Imagine having your own eggs, from your own chickens even though you live in an as non rural a place as West Seattle.

Seattle Tilth is suggesting that you spend a summer afternoon with family or friends visiting some of the city’s hardy urban farm folk and find out for yourself what it’s like to keep a flock of egg-laying hens. Also on tour: bees, goats, ducks, green building, rainwater harvesting, a solar oven and serious organic food production.

This is your chance to visit folks who are keeping chickens, as well as goats and bees, right here in the city of Seattle. On July 10, you can take a look at how people are raising urban livestock and incorporating animals into their home landscape.

In this self-guided tour through Seattle neighborhoods, you will see simple coops built in an afternoon and elaborate houses that took weeks of planning and building. Learn from seeing what your neighbors are doing. Ask questions about coop building techniques and materials, daily chores. The tour runs from 11a.m. to 4 p.m.

The cost is $25 for Seattle Tilth members, $30 for non-members. Each ticket allows a family or 4 individuals to participate. Maps will be mailed to participants the week of the event. If you have questions please e-mail elaineboyd@seattletilth.org or call (206) 633-0451 ext. 101.
managing waste and any other questions you have about keeping chickens or urban livestock.

You will see a wide variety of accommodations, variously described as: cottage, craftsman, castle, shed, mobile, two-storied and ark. The chickens include many different varieties including Buff Orpingtons, Easter Eggers, Cuckoo Marans, Golden Laced Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, Black Autralorp, Araucana, Delaware, Barred Rock and Bantams. Besides chickens and coops, you will also have the opportunity to see other urban livestock including mini dairy goats, honey bees and ducks. Other creative trappings of modern Seattle urban homesteads including productive organic gardens, fruit orchards, rain barrels, a solar oven and more.

This tour might be the inspiration you need to build your dream coop or begin a fun and rewarding new hobby! You will enjoy seeing the many creative arrangements people have developed in their urban yards and homesteads.

West Seattle Special
Can't decide between going on the Coop Tour and the Edible Garden Tour of West Seattle? For $15 you can stay in West Seattle and see both! Visit just the West Seattle coops and also the West Seattle Edible Garden Tour. Find out more: http://gleanit.org/tour.html.