Sustainable poultry farms

Poultry farming comes a little closer to the city.

A handful of University of Colorado at Boulder environmental design students built a chicken coop for their independent study project. They partnered with an organization called Urban Hens that aims to create a sustainable relationship between people and chickens.

People get eggs for their meals and use chicken waste as a natural fertilizer for their gardens. The eight chickens are then fed from the gardens and cared for by the seven families who share the coop.

“People get curious and ask if they can come and see them,” said Mary Young, a chicken caretaker. “I’m very happy my backyard has become a public space.”

They chose the Young’s backyard because their neighborhood community already worked together to make the cement islands in their streets visually pleasing.

The backyard coop in North Boulder is currently one of three. Another coop is in South Boulder at an assisted living home where children at a nearby school can interact with the coop and learn about sustainable living. The last one resides in Denver.

The design of the coops keep the hens well protected from all sides. The coop rests on a cement slab so animals are discouraged from burrowing up from underneath, and the wiring keeps other critters out. When they need to get out, they can roam around outside the coop with supervision.

A prototype of the chicken coop design is on display at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. For more information about the project, visit UrbanHens.com.