VIDEO:  Urban chickens

For the last year, students at the University Of Colorado have been designing and building a chicken coop that can withstand snow, wind and predators like foxes.

But the real story isn’t about how the hen houses are built. It’s about where these new coops will be placed and the learning experience they’re meant to provide.

One of the new coops sits on a shaded corner of the grounds of Shawnee Gardens assisted living center in Boulder, Colorado. Just across the alley is the Blossom preschool. A group of wide eyed 3 and 4 year-olds are on their first visit, swarming around the new hen house in full toddler glee. “Those are big chickens.“ said 3 year-old Noah. “They flap and it’s like flap, flap, flap!“

Nearby and wearing a big grin is 98 year-old Hilda Raybee. She’s a resident of Shawnee Gardens and seems to be getting as much of a thrill out of the new chicken coop as the kids.

Like lots of folks from her era, Raybee kept and sold chickens during World War Two while her husband was away fighting. “My husband would have enjoyed this. He liked anything that had to do with nature.“ said Raybee.

This hen house was brought here by the group ‘Urban Hens’, a boulder-based group that with help from the University Of Colorado and a private grant, teaches sustainability.

“How can you be truly sustainable and that is by reusing the waste in any system and keeping it inside the system instead of continuing to consume and throw it off.“, said Wynn Martens of “Urban Hens”.

So that means leftovers from dinner feed the hens, their eggs feed the people and the waste helps feed the garden, which also feeds the people.

Meantime the hope is that assisted living residents share their experiences with the far younger generations. And take care of the chickens in the process.

“It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.“, said Martens.

A lessen that 3 year-olds and 98 year-olds can share.

While many cities have bans against chickens in residential neighborhoods, many are discussing whether to remove those barriers in the future.