Dara sends in this press release…

• 5^th Annual Urban Coop Tour
• Saturday and Sunday October 6^th and 7^th, 2012
• 12 noon – 5 p.m., rain or shine

Backyard chickens are popping up across intown Atlanta neighborhoods, with families, community gardens and neighborhood co-ops getting in on the action. The dual benefits of farm fresh eggs and reclaiming ownership of the food chain have inspired hundreds of people to get involved. You can’t get any more local than walking outside to gather your own eggs….and the chickens are pretty cute, too!

The Wylde Center and Georgia Organics are teaming up to present the 5^th annual tour of urban coops, traveling through some of Atlanta’s funkiest neighborhoods: Decatur/Oakhurst, Candler Park, East Atlanta, Reynoldstown and Grant Park.

From chicken McMansions to jewel box coops in tiny spaces, the tour highlights the variety of ways these new urban farmers are raising their girls. The coops are often living works of art, situated in organic gardens as part of wider sustainability and permaculture efforts (what else are you going to do with all that chicken poop?).

Coop owners will guide the tours and discuss their chicken-raising experiences. If you are thinking about keeping chickens in your own backyard, you’ll get some great ideas.

Tickets (good both days) are $25 day of the tour, $20 in advance ($15 for Wylde Center and Georgia Organics members).

For tickets/information please see our website: http://urbancooptour.com/ and “Like” us on Facebook.

Christie sends in this pic of some “loose chickens behind vacant lot corner of Mead and College.”

Giving new meaning to the term “free-range”.

David writes in…

Missing a rooster? Riding my bike to work today, I stumbled upon a black rooster on the sidewalk. Corner of Commerce and East College Avenue at the green railroad bridge. It ran off into the shrubs by street entrance to the newer homes located there.

I wonder if this is the same fowl as was reported by Robert on Twitter yesterday…

Saw #DecaturGA police officer chasing a chicken down railroad tracks outside Ice House Lofts about 12p today. The chicken was winning