Update: It's been YEARS now since I got these, my original chicks. And I've added several new ones to the flock including some Marans, an Ameraucana and some F2 Olive Eggers!
It's here. The Coop.
4 months ago my boyfriend presented me with a cardboard box full of baby chicks.
3 months ago I started to build a chicken coop for them. 2 weeks ago, I finished it.
I normally do a lot of talking and funny story telling at this point in my posts, but not today. Today, I'm just going straight to the pictures.
Not 'cause I don't have a lot of funny stories to tell. I do. Lots of em.
It's just that I have the feeling you're gonna skip past all of the writing and go straight to the pictures anyway. So why waste the funny? Funny is a horrible thing to waste.
It is my honour to introduce you to ...
The box attached to the left side of the coop houses the exterior nesting box on top (which the chickens have access to from inside the coop) as well as storage in the larger door below.
Both of the doors have double security features. You can't be too cautious with a neighbourhood full of cats, hawks, raccoons, skunks, neighbours and other egg loving monsters. Each door has a series of small Rare Earth Magnets, PLUS strips of wood that pivot and lock the door in place. That was the fella's idea. It's completely functional and brilliant.
The lower storage compartment holds feed, treats, the egg basket and pine shavings.
The nesting box holds ... well ... eggs eventually. I hope. Oh my God, what if they never lay an egg?
I built a sliding piece of wood into the nesting box to make sure no eggs accidentally roll out. Plus I can slide it up for easy cleaning of the box.
I know what you're going to be thinking when you see this next picture. You're gonna be thinking ... there's EGGS! No. There are no eggs. Those are fake eggs which we put in the nesting box to encourage the chickens to lay their eggs in there, as opposed to some random spot in the coop or run.
This is the door going into the nesting box as seen from inside the coop.
Like my gates, all the coop doors close with Rare Earth Magnets. Definitely predator proof.
To help the coop air out and to give us a better view of all the girls during the day I made pull out screens for both the upper and lower doors. The coop is directly across from my dining room window, so when we're sitting down to dinner we can watch the girls put themselves to bed at 7:30 every night. I love the screens. They're one of those things I didn't intend to make, but ended up whipping up right at the end of the project.
I cannot tell you what the coop cost to build, because I have no idea. Like so many other coop builders before us, we stopped counting when it got scary. Of course, I saved when I could.
Guess you're curious about the ring. It's my pride and joy.
It leads to a little door inside the coop.
The rope runs through a configuration of pulleys and eye hooks.
So to open up the door to the run all we have to do is pull the ring and the door slides open effortlessly. The ring then slides onto the hook below to keep it open. To close it we just remove the ring from the hook and the screen door spring at the top of the door, pulls the door shut automatically. Thanks to Heather Bullard and her coop for inspiring this particular aspect of my henhouse.
The galvanized tub is filled with dirt. The hens LOVE to jump in it and give themselves dust baths. The tub is from my mother's house. When I was teeny tiny she used to use it as a pool for me.
In honour of little Lucky who died early on. Thanks to LeeAnne Bloye who kindly made the little gravemarker and sent it to me.
Looking down into the run from the door inside the coop.
I spent an hour or two at the cottage earlier this year searching for the perfect piece of driftwood to act as a perch in the run. This was the piece I deemed perfect.
Every morning all 4 chickens relax in the sun on the perch.
A skylight. Yes. I installed a skylight made from a sturdy piece of Plexiglass to allow more light into the coop. My house does not have a skylight.
At 7:30 every night like clockwork, the girls head themselves up the ladder to the coop and jump up on their perch to roost for the night.
Bedtime.
And to all a good night.
That's it for now. If you're interested, here's another post with a few more details about the coop experience including shots of me building.
And I'm sorry, but I do not have any building plans for the coop. I made it up as a I went with inspiration from both Heather Bullard's Chez Poulet and Mitchell Snyder's Modern Coop which was featured in Dwell online.
3 months, 2 major injuries and a huge learning curve later the coop is complete. And I couldn't be happier with it.
What climate do you live in? We have some cold days in the winter, I am thinking I might need to insulate the sleeping quarters to keep them warm. I will have to keep that in my mind if I build this.
Hi William. I'm in zone 6b. For the past month and a half there have been extreme cold warnings. So around -20 celsius. The chickens have been fine. BUT I did put some styrofoam insulation just in the roof of their sleeping quarters and covered it with some particle board so they didn't chew on it. And last year I put a small, wall mounted ceramic heater which I turn on when it's like this but I only set it to 0 celsius. Chickens don't need to be "warm" just warm enough that they don't get frostbite. ~ karen!
I appreciate specially that you -as a girl- do better job than many boys. :-D
Thanks Martin! I find most genders can do what the other gender is known for. The only reason they can't is because they haven't tried. :) ~ karen
You created a beautiful chicken coop! I absolutely love it !
Thanks Jannette! It's still holding up so I guess I did a better job than I thought, lol. It has a little more poop on it but other than that, it's good. :) ~ karen!
Now I thought my ex built a great chook (chicken) coop (only thing he did built that didn't fall down).
But your coop is simply the best I have ever seen. Well done.
LOL! Well not falling down is pretty important. Probably the most important thing as a matter of fact so it's a good thing that he got it right with the coop. :) And thanks. I still love the look of my coop! My chickens of course, couldn't care less. ~ karen
No images work :(
I know Dan. I'm sorry. It's an issue that has to do with the way my photos are delivered to my site basically. I'm hoping and praying it will be resolved in the next few days. Trust me ... I'm more sad face about it than you are, lol. ~ karen!
This is a georgeous piece of work! I've been browsing the internet to get ideas for an indoor rabbit enclosure, and stumbled upon your page (via Pinterest). I'm hoping to apply some of your design ideas to a smaller indoor rabbit condo. Great combination of fashion (beauty) and function. Thanks for the insipiration!!!
Thanks Liz! ~ I built the coop a few years ago and I still love it. And so do the chickens. :) ~ karen!
FANTASTIC job on the coop..... I mean bloody awesome just does not do it justice.
One thing though ..... for the roosts it would be better for the chooks feet if they had a natural branch for their sleeping as the flat surface of the current perch is not good for their feet as they can not relieve the pressure points.
if you were able to put a similar type of branch that you have in the open space for their night time roost they will love you so much more than they already obviously do.
Hi Dave, Thanks very much! I'll keep my eyes open. ~ karen!
I found your coop while searching for Heather Bullard alternatives and modifications. My husband has built soooo many chicken structures for me over the years and now that we've moved out of state we need to build yet another coop. We love the Chez Poulet design but we really don't love building peaked roofs. Your coop is EXACTLY what we were looking for! No peaked roof but no loss of the basic design elements that we also love. My only question is about the flat roof. How does it drain off when it rains? Is it totally flat? Or does it have any slope at all to it, even the slightest? I just wondered if you had any problems with water pooling?
Thanks for the help!
I have the same roof question as Christy listed above.
Hopefully you see this old post : )
Hi Lindsey,
There's a formula you use to determine how slanted a flat roof needs to be in order to drain water off of it. I can't remember it, but if you Google it, you'll find it. It's based on the size of the roof. I need to put a new roof on my coop this year because my "skylight" is leaking and I'm going to reframe it a bit so it has a bit more of an angle. :) ~ karen!
PERFECT, I will search for that formula bc I'm pretty sure our Louisiana humidity and rain would ruin a flat roof in no time.
Your coop still has me swooning (even with a leaky skylight)!
Thanks for the inspiration
I hope you are feeding them laying mash and nothing else until they lay.
LOL. Hi Laura. The post you commented on is actually a few years old. They've been laying for quite some time now. ~ karen
That is just gorgeous!
How amazing this is. I know you don't have plans, but could you list what you did first, then next until you came to the end. I want to try to emulate this. My community has just begun allowing us to have certain farm animals but we have to show how we will house and care for them first in an urban setting.
You are a women with skills.
Hi Marcie - Thanks. The Coop was a labour of love. :) I honestly couldn't replicate or tell you how I did it. I can't even really remember. I framed it, I covered it in plywood, I built the doors, I put the roof on and then screened it in with hardware cloth basically. If you've never built anything before, then this may not be the best thing for you to start with though. It probably also isn't the cheapest route to go. You can buy nice coops (either completed or just the plans) online and sometimes Costco even carries them online! Good luck with your plan to get chickens! ~ karen
You just had to mention that, huh? Guess what me & the Ladies had for breakfast? LOL
Think I have coop-envy!!! It's awesome, truly... I bought a coop for temp housing which seems to have turned permanent, but like yours, @ oh-dark-thirty, like clockwork, The Ladies trot up into it & argue over their perch space, like kids in the backseat: "you're over the line," "that's MY space," & my favorite underdog chick (lowest in pecking order) is inevitably chased furthest from the door, when they can't chase her out altogether! Ah, chick stories.... Is this what being a grandmother is going to be like?
LOL. Yes, probably. Wait'll you start making them hot oatmeal with raisins on cold mornings like I do. Then you'll know you're REALLY over the edge. :) ~ karen
How do you install the rare earth magnets?
Hi Katie - They come in a kit from Lee Valley. With the rare earth magnets, you get a little cup to set it in, which screws into where ever you want it. http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=58750&cat=1,42363,42348&ap=1 ~ karen!
Karen, your pullets WILL LAY.
Your coop is thoughtful as well as beautiful.
My darling 12-yr old Polish Bantam just passed away this spring...last of 5 girls. She hadn't laid for a few years...retired...
but I didn't care. She was a fabulous bird.
I will have more chickens next year...My only concern for you is the magnets. Raccoons are evil and have amazing strength. I double locked my pen.
If you haven't watched "The Natural History of the Chicken" (on netflix) do so. Thanks for sharing your effort.
Hi Cathleen - I laughed when I read your comment. That post is over 2 years old. So my chickens have been laying for quite a while now, LOL! The raccoons definitely haven't been able to get into the coop. The magnets are *extremely* strong. If I'm not having a good day I can't even get the coop doors open, LOL. You need to grasp both handles on both doors and pull HARD. Just pulling one handle and the doors will not open. I'm sorry about your Polish Bantam. That's amazing that she lived until 12 though! I know when Cuddles (my favourite) dies I'll be a complete mess. I love her. ~ karen!
Hey Karen --
I'm not sure if you read comments two years after the original post but I just had to write (it's my first blog comment to anyone - ever!) and tell you that your coop is the bomb! I researched hundreds of coops before we built ours and I wish I had seen yours before we started. It's fantastic! I've bookmarked this page in case we ever build another.
Thanks for posting and the great ideas -- love the pulley!
Hi Wrybread - I *do* read comments after 2 years.:) I'm always notified of comments whether they're on old or new posts. And thanks! I still love my coop too! ~ karen
I found your blog on a Pinterest fluke and I must say that by far your coop is definitely one of the prettiest ones I've ever seen. I haven't seen many but this one definitely takes the cake :)
I hope your girls lay plenty of delicious eggs in the near future!
Cheers,
Krys
Hi Krys - Thanks! The coop post went up a couple of years ago, so I've been getting eggs for quite some time now! Here's my story on Cheez Whiz to bring you a tiny big up to speed on the egg laying. https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/the-story-of-the-ugly-little-hen/ ~ karen!
That is the sexiest looking coop I've seen. I WANT IT. See, my dream is to be able to have a nice house, a chicken coop, a hedgehog, a German Shepard, a kitten, a some finches, and a miniature milk goat, and not live in the middle of nowhere 2 hrs. from the grocery store. This might sound weird, but I've been wondering which neighborhood you live in--it doesn't seem rural or overly suburban. Haha, I'd appreciate the food for daydreams.
Just finisned my coop..Started in March,2013 and finished in June 2013. What injuries did you suffer?
I have a sciatic nerve problem and a rotator cuff problem since undertaking my construction..
Love your coop
Jerry
Thanks Jerry. I suffered a fat lip and a VERY deep cut across the top of my index finger which should have been stitched but instead was glued together by the fella. I still have problems with it. ~ karen!
Beautiful! What color paint it that?
Thanks Amy - It's a slate coloured black that I had custom mixed to match the slate in my backyard. So I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what colour it is. I can tell you it's Benjamin Moore stain though! :/ ~ karen!