People across the nation are becoming more interested in raising backyard chickens. Credit: Pexels / cottonbro

Folks interested in backyard chicken-keeping may want to mark their calendars for the Third Annual San Antonio Chicken Walk.

The self-guided tour of urban chicken coops will take place Saturday, April 16, marking a return for the event after a two-year layoff forced by the COVID-19 crisis. Organized by the Food Policy Council of San Antonio (FPCSA), the walk celebrates the 2017 change to the city’s animal ordinance that raised the number of backyard chickens allowed without a permit from three to eight.

“The coop tour is really just a celebration of community and how local food brings people together,” FPCSA board member Jamie Gonzalez told the Current. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate the diversity and the camaraderie of the people who spend time and energy growing their food in the city.”

Whether it’s the desire to become more self-sufficient, reduce their environmental impact or prepare for the apocalypse, people across the nation are becoming more interested in raising their own fowl flocks.

On the tour, aspiring poultry parents can examine local coops, ranging from DIY projects using scrap lumber to cottage-style systems with automated features.

The tour will begin at the Olmos Basin Farmers Market at 100 Jackson Keller Road. Participants can pick up a map and passport at the market from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to guide their visits. They can also choose to preregister online to receive the map by email and start at any point.

The tour will conclude at 2 p.m. with refreshments, music and door prizes at the Garcia Street Urban Farm, at 218 Garcia St.

Tickets are $10 per person over the age of 12. They’re available at the San Antonio Food Policy Council website.

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This article appears in Apr 6-19, 2022.

Nina Rangel uses nearly 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. As the Food + Nightlife Editor for the San Antonio...