Tour de Cluck: A New Davis Tradition

Well, it’s official; the Tour de Cluck is here to stay!  Just this past May I had my first taste of Davis’ very own coop loop, a unique blend of wildlife safari (though in this case, the animals were rather tame urban chickens) and bicycle tour.  The experience truly is crafted to the particular tastes of Davisites, with a generous serving of sustainability mindset coupled with the key ingredient in any Davis outing, cycling.

Did you cycle along for all that clucking fun?  Maybe you were caught on video! Still trying to figure out what all the fuss is about? Want to see Councilmember-Elect Joe Krovoza fly his chicken freak-flag for a good cause?  Click on the above embedded video created by Davis-based MoonAndBack Productions in association with Rusty Rogers Films.  (Producer/Director/Cinematographer: Alvin Remmers. Cinematographer/Editor/Music Supervisor: Rusty Rogers.)

If you missed out on the opportunity to see some beautiful gardens, learn about urban chicken farming, and most importantly, take part in the crazy fun to be had in Tour de Cluck 2010, you can get in on the action of Tour de Cluck 2011!  Organized by the Davis Farm to School Connection, educating the community on sustainable and healthy food choices is a top priority and well achieved in this family-oriented day of kooks and clucks.

And Davis is just one of many communities across the country that is getting more involved with urban chicken farming in their own homes.  Many major cities spanning the country, from New York City to Los Angeles have their own urban chicken coop populations.  More and more, backyard chickens are becoming a growing trend.  Even if owning a chicken coop isn’t a priority for you, this is definitely a local event worth checking out.  Speaking as someone with no immediate interest in starting my own coop, I guarantee that you will have fun clucking your way around town.  If you are a bitter and sullen poultry-hater, this guarantee need not apply to you.