Balls and Chickens: A Chicken Coop and Pétanque Court in Les Échelettes

The project involves redeveloping Impasse des Échelettes by planting a tree, creating small green spaces, building a chicken coop, and setting up a small pétanque court, while preserving access to the garage at the end of the cul-de-sac.

The project is led by two organizations: The QFCM Association (France-Collonges-Maupas) and the Libre Quartier Association In 2021, a petition with 227 signatures called for the removal of parking spaces on Impasse des Echelettes to put an end to the polluting and disruptive traffic caused by cars circling the cul-de-sac in search of a parking spot. The goal of the current project is to address the wishes of the neighborhood’s residents. The benefits of an urban, eco-friendly, and educational chicken coop include raising awareness about waste recycling and the care of farm animals. An urban chicken coop also strengthens social bonds through the care given to the chickens and the stories that develop around them. The few chickens nearing the end of their lives—what residents call the “chicken nursing home”—will not lay eggs. The hens cluck when they lay eggs, so they will be quiet otherwise. Their small number (three hens) and the daily cleaning of the coop will prevent any unpleasant odors. The coop’s location behind the Maupas Archives keeps it away from residential apartments. We hope that these clarifications will make our chicken coop compliant with local regulations. The joint committee of the two associations has considered an alternative to the chicken coop: instead, installing recreational facilities for adults or children (chess, a swing, and ping-pong) on the site intended for the coop. In this case, the chicken coop could be built on Avenue de France on the site of the parking spaces that were originally intended for the urban greenhouse, a project led by “graineurbaine.ch” in 2020. As for the pétanque court, the benefits are threefold: it fosters a sense of community by allowing neighbors to share an enjoyable activity; it promotes physical fitness by helping improve balance; and it is environmentally friendly as a sustainable, locally based activity. Finally, the goal of our project is to increase the proportion of greenery relative to hard surfaces, bringing oxygen and a sense of freshness to residents of a neighborhood that acts as an island of pollution and heat in the summer.

The company Terrasport, based in Allens, was commissioned to prepare a cost estimate for the construction of the pétanque court and the greening of the cul-de-sac. The work includes * planting a tree, a shrub, and three green areas on the side facing the Maupas archives * replacing the asphalt pavement with gravel in the pétanque court area and landscaping the court * replacing the asphalt with a flower meadow on a strip measuring 23.00 meters by 1.50 meters on the Square side. The Gaznat company donated the lumber (boards and beams) for the chicken coop. This lumber is stored in a barn in Huémoz. René Moret, a retired carpenter in Huémoz, drew up the plans for the chicken coop based on his on-site observations and in accordance with legal requirements for keeping chickens. He will build the chicken coop in his workshop, and the assembly of the pen and the coop will be organized with the help of volunteers over a weekend. The QFCM association is organizing a market from late August through October in collaboration with the Ferme de la Lizerne in Dizy. The Ferme de la Lizerne has agreed to transport the chickens and grain to Les Echelettes. Due to dioxin contamination, the soil for the pen will come from the Cossonay composting facility, which is owned by the Ferme de la Lizerne. Once again, to avoid issues with egg consumption, the chicken coop will house hens that have finished laying and are destined for the slaughterhouse. The QFCM and Libre Quartier associations will be responsible for training volunteers and organizing the care of the chickens, including daily cleaning of the chicken coop—a task made easier by access to water via faucets installed in 2021 on the parallel street. The QFCM and Libre Quartier associations will also be responsible for maintaining the garden bed.

19,690

7 Rue des Echelettes, France-Jura-Echelettes-Maupas neighborhood

QFCM (France-Collonges-Maupas neighborhood association)