Sustainable Foods, Farm & Gardens   

In this introductory class to keeping backyard poultry, the participants will learn the basics of raising chickens on a small scale, including breed selection, raising chicks, housing, handling, sanitation, and flock wellness.

This course on mobile chicken management will provide chicken keepers with design tips and tricks to maximize poultry flock mobility, utility and contribution to the landscape. Chickens can be wielded like a paintbrush to apply disturbance and nutrients precisely to properties of any size. Course topics include the pros and cons of common mobile chicken infrastructure including chicken tractors and mobile coops and electric fencing and security. This course will benefit participants interested in starting a chicken flock for the first time or those considering switching from a stationary coop to a mobile design on small, medium, and large properties or groups.

Create a 2027 Garden vision board using seed catalogs, garden magazines, dried plant material, and other ephemera! Participants will be offered prompts for planning their gardens and setting intentions for their growing spaces. Chat with other local gardeners and hear about what your Kalamazoo neighbors have planned for the next growing season!