Tour de Coop Hits Palo Alto

Luxe coops: The Coop de Plume has curtains and a loft with a view. (Photographs by Scott Vanderlip)

You know how we feel about our chickens — it’s poultrypalooza out here.

And, of course, coops gotta have style. But what’s the point of all that style if there’s no one to cluck over it? Enter the Tour de Coop, a self-guided bicycle tour of local chicken coops and gardens (bonus Western cred points for the two-wheel requirement). It’s everywhere: Boise, Boulder, Phoenix, and — this Saturday, the 27th — Palo Alto.

The Palo Alto tour is about 15 miles long and features 11 coops in Silicon Valley. It’s free and flexible, you just need to download the map, grab your bike and go. There’s even a rumor that some stops will have cookies (if you get there in time).

I’ll be taking the tour this weekend so follow us on Twitter (@Westphoria) for updates.

The California Coop is made from recycled wood and built on stilts to keep the chickens safe. 

The Rancho Adobo: A redwood coop with a corrugated-metal roof and salvaged iron hardware.