was great variation in the chicken operations we visited, but all of them proved that it is possible to raise chickens in an urban neighborhood. We are far from ready to keep chickens in our own backyard, but it is pretty fun to know that they're out there.

It should come as no surprise to learn that Elsa took an epic nap after our grand adventure. A fun morning was definitely had by all.

Elsa wants to show you some chickens