Cooped Up

I have a few updates to share with you, the first being that the chicken coop is just about finished! It has been a long but rewarding process so far.

The bottom half of the door Jeremy built

The top door we designed has welded wire mesh to keep the coop well ventilated. We decided on a two part door so I could open the top door to check on the girls without risking letting them loose.

Finished product with doors stained and installed

Another view

Daphne approves! (See her perched on top of the roof?)

Before and after!

These photos don't show the adorable handle I bought that has since been installed on the bottom door - I will update with photos of that soon! Next up is laying a "foundation" of pavers for the coop to sit on and constructing the run.

Outbuilding Restoration

When we bought our house it came with a small outbuilding. It was cute but in some dire need of restoration. I originally planned for it to be a garden shed but then realized it would make the perfect chicken coop. Here are some progress photos:




This is the shed on day one. It was sitting lopsided and leaning against the neighbors barn. The bottom had completely rotted out and it was missing a lot of siding.


We re-framed the bottom and added extra 2x4's for strength on the inside. Here Jeremy is framing out the small chicken door on the side of the coop. The chicken door will work on a guillotine system with a rope feeding to the front of the coop for ease of use.


Front view with old/rotten siding torn off and new door framed out.


I salvaged matching siding from another building we tore down to fill in the pieces that were rotten, split or missing.


I color matched the paint to our tan garage siding, painted the roof with heavy duty charcoal paint, and trimmed with white. I stained the chicken door.


Right now we are working on the front door. The door will be split barn-door style. This is the bottom part with a small ledge at the top. The door will be stained to match the chicken door.