Coop visitors to gawk at bawking chickens

The second annual Chicken Coop Tour in Bend will be held May 7.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., participants will be able to tour about 30 chicken coops in Central Oregon.

About 15 stops have been identified, and planners seek more birds of a feather who would like to make their coops a stop on the tour. The event benefits Together For Children, Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center and NeighborImpact Food Bank.

Tour booklets serve as tickets and map to coops, at a price of $10 or six items of nonperishable food per booklet, which covers entry for a carload of people.

Organizers also seek sponsors for the event. Sponsorship levels range from $50 to $250.

Then decide which chicken breeds you will raise. There are many to choose from. Some are prodigious layers. For example, the Leghorn and Rhode Island Red produce a large egg each day during peak times (the first one or two years of a chicken's life). Many have beautiful, unusual plumage. And don't forget Araucana chickens, which lay eggs in pastel shades of green and blue.

Buy chicks in early to mid-spring; that way, their feathers will have time to grow in before winter. Choose birds that are the same age and that will be about the same size, even if they are different breeds. "You've heard the term 'pecking order' — the dominant ones will literally peck at the others,'' says Bud Wood, co-owner of Murray McMurray Hatchery, in Webster City, Iowa, one of several companies that ship chicks. (They are also sold at feed stores; consult your local cooperative extension service for sources.)

When choosing a coop, allow 2 square feet per chicken, and set up an enclosed outdoor space (called a run). Place an egg-laying box inside the coop – a 12-inch cube will accommodate two to four hens. Add wood shavings or straw to fill the boxes. A flock of five hens will lay as many as four eggs a day during peak laying time. Wood recommends keeping just two or three hens – one will get lonely, but too many can be overwhelming.