Our Chicken Coop
Well, here’s the chicken coop we’ve been working on. Please take note this is a very long post. I tried to share as many photos (click to enlarge) as possible and will address all the details at the end. Hopefully I won’t forget anything. And keep in mind if I say “we” at any time during this post I usually mean him…THE MAN.
The only real part I had in building it was in the design process, the painting and Home Depot runs. Other than that he gets full credit. So, here we go…The left side of the coop is where we have access to retrieve the eggs and store our supplies.
The egg door swings down for easy access to the nesting boxes. There are raised edges along the bottom to keep the eggs from falling out.
The barn doors below the nesting boxes are for storing supplies and such.
I completely love how the copper plated cupola turned out. We were given some copper sheeting by a friend and look forward to watching it weather and patina over the years. The sides of the cupola were trimmed out with bead board and molding.
The front barn doors open on the top and bottom. The upper area is the nesting house. Raising it up makes it easier to clean out and painting the inside makes it washable. Chickens are messy business. Below the nesting house are small access doors in order to let the chickens out into the yard to play.
In the photo below left, you can see their roosting perches that were built at varying heights and the trio of arched entries to their nesting boxes.
To let them into their pen a sliding door & pulley system was added with access from the outside of the coop. This way we can let them in and out without opening the larger barn doors. And here’s their little ladder to the pen, so cute!
We added a used brick walkway going around the sides and back of the coop making for easy clean up… just hose it down. Once the bricks settle, sand will be added to make them more secure.
And I added an antique French Agricultural Prize Plaque to the front. This one is for prized cows but I’m on the hunt for Poulets! I love how it gives a french farm feel to the coop.
This is the only rooster allowed on the premises. All others will be escorted off.
On the right side of the coop we planted pink camellias and japanese boxwood to fill in the bare corner. A few other boxwoods were planted in front of the pen for privacy and to hide the coop poop. 😉
A full size self-closing screen door was added to the pen and we used heavy gauge small box wire instead of traditional chicken wire to enclose it.
Now for the details of the coop and our adventure into raising backyard chickens.
The coop measures 11′ L by 7′ H by 4′ D. Not including the cupola.
The paint is Behr Ultra Premium Gloss Finish in Decorator White
All hardware & materials were purchased at Home Depot.
The coop sits on a concrete footing foundation.
Latches and locks were installed on all doors to prevent raccoons & predators from getting to our girls. (Our house backs up to a nature preserve).
The cost of supplies to build the coop were over $1,000. We stopped counting at about $975. Labor was free. It’s called Sweat Equity.
We purchased our chickens from My Pet Chicken because they allow small orders and you can choose the breeds. Our chicks came all the way from Connecticut!
We have two Easter Eggers, a Buff Orpington, a Barred Plymouth Rock and a Rhode Island Red.
Their names in order of above types are: Souffle, Marshmallow, Butter, Lola and Ruby.
Our inspiration for raising backyard chickens came from our friends Joe & Jermonne and my favorite baker and friend Natalie. Who raise their own flocks and were very encouraging to us. Thank you.
Another big inspiration for raising our own chickens came from the movie Food, Inc. If you haven’t already seen this movie, please do. You will completely enjoy it. It’s available here.
We live in a residential neighborhood and our city allows us to have 5 hens, no roosters.
I must add, the lot sizes in our neighborhood run from 1/3 acre to over an acre which is helpful in raising chickens and keeping happy neighbors.
The name: Chez Poulet is French for House of Chickens.
UPDATE: We’ve had a set of professional architectural plans drawn up of the coop. The set includes 7 pages (11×17) of drawings and diagrams, one page of coop photos and includes a material and hardware list. To purchase the plans visit: coopplans.bigcartel.com.
HERE IS A LINK TO THE MOST CURRENT PHOTOS OF THE COOP.
And lastly, I leave you with this photo of the chicks inside their new abode. As you can see, it’s going to be plenty big for them.
Thank you so much for all your interest and kind comments regarding our chicks. I hope I was able to inspire you to think about raising some as well. Since we’ve only had chickens for 13 days we still have a lot to learn but have been thoroughly enjoying the process and look forward to the rewards of all our labor. I mean his labor. Oh how I love that man. Big time.
218 Responses to “Our Chicken Coop”
I so, so aspire to do something like this!
In my city, we have a group called the Charlottesville League of Urban Chicken Keepers (CLUCK…ha!)…city people who have chicken coops! Because of the history of one particular part of town, residents there can raise some small farm animals. I would love to be able to do that, even with great local food options here (the local food movement has been strong here for years).
I love your coop and your little chickens! I hope you’ll share updates!
I so thoroughly enjoy this post! Your chicken coop is so charming!! How fun to learn all about raising little baby chicks and chickens. And fresh eggs! Great photos…please show us more in the days to come!
Your beautiful chicken coop makes me really miss our chickens. We bought chickens for our youngest for his birthday when he was 4 years old. (He is 20 now) He sold the eggs around the neighborhood. It was so cute. I had a friend who had roosters so when one of his chickens got in the mood to sit on eggs, I got fertilized eggs from her.
Happy Spring,
Teresa
Damn that hens are fortunate that those inhabiting that beautiful house!
very nice, even to see in the garden … congratulations for your blog, always has interesting places. Good week from Italy! Hello, Nicoletta.
Cutest coop I have ever seen..The chicks are adorable.
Absolutely beautiful chicken coop. I wish we could do the same thing and I will follow you to learn more about this.
Your blog is fantastic.
Mona
Oh. wow. me oh my but that’s a precious coop.
Been wanting something like that for quite
some time. Hm.
This is “vraiment très chick!” ;o)
I wish all your hens a lovely stay in this “chateau”.
Holy cow…I mean…chickens! That is some coop…the most beautiful I’ve seen. And built in chicken fertilizer to boot. Congrats…both you and The Man did an awesome job!
I never knew a chicken coop could be so gorgeous. Those little chicks are adorable!
Love the name!
It is gorgeous. Wow!!!
We just got 4 baby chicks 2 days ago, so thank you for all the resources. I plan to refer back to this a lot.
What a pretty lil coop. I’ve been raising chickens for 28 years and have never seen the likes of a coop like that. I love it.
Best wishes on your chicken adventures.
Jody
Gorgeous! Those are some lucky chicks!! Simply beautiful!
Oh my goodness ~ that is the prettiest little hen house I have ever seen! Those little chicks are very lucky to be living at your house. Love it!
Good luck with all your chickens ~ I am thinking you will have fun with them.
I have been waiting for this post and it was sooooo worth the wait. Beautiful Indeed!
How grand…cant wait to see those gorgeous chicks all grown!
Well done to both of you, it is a castle!
Sue
Oh, I wish I had found the place your ordered from before I HAD to order 25 chicks! We have the room- jsut worried about gettng too many roosters in the mix. Our coop was here when we arrived, but I am liking the idea of painting it for future washing! Great Idea! I ordered 10 Arauncana, 10 birchin cochin bantams, and 6 white crested black polish. It should be interesting.
My heart was a fluttering the whole time. You know how I want my farm;-) This would be the next best thing! Your husband is AMAZING!!! Do you know how many men are going to see this??????:-) I can’t wait to go back later and read the links also. Just gorgeous…lucky girl. We are not allowed to have chickens in our neighborhood:-( If we were I would be running immediately to Home Depot.
Very sweet!! Just as fancy as I expected when you were blogging about your new babies. They look adorable in their new digs. Oh it will be fun to see those eggs when you pop open that chute. This will be such a special Spring season for ya.
o.k…that is the cutest dang-dillio chicken coop EVER!! good job.
Gosh, I have chicken envy! Your coop is beautiful! I am carried away with exclamation points! Can’t wait to see the chicks grow up…
Oh Heather, what an inspiration you (and the Man) are to us! My Dad raised chickens and quail and pheasants and peacocks and geese and, uh well, you get the picture. He would have loved your coop! I know I do. Can’t wait for all the wonderful chicken stories you will share. Hugs, Patricia
I have to say this is the prettiest chicken coop I have EVER seen. I hope your chickens realize how lucky they are to have come home with you!!
oh wow! great home for the chicks!!! you lucky chickens.. you got heaven on earth coop!!!.. 🙂
awesome job for both of you!
Beautiful chicken coop – nice work! Now you got me wondering if we could build something similar for our bunny…
OMG that is so beautiful and your chicks are precious. I used to have some chickens when I lived on a farm, but now live in town and I don’t think they allow them…sure makes me want to double check though…
I think this is the most perfect chicken coop I’ve ever seen! Well done. 🙂
By far the cutest thing I have ever seen! Way to go you two, it’s fantastic. I hope you enjoy your chickies!! I have always wanted to get some; but I am so afraid of all the predators we have around. This coup looks incredibly safe for the chickers. 🙂
I can’t believe it. I have chicken coop envy!
Amazing! And so so inspiring. You’ve got some very lucky chicks.
I am completely in awe of your talent. Both of you! What a great team. Are chickens very noisy? I would love to have chickens one day but I can’t imagine that happening. Guess I’ll be living vicariously though you!
Ok so that is hands down the MOST amazing chicken coop I have ever seen, heck I would live there…Kathy H.
I LOVE it! Thank you so much for sharing all this great info. I do believe you have the most beautiful chicken coop I have ever seen! I will be showing this to Hubby!!! Thank you!
Yet again I say WOW to a job well done! It looks fantastic! You and “THE MAN” did a great job. So nice and orderly and pretty.
PS – do you have any posts or tips about your office, how you’ve organized it? Thanks for sharing.
Wow, the chickens have it made! I’m sure all the other chickens in the area will be jealous, and will want to come visit.
This sure beats the old rickety chicken coop my grandmother had when I was young. She made me gather eggs sometimes, and I had fears of either getting my eyes pecked out by an angry hen, or of a huge black snake falling from the rafters and onto my head. Makes me shiver even now. I’m sure you won’t have either happen.
Both you and hubby did a great job designing and building this chicken condo.
Oh Lovely! Just Lovely…
THE MAN did an outstanding job!
Heather, what would you do for baby bunnies?
Thinking of putting one or two into kids Easter baskets!
Please continue to send pics…would love to see them “living” in their paradise!
This is the taj majal of chicken coops! I live in So Cal too and we had chickens growing up. My mom wouldn’t let us have regular pets. We had three chickens- cocoa, butterball, and fluff. I think cocoa lived to be about 13. She was one tough bird. She could fly up on the fence, walk the fence, and fly into other people’s yards. But she would always come back. Enjoy your chickens!
Perfection! Makes me want a chicken coop too! Hubs would never go for that one.
It’s beautiful. I would have that in my yard just to look at, with no chickens!
Wow. Is it crazy to say that I’m jealous of those chicks? lol. It’s beautiful.
Your chicken coop is just ADORABLE! The Man does good work. BTW – I found and devoured Flea Market Style this weekend. Sooo impressed with it. I’ll be stealing your ideas – especially the “sweet” burlap banner and linen name tags. Thanks for sharing your chicken coop.
Heather~I’d like to build one of these for ME to live in! It’s adorable, architectural & so sweet! nice job~:)
that is the prettiest coup i’ve ever seen! i love the idea of this and i think my kids would too. i love all your photos and links, i will have to check it out. have a great week! susan
I have absolutely no clue about raising chickens….but all I can think of is this beautiful coop, and chicken poop. ick
Holy cow, in my next life I want to come back as one of your chickens and live in this lovely coop! LOL
Cutiest Coop Ever. Are you so Lucky with the Handy Husband of yours. xo jamie
That is one fancy chicken coop. I love it. You have a good man there, he is a keeper. Your attention to detail is impeccable. thanks for sharing. Florence
It looks amazing! I hope you keep us updated on their little lives in their new home. How I would love some Chickens but I think my husband and neighbors might be a bit annoyed!
My chickens are going to be so jealous of your chickens!
Hands down the best chicken coop I’ve seen yet-great job!
You BIG Show-off! LOL This is really-REALLY beautiful — award winning beautiful!! Y’all did very good!! Give our best to The Man…he should be very proud.
Oh, we have about 25 baby chicks in a trough in the living room and an order in for 15 Spanish Black Turkeys, and approximately 25 more chickens too. Let us know if you are in need of any more birds for your lovely coop! :o)
‘Chalet de Poulet’ is the finest chicken coop I have ever seen. Congrats to both you and your hubby. The design is amazing and it is perfectly built. The chicks are so darn cute they deserve it! I am loving your posts about them – keep it coming. I can’t wait to see the colorful eggs!
Brenda 🙂
Wow, what an adorable chicken coop. I am sooooooo impressed! What fun, raising chickens and fresh eggs.
Thanks for the wonderful pictures and informational post. Good luck,
Jeanette
Seriously, that is the prettiest chicken coop I have ever seen. I am a little jealous of your birds!
This is the cutest chicken coop I have ever seen. I would want one just like it. When I show it to my hubby(the Carpenter)he will probably want to build one. We also live in a residential neighborhood and our backyard backs up to wetlands. I have wanted to raise our own ‘eggs’ but have wondered about the mess and smell? Let me know what you think.
that is the CUTEST coop i have EVER seen! i especially love the tiny little roost for the baby chicks! how thoughtful! thanks for the chicken site! i want to add just a few to our chicken family… some light brahmas. now i can order just a few.
Heather it’s absolutely beautiful! I’ve never seen a prettier chicken coop ever – truly a work of art! And what happy sweet little chicks you have! We’ve considered having chickens but first we have to finally get that vegetable garden in – to do lists can take awhile! And I just met/ran into Joey a few weeks ago over at Camas Antiques! Can’t wait to go to their Barn show! Trina
Wow…those chickens have it made..hahaha…that is one nice chicken coop! Applaude to your hubby.
Sylvia
Good God that’s gorgeous. Lucky Chicks!
i have never seen raising chickens look so lovely!!=)
Can I move in with them? It is beautiful! Thank you for now making me want a chicken coop in my back yard…my kids don’t need the pool, right?
Thank you for sharing! Your work is amazing!
Incredible! You, I mean The Man, did a fantastic job on this coop. I really like the french plaque you added – even if it is for cows. Those chicks sure found the good life in California! ::Jill
PS I finally found FMS (I missed it when you had them for sale) – I love it! I hope there will be more issues 🙂
Happy Monday ~
Heather, you have totally changed the meaning of being all “cooped up”. What a delight.
Happy Monday, happy chicks.
Smiles ~ Ramona
Please run and give “The Man” a huge smackeroo from all of us who are going through chicken coop envy right now. I have been raising chickens for years and would die for a chicken coop like yours. Sigh, if only my husband could cut a straight line, then I would be on the right path!
Good luck with your ladies, I adore my girls, I had a rooster that lived in my front garden, he was our favorite. Chickens are addicting!!!
Kate
So I already have sent my hubby to your blog so he can see what I mean by chicken coop! I have been wanting to dabble in hens for several years, but on a very small scale. Thanks for the inspiration. Your photography and all things pretty are pretty awesome. 🙂
WOW! This is amazing and so beautiful! You are so talented!!!
Seriously???….that is just FANTASTIC!!!
What a gorgeous chicken house! I am loving the proposed name as well… I have wanted to have chickens for years and since it won’t work at our current abode, I am still waiting. I will live vicariously through your hen adventures. (I will look forward to those posts…)
I love the coop’s design and how it beautifully integrates into your yard. (The Man does GREAT work! Important to note, as WHERE would we be without them??) Thanks so much for sharing so freely with us… we eagerly await the first little eggs…
Blessings!
Erica
Drizzly greetings from Frog Hollow Farm! What an exquisite chicken coop, it’s absolutely breathtaking. We’ve had chickens for many years, but they don’t get to live in such luxury. I’ll have to post a photo of our coop as soon as the rain lets up, on second thought, I might not want to be embarrassed. I’ll have to think about it. Anyway, congratulations on an absolutely successful project – dare I say: “Three clucks to you!”
Heather, Isn’t it great to hear about all the folks who have or have had chickens? We live in a village where you can only have up to 6 “pets”. So last year we raised three meat chickens and had 3 layers. OMG What fun! It’s so amusing to watch the girls! We let them free range our yard, so it was doubly fun having an egg hunt to find where they were laying! Good luck, your man, sure did a fine job on the coop.
It is just beautiful…perfect really. I can’t wait to see if we can finally have chickens….
xo Cindy
Ok, if my chickens see this post I’m in big trouble!! That is truly the George V of chick chalets.
Fabulous!! Hug that man of yours for a job well done.
You know, I never had the slightest desire to have chickens…until now! This coop is prettier than my own house. Don’t be surprised if you find me back there in my sleeping bag one day. 🙂 Oh, and your man is AMAZING. And he must love you a LOT.
How incredible this coop looks….I never dreamed a chicken coop could be so chic. You did an amazing job and I look forward to seeing those little ones grow up. Thank You for sharing all the details
Watch out Martha Stewart… I think you have her beat! The coop is beautiful… they are lucky chicks!
Laurie
That is, hands down, the loveliest chicken coop I have ever seen! You’ll have some pretty chic chicks!
That is AWESOME! Thank you so much for sharing all of your information and doing the leg-work for the rest of us!
wow! you just raised the bar for chicken raising to a whole new level! Amazing! Way to go!! The Man is AWESOME!
H~ Huge props go out to The Man! Awesome job you two! You will have happy hens. Blessings, Kimberly
Wow! I thought the chickens we had were spoiled with their electrified “studio apartment”. Your peeps have the chalet!! This is beautiful, almost too pretty to use for chickens.
Heather, it turned out amazing. You will have some very happy chicks! BTW, just got my copy of Flea Market Style magazine. It is just great. Love all your pics, your backyard party, and of course the Barn House boys. Hope you all get to work together again on another issue.
OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! too adorable–and PERFECT for all my visitors–(relatives!) who seem to “drop by” and stay for a great length of time!!!! love it!
Just as I figured… absolutely adorable! You and THE MAN did a great job! I have been so excited with anticipation, waiting to see your coop, and it is just wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing with us! I am truly inspired!
Oh you!
Oh my goodness, that coop is gorgeous! I love all of the wonderful design details.
Excellent! It’s really quite lovely…you must be soo pleased!
: )
Julie M.
Thanks for sharing! We have our plan down – fortunately we have an existing small stable/shed that we will convert ~ so fun!
I’ll be peeking in to see your babies progress
xo Heidi
I want a chicken coop!
This is the most beautiful coop I’ve ever seen! Is “the man” interested in making more of these? I’d sell them on http://www.mypetchicken.com in a heartbeat!
That is the most amazing coop I have ever seen…I want to live there =) I have got to share this with a friend who has chickens or the “girls” as she calls them.
and oh my, you’ve got me thinking about getting some “girls” of my own so I can build a coop like that.
Happy Day
Beautiful! This question will show my ignorance of chickens, but….. 3 nesting boxes and 5 chickens? I guess I assumed each would have their own nest.
You weren’t kidding at RB when you said The Man had built the most amazing coop!!!! AMAZING is an understatement! It is the Chic Taj Maja! Thank you for sharing all the photos. I love them and can’t wait to see constant updates! You and your peeps are some very lucky chicks!
Poulet Maison Blanc!!!
Love it! xoxo Natalie
OMG! so Awesome… for those lucky lil’ chicks!
That is the cutest thing I have ever seen! I love those baby chicks too. The design is really awesome!
Heather,
I absolutely love your post! You have done a fabulous job in both the coop itself, and in sharing it with all of us. Thank you for taking the time to share. Looking forward to seeing your chicks grow 😉
Gorgeous!!! I have chickens to and I love them and my eggs… have fun! Laurie
Now that IS a chicken coop! Beautiful Heather! Your little truly chicks are loved!
Wow Heather, that’s the prettiest chicken coop I’ve ever seen….I wouldn’t mind moving in myself!
HOLY CROW, that is incredible. So impressed! I would own chickens if I could go out to that chicken hotel every day.
Lara
I love this, Heather! It’s so beautiful, I’m a little jealous of the chicks who get to live there. 🙂
absolutely adorable.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so perfectly CHARMING! It’s just gorgeous! I have a soft spot for chickens and you definately gave them a castle worthy of the finest eggs!
Hey Heather! I’m not really sure how I missed this post, but your Chez Poulet is absolutely amazing! What a team you two make. It’s very beautiful. I can’t wait to watch the chickies grow.
Oh, oh, I bought a similar bovine plaque at the Rose Bowl the day we were all together. Did you get yours there too?
Wow what a hen house! I was going to get chickens but found a puppy instead. Would “THE MAN” (he’s too talented for small letters) like to build me a dog house? Can trade SCUBA gear or really nice halibut spear gun. 🙂
Thanks for the great post, your blog is always so inspiring.
This has got to be the Taj Mahal of coops! PMakes mine (currently unfinished) look like a trailer on the back 40!
I got 3 chickens last year and we have been enjoying fresh eggs daily since they began laying in August. I got 2 White Leghorns and 1 Barred Rock because these two breeds are the powerhouse egg layers.
We named them Sheila, Penny and Hot Lips.
One of my friends also got chickens, inspired by our brood, and now has 3 as well. hHer coop turned out so wonderful, her husband, who built it is going into business making them because urban chicken farming is becoming very popular in Seattle.
Chickens are alot of work as far as cleaning up the poops and when full grown, they are intelligent, active and LOUD on sunny mornings so be prepared to run out there in wee hours of the morning to hush them so neighbors won’t complain (too much)!
I love having chickens and wouldn’t go back. They lay for about 4-5 years if well cared for but live up to 10 if healthy so be prepared to have these as pets when their laying days are over! Eating family members is NOT allowed in our household! 🙂
LilyOake
Seattle
Your coop is gorgeous! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful! I love your coop on so many levels. We had chickens when we lived in the city (Astoria, OR), and now we’re out in the country and have none. Go figure. We are going to fix that this year now that chick season is upon us.
Chickens are AMAZING little pets full of personality. One of our chickens, Omelet – thought she was a dog and hung out with our goldie. She would have come in the house if we had let her. I ramble… enjoyed your post so much. Happy chickening!
Love this post! Just one question…sorry for my ignorance…but how does a female chick produce eggs without a rooster?
WOW!!! – your Palais de Poulet is beautiful and stylish! Thanks for sharing the details. Look forward to hearing your hen tales – good luck and enjoy!
are you kidding me? for real?
speechless. those lucky ducks…i mean chickens. i will not be able to get this out of my head all day.
on another note…i kid you not – i just got my auction win from ebay. 6 pint mason blue ball jars w/ zinc lids. can’t wait to COPY YOU EXACTLY & make a soap canister. ~ yea…that was another image i couldn’t get out of my mind.
thanks for all your lovely inspiration!
kellie
omg..i think i’ve died and gone to heaven!
I’ve been totally dreaming of chickens…
and now seeing this masterpiece..you’ve inspired me to get my fat butt in gear.
I love it…it’s gorgeous heather.
love.
love.
love.
Wow!! So gorgeous!! I would love to have chickens… one day… maybe?! Seeing your gorgeous coop… makes it seem less threatening!! Mind you my kiddos would love to have a ‘chicken coop’ of their own! Love it!
I have been begging my husband to let me have some chickens! Chez poulet….I love it!
That is GORGEOUS! In fact, I’m pretty sure that it’s nicer than my house:) Those are some lucky chickens. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the fruits (well, eggs) of your labor!
Beautiful! I have coop envy!
Absolutely Inspiring! Looking forward to seeing what else you have here 🙂
that is the coolest, cutest ever!!! just a little bigger and i’d use it for an office. i absolutely LOVE it!!!!!!
ok heather! that is the most stunning chicken coop i have ever seen! i dont think i will be saying that often! you thought of ever detail! i love it!
Wow, what a palace! ‘The Man’ rocks! Those chicks have a sweet life. Best of luck with your new ‘girls’ and “Chez Poulez”.
Heather, it is gorgeous. Chez Poulet is perfect – that is what ours is called! We have friends who have the Poulet Palais~ I adore my girls and the eggs are divine. My husband built my coop for me for Christmas about five years ago and I can’t imagine not having the girls running around the property now~
xx
Wowza! Chicken coop? Not quite the chicken coop I grew up with on a farm in Colorado, this is more like a spa for your chickens! Very nice!
WOW, that is absolutely amazing. I think I’d even live in it!!
I love this chicken coop! YOur husband is wonderful. I have said for years now that I want chickens and for my hubby to build a coop for me. There is so much detail to the coop. I am jealous. I found your blog from pics on Bushel and a Peck. Fab blog! I will definately visit again. 🙂
oh my that is so fabbo !! thanks for sharing – best le
Will you be selling your eggs at any farmers markets?? I too, am making changes as a result of the film Food, Inc.
Heather, your coop is beautiful! The detailing is spectacular. As a lifelong raiser-of-chickens, however, I want to caution you about your door latches. Raccoons are pretty dexterous and can get that type of latch open. You may want to add something else, perhaps even a small padlock, to prevent any late night raids on the residents. ;0) I have had some trial and error before finding something they couldn’t undo.
Good luck and enjoy your peeps!
Awesome. You just need a weather vane on top of the cupola.
OMG!!! I love yor Chicken Coop….who would have thougth a chicken coop could be so adorable! I also watched Food Inc. and i also want to have my very own farm, few chicken, cows and pigs but unforturnetly my county won’t let me…maybe next house.
You have managed to make raising chickens look glamorous! The Man did a fabulous job on your coop! It is lovely and oh so French. I love that it is a decorative addition to your yard rather than a distraction. I look forward to hearing more about your chicken experiences.
Love your chicken coop – it is beautiful! Makes me want to own chickens again. I built a coop – not as fancy but it had a covered “yard” for them and I spent hours watching their antics.
Heather I am not going to show my chickens this coop!
They will be demanding a better coop!
Although theirs is pretty cute!
I love what you n Hubby have done!
Its very cute!
You will be surprised how fast those hens will fill that coop!
You are really going to enjoy having the girls around to keep you company especially while working in the yard! Their little noises are so sweet!
Have fun
Hugz, Dolly
come visit
I really do not know what to say, except how jealous I am of your coop! it is so beautiful and i wish i had seen it a year ago when we build ours. I would have copied!
it is so beautiful, and so stunning. I am just in love. We have had chickens for about a year now, and we do love it. You will love it too. The eggs are so yummy, and watching the girls is the best.
Thanks for the inspiration. I may show this to my husband, you know, just incase he has the urge to build another coop!
So glad I found your blog!
OMG what can I say this is just amazing! I would live in there 🙂
It is really cute but where do your chickens run? We live in Chicago and our chickens run around in our 50×150 ft. backyard. We have four Barred Rock and two Buff Orpington hens and a Barred Rock rooster. They love running around the yard chasing squirrels and our pet rabbit.
This coop is beyond AMAZING!! So beautiful, practical and PERFECT!!!
Heather I just got five chicks yesterday and couldn’t be more thrilled. When we farmed, I used to raise chickens and usually kept about 20 hens. That was when all six children were home and we were on the farm. Now we live on an acre and so I definitely needed to keep it small. And I’m no longer feeding a tribe.lol
That is the most beautiful chicken coop I’ve ever seen!!! I love it!!!
So, so darling! We had chickens at our last house and loved them. They sure poop a lot, though! In our new neighborhood chickens are strictly forbidden, but we’re hoping to change that.
i’m a nex reader here: hi! but i just wanted to say your blog is beautiful and this is a stunning piece of architecture you’ve created!! i dream of having the time and space for chickens someday and i’d love to have a place for them like yours. I live in Paris so chickens definatly are out of the picture for the moment!
Wow what a beautiful coop. My girls could only wish to be so lucky, ha ha ha. Right now their coop is below our boys playhouse, but it works for us. Enjoy your chickies they sure are cute.
I’ve never seen anything like it! They are always building chicken coops on lifestyle tv over here in Australia, but they are usually a little inadequate. Your chickens will live very well..Rachaelxx
Maybe the designer would be willing to sell a set of plans or instructions? As a Mom and a DIY’r I have to have help, can’t get the hubby to do it! So adorable!
Heather that is wonderful! I love it. I wish we had a milder climate here and I would put one in my own backyard!
Enjoy the fresh eggs.
L.
A-maz-ing! I want some chicks, but only if I can have a coop like that! I think it would be so nice to go and gather your own eggs!
I vote you make plans for the coop and sell them. Holy cow (er, chicken) it is beautiful and functional. I never wanted chickens, but now I do just so I can make a cutesy little coop.
Wow..what an amazing coop. I have also checked into raising chickens…..our area is not zoned for chickens but we could have a 200 lb pot belly pig~go figure..lol
Wow. I am impressed. I thought my husband built a luxury coop, but yours gets top stars.
Enjoy your chicks. I have 5 layers (and just picked up 7 new ones babies this spring). It took my husband 10 years to convince me to get chickens and now I am the chicken keeper. They are really quite easy and so much fun to watch. Once those chicks get bigger you will have Chicken TV.
That is the best darn chicken coop I’ve ever seen. Wow! Your chicks live in a MANSION! You just don’t know how to do anything “simple”, do you, Heather?! 🙂
Such a wonderful coop! We are on our second round of chicks (the first was 3 years ago and our HOA made us get rid of them; no, we haven’t moved; shhhhhh!) Your sweet hen house is so inspiring. I even showed my husband, and he promised to make one for me…I mean, for the chickens!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. And so perfect for how self-sufficiency ‘sheds’ should be built! I somehow stumbled onto your blog and so glad for it.
Congradulations on this chook shed of yours, I take my hat off to your husband for the workmanship…mine isn’t a handyman at all but I’m inspired enough to consider someday making a small chook shed in our backyard here in Australia…someday perhaps.
Lucky chickens yours are. If only every chick in the world could live in one of these we’d all have amazingly delicious eggs.
This is the most beautiful chicken coop I have seen yet. Congratulations!
I LOVE THIS!! So amazing. So classy.
I have 10 chicks and am looking for chicken house designs. I would love to have something like this.
Its beautiful:) The hens should love it and lay extra eggs…. 😉 We got chicks last Easter for the kids. It has been the most fun. They are truly loved pets to the kids. Good luck with yours.
We are working on a new chicken coop for our chicks and this is some fabulous design inspiration! Thanks so much for posting all the extra resources, too! 😀 😀 😀
Look wonderful! I want to live in it.
The Man did a wonderful job, amazing work. Those chickens better lay some golden eggs, I would move in too! Happy Late Easter Heather. Ciao Rita mammabellarte
This is seriously the most beautiful hen house I’ve ever seen. 🙂
I’m inspired!!!
The coop is amazing! Good luck with the chicks, my last 3 years of raising chickens has been very rewarding, I’m sure you’ll find it the same. I’m on to raising chickens to eat now, not just for eggs, wish me luck!
That has got to be the cutest chicken coop ever!! It brings to mind those Liliput (sp) playhouses that are thousands of dollars.. So so cute!!
take care
Wow. I think I could comfortably live in your chicken coop it’s beautiful! The only thing I miss about living on a larger property is missing my chickens. I loved their personalities, raising the chicks, gathering the eggs. I must admit, everything tastes better with fresh eggs and eggs that come from chickens you know have been fed good things, etc.
That coop is amazing!
I also have backyard hens but in a much more rural setting in Louisiana and with a rooster. (You know, they make much less noise than a barking dog but I digress!) Your coop is beautiful, mine is a makeshift quaint thing near the woods. I have one suggestion for safety if it becomes a problem. I have a motion light at the entry to the coop. If night invaders approach, the light flashes on and scares them away. I had lost a few until this addition. It works wonderfully.
Such a pretty chicken coop, Heather! Lucky Bella to have such a sweet little flock to tend. Here I live in a rural area and can’t have chickies! But, I’m hoping to change that! 😉
Can I move in with your chickens? 🙂
Well that is one of the most beautiful and durable chicken coops I have seen. I hope your chickens enjoy being there. It has an open area along with the packed wooden one which gives proper ventilation and safety in all weathers.
I’m Inspired !
I absolutely Love this Chicken coop! it’s the Mercedes of chicken coops. The design is so well-thought out and clean looking. What kind of chickens do you have?
Enjoy the eggs and be sure to give the chickens hugs! They are actually very sweet creatures.
Cheers!
Jeffrie
Ok, now THAT is a chicken coop! It is just beautiful, no wonder you love that man of yours! It makes mine looks positively pitiful! K xx
Simply stunning….I will certainly not be sharing these photos with my girl, they would be extremely jealous, lol! Great job, Kim
Visting from MckMama’s blogfrog and gotta say!! Nowt that is a CHICK MAGNET :)!!! Chick(ens) from everywhere would be beating down the doors to roost there!!! It’s awesome!!!
I am not going to really add anything new to this, but have to say WOW!! I have never been so impressed… this is a very “look out Martha” moment for me!
Wow, how fancy, what lucky chickens!
I am speechless… almost.
Wow.
Amazing.
uhhhh
Just, wow.
Have you seen this one?
http://bleulune.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/06/le-palais-de-poulet.html
Very similar!
My chicks won’t be living in as swank of housing…. 🙂
Oh my gosh! This is the classiest chick coop ever! I love it! Great job and thanks for sharing!
How beautiful! And what cute chicks!
I love your beautiful coop. I would love to have chickens of my own, this is very inspiring. I’ll have to share this with my hubs to show him how pretty a chicken coop can be, then maybe he’ll get on board. Loving your blog, this is my first visit, but I’ve heard your name floating around more than once…now I see why…just lovely.
Take Care, Carrie
Before a storm broke it, our chicken coop was also raised, but we put it on top of 3 compost piles, which I recommend. That said, yours is quite a bit more elegant, and I’m going to try to incorporate a few of your elements (especially all the doors) next time. People might like to look in at http://www.henspa.com, too as they have very good ideas. For example, one thing I’ll always have is accessible backs to the laying boxes like you have, but make the laying boxes hammock shaped out of hardware cloth. A little hay, and cleaning is a total breeze.
Anyway, beautiful job.
Dear Heather,
Your house and wonderful resource list would provide terrific inspiration to my readers in Sonoma County. Would you consider reposting this on http://www.Sono-Ma.com?
We’ve got quite a backyard barnyard frenzy growing in our area. One mom shared that the annual pet parade at our Waldorf school featured mostly marching chickens as almost every student in one second grade class had a chicken for a pet!
Beautiful- This design might convince my wife that chickens will not detract from the aesthetics of our home.
Incidentally- it was nice to see Food, Inc. listed as one of your inspirations. A great movie, but not really “enjoyable.” My dad, Moe Parr, was featured in that movie, and on his behalf, on Father’s Day, I will say that I’m glad you were moved to take this action.
This is so, so beautiful!These chickens get to live in style!
that is one CLEAN coop! We have a similar situation with out chickens and coop, only a lot more chicken mess in ours. I’ve been wanting to paint our coop for some time now, maybe this is the inspiration I need. Thanks for all your beautiful work, a pure delight! -denise
too beautiful for words! your chickens are VERY lucky.
That is one beeeeeauuuuuutiful coop! Wanna trade? 😉
What a coop!!! I do wish I had seen this before I built mine, although I am happy to have my Ritz-Chickenton. Will follow you as those chickens grow…Mr. Rooster is not a welcomed visitor in our coop either. The only rooster we have is a picture of one and a script over it saying “wish on”….my girls love that picture. Absolutely wonderful coop!
Absolutely the best chicken coop I have EVER seen!!!
♥
I stumbled upon this page. I absolutely LOVE your coop, it is hands down the most stylish and luxurious chicken abode I have ever seen! Those are some extremely lucky lady chicks you have. Its like the Four Seasons for chickens. 🙂 I am really enjoying all your helpful links and suggestions and pictures, for not only this topic but the subject matters as well!
This is simply lovely. I love this so so much, I am going to tell my husband to get busy! Thanks for posting!
This is the most glamorous coop!
Beautiful! You are an inspiration.
I’ve added you to the Best of Everything over at everythingmom.com.
Thank You,
Andrea
Great job you got there.I never thought that anyone would put too much effort and passion in making a chicken coop.You must really love your chicken so much. You have made chicken raising to a whole new level.
I just love this chicken coop! So perfect and classical.
http://inspiringpretty.blogspot.com/
Just gorgeous! I think that your chicken coop is even prettier and cuter than my house is. 🙂 I need to step up my game.
Thank you for sharing the pictures – even simple things can be pretty.
That is THE most amazing chicken coop in the world. Your chickens are so spoiled! I will be following along on your new chicken adventures, you’re gonna have so much fun.
Your site is lovely!
So how does the coop look now? Is there anything you would change about the design to make it better for the chix or easier for you? Do you wish you could see the chix in the coop through a window? Just curious before we start on our own coop adventure!
Oh, this coop is so dreamy! Would love to put my chickens is something like this….but i’d be afraid they’d dirty it up, haha! off to peek around your blog…..how do i follow you? xoox
Wow, fantastic inspiration!
Thanks 🙂
Synøve
That coop is nicer than my house!
Wow… now that is a ‘chicken coop’! Thank you for sharing this fabulous structure. You have me dreaming as we build our own chicken coop. Happy Spring Gardening from my garden in Ohio.
Heather, thank you for all the wonderful information and links! We plan on having chickens of our own, soon! I do believe your coop will be the inspiration for ours. It is lovely!!!! Again, thank you. Your blog is a joy to read!
DAM I WANT TO COME LIVE IN YOUR COOP!!!!HAHAHAHA
This is unbelievably perfect. You have insrired me. I wanted chickens someday, and now I know this is how I want them to live!! Lucky things!
Wow! I’m impressed!
Someone told me to look up this site and I’m so glad. It’s just beautiful. I love your chicken coop and the decorating ideas that go along with it. Thanks!
This chicken coop is simply stunning! I am sure it provides many happy hours for the sweet birdies!! We love it and it is total inspiration for our coop!
Heather,
Your chicken coop is amazing! My husband just started building our coop, but before he put together the first board I showed him yours. I just love how simple yet very elegant it looks. I love your website. We also have a Boston.
I grew up on a small Mn dairy farm. We also had chickens, pigs, horses cats and dogs. My LEAST favorite chore-picking eggs and cleaning the chicken coop. I am a farm wife but refuse to raise chickens. I am lucky to have a friend who does so I can get fresh eggs from her. I commend those who want to experience a bit of the agrarian lifestyle and be responsible for some of the food they feed their family. Consider yourself lucky if you can do it…many can’t.
I love it! I’ve been looking at small to medium coop designs for my bantam Mille Fleur D’Uccles and I think this is by far my favorite!! Thank you BUNCHES for the inspiration & numerous pictures!! I wouldn’t be able to build it without them!! LOL!
That coop is beautiful – very nice job!!
What a beautiful coop!
We have had backyard chickens for 8 1/2 years and LOVE them. It’s hard to eat store bought eggs now. Sadly our last few girls who were quite old were taken by a very clever fox. Never had this problem before and we also back onto a reserve. We hope to get more when Spring comes (I’m in Australia)and after we make it extra fox proof. Would love a coop as pretty as yours…working on a pottager style garden. We call our coop “The Chook Hilton” lol.
So glad to have found you via The Lettered Cottage.
x Marnie
Ohh look at your cute little babies! I love the storage under the nesting boxes. Very creative!
Prettiest coop ever. Just adorable, I’m sharing this!
Can I borrow your hubby??! lol.Saw this on Country living. Very lovely.
CONGRATS on being featured in Country Living!! I had blogged about your wonderful coop months ago and recognized it in the magazine! Awesome! 🙂
Oh WOW…… I want one of those toooo sniff sniff 🙂
Hi Heather, I love your blog with your photography but I especially love your girls. I have girls of my own they are about a year and a half now, plus a friend found a baby chick in their yard so we have a new baby. They are all different breeds, and we love them so much.
Since you let your girls run around I am assuming that your property is totally fenced in right?
Do you ever worry about over head dangers, hawks and things like that?
I did notice with our new girl (still hoping she’s a girl) she is a Light Brahma and going to be beautiful, she sure does poop a lot. I had her running around in my stamp studio while I worked, and I must have cleaned up ten turds in no time…ha!
Well I just wanted to say hi and how much I admire you.
Hugs,
Di
The most famous hen house in blogland for sure! It’s just gorgeous too. I linked this to my chicken coops project post today as well, for inspiration!
My husband and I are looking for a plan and we love this one! We are going to build it ourselves. My hubby has a full woodshop, as he is a cabinet maker. I just know the girls are going to love it! Phoebe, Gracey and Lucy will be so happy in their new home and they don’t even know it yet!
i am a year behind the post, i have had chicken for almost two years now, i lost three this summer to heat. looking to expand my little flock of two this spring. while i only have two girls, now is the time to build a real coup, my husband built a tractor type coup when i first had the bright idea to get chickens. two years later its time for a big girl coup. i just wanted to let you know that i am in jealous love with your coup. my orginal idea was to have our dogs houses, that idea is now edited, and your coup now takes its place. thanks so much for the inspiration!!!!
after posting i read some of the comments, it is nice to see that i am not the only one that gave my coup a name. my boys thought it was dumb, coup deville is the name on ours, even if it is just a tractor coup, i believe that name will carry over to the new coup
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