Valley Coop Tour gives chicken farmers opportunity to share wisdom

Patrick Burns built a chicken coop in his backyard after watching instructional videos on YouTube, he said. It has wheels and was supposed to be mobile, but it’s too heavy to move.

Sharing that lesson and others with chicken farmers was the Burns family’s goal Sunday as they participated in the Pioneer Valley Backyard Chicken Association’s Valley Coop Tour. As the first of seven stops on the tour, the Burns family drew more than 20 people to their chickens’ humble abode.

Patrick Burns and his wife, Christine Burns, who began keeping chickens about a year ago, said they average four eggs almost every day.

“They taste like eggs, but better ... because they’re fresh,” said Christine Burns. “We love the eggs, but more than anything it’s the whole experience.”

The Burnses told tour-takers how they keep their chickens warm in the winter, cool in the summer and producing eggs regularly.

Patrick Burns said one of his favorite parts of raising chickens is caring for them when they’re young.

“They’re like babies in the womb,” he said. “I don’t think I could bring myself to eat them.”

So, just the eggs, then. But, unless it’s a special occasion like the Coop Tour, at which a dozen eggs from the Burns family cost $3.50, they aren’t for sale.

“It would be like work,” said Patrick Burns. “We still want it to be a hobby.”

Keeping chickens in residential areas is a point of contention in many cities, including Holyoke, which has been debating the issue since at least last year. The Burnses, however, live in a part of the city where it is allowed.

“I think that people should be allowed to do it,” said Christine Burns, who said she also sees how it can be a problem. “I think there should be strict guidelines” such as how many chickens can be kept in a certain amount of space.

John Perdrizet, a Holyoke veterinarian who came to see the Burns’ coop, agreed.

“I’m a big advocate of bringing back small farms in local communities,” said Perdrizet. “It’s needed not just for healthy living and fresh food, but for the humane treatment of animals.”

There were six other stops on the Coop Tour in Pelham, Northampton, Amherst, Florence, Haydenville and Williamsburg.