What started in spring 2020 as a small group wanting to split locally produced eggs has turned into something much more.
The group came together on a recent Sunday afternoon to start the construction of a larger chicken coop for the flock of chickens that reside next to Greenfield’s John Zon Community Center on Pleasant Street. The 18 chickens, who are cared for by members of the Egg Share Cooperative, will be spending the winter in the coop instead of returning to Homestead Habitats.
The end goal? More than just splitting eggs among a few people caring for the chickens.
“It’s figuring out a replicable model to address food insecurity in town,” said cooperative member Rebecca Rideout. “We’re sort of still in the experimental phase, figuring out how much it works. … We are amateurs and we are experimenting as we’re learning.”
The group completed the base and raised supports Nov. 14 and then reconvened Sunday to finish the rest of the structure.
The coop was designed by Ryan Nestor, Rideout’s husband, to be much larger than the one currently located behind the John Zon Community Center, with an overhang so the chickens can have a “front porch area” where they can walk outside without snow falling on them.
“It will be bigger; we’re going to do two different exits and entrances,” Rideout said. “We’re going to do nesting boxes you can (access) from behind.”
Nestor said their design plan is open for the public to use as a model as they want to encourage more community farming. He said the design is partially based on the coop they have at the Cheapside community garden.
“This is (version) 2.0 of the coop that is at Cheapside. We basically copied the design,” Nestor said while taking a break Sunday. “I’m hoping if we do this kind of community architecture, we can pass this design along.”
Nestor said they need approximately 4 to 5 square feet per chicken.
The coop will also be rodent-resistant and layered with hay to generate heat.
“Another idea is we have a lot of hay layered with the manure of the chickens,” Rideout said. “Then sort of how like your compost pile gets warm, it releases heat.”
Lights may be added to keep egg production up, but Rideout said they are unsure if they can get a reliable electricity source.
Rideout added the increased size of the coop will help alleviate some of the extra work that needs to be done in the winter.
“We won’t have to get up at the crack of dawn,” Rideout said. “It’s never perfect. We’re figuring things out and the community is always figuring out how to work together.”
The motivation for “over-wintering” the chickens comes from wanting to take full ownership of them.
“We’re trying to take them on as our own responsibility,” Rideout said. “That’s the impetus behind this.”
To go along with the primary goal of coming up with egg-production methods and sources for the community, Rideout said they are using the small plot of land to work on regenerative agriculture practices.
“We have a temporary electric fence that can be moved easily, so we seed the area with cover crop where they just were,” Rideout said. “Chickens will decimate a small piece of land in a few days and once we move the fence, it’s just soil and chicken manure.”
After the chickens clear an area of plants, they are moved to a different patch of land while they plant quick-growing crops to regenerate the soil.
“It adds to their diet, they’re getting a lot more helpful nutrients. And the manure and the pressure of them walking around and picking at it with their beaks will help the soil health, so the grass grows back more vigorously and that captures more carbon,” Rideout said. “It’s a tiny, tiny example of rotational grazing. This is a real-life experiment.”
The chickens themselves have a sort of fan club, too, as people from around the community are often throwing leftover food into the pen. Rideout said the chickens appreciate the extra food, but she asks that people try to limit their contributions to vegetables only to keep the chickens healthy.
“They have a lot of friends that come by and feed them,” she said. “We love that people love them, but please try to keep it to vegetable scraps.”
As for the cooperative itself, they are still seeking a couple more members to help care for the chickens. Members are expected to let the chickens out of the coop, feed and provide water for them, replace their bedding when necessary and collect eggs when they are laid.
Those interested in joining the cooperative may email eggsharecoop@gmail.com. The group can also be found on Facebook at Community Egg Share Co-Op Project and updates on the chickens can be seen on Instagram @GreenfieldChickstagram.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.