Posts tagged with ‘Videos’

 

 

VIDEO: A behind-the-fence look at two inspiring urban homesteads

Saturday, April 2nd, 2016

Jessi Bloom and Erica Strauss on Growing a Greener World

This episode of Growing a Greener World on modern homesteading aired a while back, but I just came across it again on Northwest Edible Life and wanted to point you to it. Click here to read the post and watch the show.

It features two of my favorite chicken/gardening writers and a closer look at the worlds they’ve created in their backyards — Jessi Bloom, author of Free-Range Chicken Gardens, and Erica Strauss, author of The Hands-On Home as well as the blog linked above. (See our Buyer’s Guide for links to their books.)

Topics covered include:

  • Deep-litter method
  • Free-range vs. confined range
  • Keeping ducks and chickens together
  • Involving your kids in garden and chicken chores
  • Making your home more productive
  • Perennials vs. annuals for growing your own food
  • Compost
  • Tips about growing backyard fruit, and more. . .

Enjoy the tours, interviews, and inspiration!

 

Tags: Compost, Deep Litter, Ducks, Erica Strauss, Jessi Bloom, Seattle, Urban Homesteading, Videos
Posted in Just for Fun, Organic Gardening | 4 Comments »

VIDEO: Clog-free way to keep debris out of your rain barrel

Friday, April 17th, 2015

I changed out our rain barrel filter today and shot this quick video to show how we keep leaves and roof debris from entering our barrels.

Simply wrap a nylon stocking over the funnel between your downspout or diverter and your barrel. Insert the closed end of the stocking into the barrel and let it hang down. Debris will collect at the end, but won’t impede the flow of water (at least not for a while), since the stocking stretches and remains permeable above the debris.

Tags: Rain Barrel, Videos
Posted in Just for Fun, Organic Gardening | 3 Comments »

VIDEO: Chickens exploring The Garden Run

Tuesday, January 6th, 2015

I shot this just after opening up The Garden Run to our chickens for the first time last spring, expanding their secure daytime space threefold.

We’ve since added perches, grazing frames, an herb/succulent garden (on top of the half-height module), a small roof, and vining jasmine to the run. Yet even without those features in place, you can see that the hens are very much engaged in the run right from the start, moving from one “room” to another to forage together or separately.

You can configure The Garden Run however you like, building one module or many. As you can see in the video, multiple modules work together to create a variety spaces for your chickens to explore.

Tags: The Garden Coop, The Garden Run, Videos
Posted in Chicken Coop Plans, Coop Construction | 6 Comments »

Make It Your Own: Becker Elementary School, Austin, Texas (VIDEO)

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Here’s a quick video tour of a special Garden Coop that will be featured in Austin’s upcoming Funky Chicken Coop Tour, April 7, 2012.

This extra-spacious chicken coop was built by a volunteer from the Becker school community using plans from TheGardenCoop.com and materials purchased with a grant. He modified the design to about double the size, allowing plenty of room for the school’s current flock of thirteen.

According to Cheris, a Becker parent (and chicken keeper herself), the chickens have enhanced just about every part of the curriculum. “We also work in conjunction with The Green Classroom across the street,” Cheris says, “so the kids go to the garden, pick weeds, and bring them over here to feed the chickens. It has been a great experience.”

Kudos to everyone who got this project up and has kept it running. What do you think of the idea of raising chickens and vegetables at school? Share your thoughts with a comment below.

Tags: Austin, Becker School, Coop Tours, Larger, Texas, The Garden Coop, Videos
Posted in Make It Your Own | 1 Comment »

Make It Your Own: Dan’s Garden Coop on Austin’s “Funky Chicken Coop Tour” (VIDEO)

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

Dan in Austin produced this beautiful video of his backyard coop, built using The Garden Coop chicken coop plans. His coop is one of several to be featured in Austin’s upcoming Funky Chicken Coop Tour (April 7, 2012). 

So check out the video, then read Dan’s review of our plans below. And if you’re in Austin in early April, stop by and see his coop on the tour!

(more…)

Tags: Austin, Coop Tours, Nest Boxes, Seasons, Texas, The Garden Coop, Trellis, Videos
Posted in Coop Tours, Make It Your Own | 5 Comments »

Make It Your Own: Dan’s Garden Coop, Madison, Wisconsin (VIDEO)

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Madison, Wisconsin. Where the winters are mean and the chickens are many. I got a note recently from Dan Marleau, a customer in Madison, who wanted to pass along this video tour of his backyard chicken coop, built using The Garden Coop plans and adding some of his own modifications. Take a look.

I asked Dan if he would share more of his experience keeping chickens in cold climates, specifically, what extra steps did he take to prepare his Garden Coop and his flock for the Wisconsin winter. Here’s what he had to say. . .   (more…)

Tags: Materials, Seasons, The Garden Coop, Videos, Winter
Posted in Coop Construction, Health and Safety, Make It Your Own | 7 Comments »

Get tickets to The Martha Stewart Show on urban farming and chicken keeping

Friday, February 5th, 2010

UPDATE: The Martha Stewart Show episode dedicated entirely to keeping backyard chickens has aired. You can see clips from the show including a look at Martha Stewart’s chicken coops at the link below.

Before you click over, remember to come back and check out our backyard chicken coop plans. With them, you can build a stunning walk-in chicken coop or mobile chicken tractor for (I can only imagine) a lot less than what Martha spent on hers.

Here’s the link to Martha’s chicken show (coop segment). It’s a great episode and well worth the watch, especially if you’re new to keeping chickens. Here’s the segment with Traci from MyPetChicken.com. Links to the remaining segments should be easy to find from there. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL POST: The Martha Stewart Show will be taping an episode on urban farming and chicken keeping in March 2010, and they’re looking for audience members. Here’s a bit of the email they sent me:

We’re filling our studio audience with individuals who raise livestock in urban environments as we celebrate the backyard farming movement. If you’re interested in attending this show, please be sure to tell us about yourself and your backyard farm, as well as why you’d like to be part of this special audience. Please feel free to spread the word and request tickets as soon as you can if you’re interested!

You can request tickets to The Martha Stewart Show here. The studio is in New York City, and there are FAQs about being an audience member here. It could be a good thing.

Tags: Chicks, Media, Videos
Posted in Just for Fun | No Comments »

Why did the chicken cross the pond?

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Fresh Eggs From London GardenI came across this feature on keeping chickens in the city — it’s a 5-minute interview with an urban chicken keeper in England. I like watching pieces like this that give an honest glimpse into people’s food and lifestyle choices. This guy (er, bloke) may be on the other side of the planet, but it’s a small planet. His family, mine, and many others are keeping chickens for much the same reasons. 

You’ll notice that his coop is one of those prefab Eglus. I like the modern style of those coops, and he’s integrated his well into his garden. (The cost of an Eglu is a different issue, and he talks about that in the video.)

Notice that he ended up building out his own covered run to increase his chooks’ space for ranging. It’s a good reminder that, even if you start off with an out-of-the-box chicken coop, some DIY skills will come in handy as you modify your coop to suit the needs of your flock and your space.

Tags: Videos
Posted in Just for Fun | No Comments »