Mary Allen
On the occasion of the Zurich Agricultural Exhibition, the small animal breeders are presenting a chicken house kit as part of the “City Chicken” project. It is designed for three to four chickens and can also be set up on a smaller plot, for example in the city.
Have you always wished for a fresh breakfast egg from your own garden, but the right chicken house was still missing? Then you will be interested in the «City Chicken» project. It will be presented at the Zurich Agricultural Exhibition, Züla for short, which starts on September 29 in Zurich-Oerlikon. More than 100,000 visitors are expected. A city-friendly, small barn for three to four chickens celebrates its premiere there. It was created specifically for the fair on the initiative of Zurich’s small animal breeders. The organizers of the exhibition were particularly pleased with the choice of name, the stable is also called “Zula”.
The idea for this stable came about after insecticide-contaminated eggs appeared on the shelves of large retailers, says Urs Weiss, cantonal president of small animal breeders. According to the motto: “Do it yourself, then you know what you have.” At the Züla, the hobby poultry breeders show how you can keep chickens in an area of 20 to 30 square meters, including expert advice. There is a lot of background information on this. For example, it takes 24 hours to form an egg. That the egg yolk is formed first and only at the end is it covered by the safe lime shell. Or that chickens need freshwater, chicken feed, and a laying nest so that they can lay eggs regularly.
Animal lovers who only have a balcony and no garden do not necessarily have to do without their own chickens. Numerous local and neighborhood associations operate small animal facilities that enable the urban population to keep small animals in this way. Chickens are particularly interesting because they bring a piece of nature and farming culture to the city.
In Winter, Dry Cold is Better
In the run-up to the fair, the board of directors of Kleintiere Zürich, together with the company Leuenberger Holzbau, designed a chicken house in Schalchen, Zurich. A lot of knowledge, a lot of experience, and tried-and-tested ideas from the hobby owners flowed into it. The project planning phase lasted around two weeks.
Cracks and other possible hiding places for the red mite turned out to be a challenge during execution. That’s why the chicken house is not isolated. It was made from three-layer panels. It is therefore absolutely windproof and sufficiently warm. “Chickens don’t need warmth in winter, they need dry cold,” says Cantonal President Urs Weiss. Depending on the situation, the outdoor climate area must be installed on the left, right, or rear. It makes sense to add a covered aviary of about two square meters.
The goal of the makers was to create a simple and practical chicken house. The floor area is equipped with a removable manure tray and is therefore easy to clean. The window is also the door to the stable. The air is regulated by tilting the window, with a fine-meshed grille protecting against unwanted predators.
Of course, the chicken house had to be designed in such a way that it met all the requirements of animal welfare legislation. For example, the perches are mounted at two different heights and at least 30 centimeters from the back wall. A future certification as a particularly animal-friendly barn by Kleintiere Schweiz is possible.
On the occasion of the trade fair in Zurich, not only the stable will be presented, but also the construction plans for it will be published. “Simple construction plans will be uploaded to the canton’s website at the end of September and are therefore available to the public,” says Weiss. The creators are not interested in selling chicken coops, but to make it easier for future chicken keepers to get started.
The production costs were less than 1000 francs. The stable itself cannot be bought, but thanks to the plan you can at least hire a carpenter or woodworker from the village to build it. If you are a skilled craftsman, you can of course take care of the purchase of materials and construction yourself. Urs Weiss expects it to take around two working days to create. The model stable on the Züla weighs around 60 kilograms and can easily be carried by two people, provided that the roof is only fitted at the end. So you don’t need a crane to place the new chicken house in the garden.
A Colorful Basket of Eggs
Hobby breeders do not have to worry about the origin and content of eggs. They get their eggs from their own garden and thereby support the preservation of biodiversity. The original laying breeds such as Rhodeland, New Hampshire, and Welsumer ensures a colorful basket of eggs. Because the “Urban Farming” trend is continuing and even increasing, it is precisely these laying breeds that are being shown in Zurich’s new chicken house.
When there were no high-performance hybrid chickens that produce an egg almost every day in their short life of only 15 months, the members of the umbrella organization for breed poultry in Switzerland were already breeding those original breeds that are (also) being saved from extinction by their descendants today. The well-established pedigree hens lay eggs for several years, as do the Appenzeller dwarf bearded hens, which are also on display. However, with 120 eggs per year, they have a lower laying performance than hybrid hens.
With over 150 different breeds, some specialize in hatching chicks, providing a unique experience for every family. Every large breed is also available in a small format, as a dwarf breed, with similar performance characteristics.