Mail Call: May-June 2010

By Grit Staff
Published on April 22, 2010
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Jeri Youngren decided to turn his 1962 Chevy truck into a rustic-looking chicken coop.
Jeri Youngren decided to turn his 1962 Chevy truck into a rustic-looking chicken coop.
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The inside of the cab includes straw for nesting.
The inside of the cab includes straw for nesting.
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The feed is kept safe from critters in the utility boxes.
The feed is kept safe from critters in the utility boxes.
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Double fences and extra space keep deer from Charlie Clarke’s garden.
Double fences and extra space keep deer from Charlie Clarke’s garden.
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The Youngrens keep the chickens and the truck-coop right near the garden. Everybody wins.
The Youngrens keep the chickens and the truck-coop right near the garden. Everybody wins.
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The photographer found a renewed interest in Longhorn cattle when he shared his images.
The photographer found a renewed interest in Longhorn cattle when he shared his images.

Pickup Poultry

We converted our 1962 Chevy truck into a chicken coop. The feed is kept safe from critters in the utility boxes, and the nesting materials are kept dry under the hood. The hens roost in the cab, and their nests are in the truck bed with a warming light. They are safe from predators inside their “camouflaged for the neighbors” coop. When it rains, they mill around under the truck and stay dry. They do fight over the privilege of roosting on the steering wheel.

The truck is situated next to our garden where, during the winter months, the chickens act as symbiotic little tractors and churn up the soil. We have 14 hens representing the Ameraucana, Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red and Lakenvelder Golden breeds. They give us lovely green, white and brown eggs daily.

We live in Prescott, Arizona, where urban farming has taken off. We thought it was a good way to utilize an old truck and provide the hens with a safe haven from the coyotes and bobcats that plague the neighborhood. We plan to add six more chickens this year and an area in the back to raise the chicks. Thought you might enjoy some photographs of the “chicken coupe.”

Jeri Youngren
Prescott, Arizona

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