“Do you have plans I can purchase for your coop?“

I currently do not have plans for sale on our coop. We modified purchased plans from Twelve On Main and as of right now I still point to Sara’s plans if you are looking to build a coop design similar to ours.

“What are the dimensions of your coop/run?“

The enclosed coop is divided into two parts: one for the chickens and one for storage. The entire area inside the coop is 10’x10′. The enclosed run is 12’x8′.

“How much did the coop cost to build?“

We did not keep perfect records of the receipts for the coop-bad practice on our side. But, after tallying it up we roughly spent $6000 on our coop, (give or take) not including any decorative lighting or electrical runs. We saved on a lot of costs by doing a majority of the labor ourselves, and most of the cost came from our cement base and the standing seam metal roof.

“What does maintenance look like?“

Personally, I think chickens are extremely low maintenance as long as you are able to keep their coop clean of dampness, most bacteria or fumes won’t accumulate. While everyone’s cleaning schedule will vary based on flock needs-you can find a more detailed outline of my cleaning schedule HERE!

Why chicken wire and not hardware cloth?

My chicken wire is extremely sentimental to me: it was on the chicken barns of my family farm. My father and grandfather were commercial chicken farmers; and when my father passed, my sister and I decided to liquidate the barns. I salvaged the rolls of wire from the debris and to me, it feels like a piece of home.

If you have large predators, yes hardware cloth will be a more secure option. We do not have large predators and I have found that on the rare occasion we have had a snake (once) they prefer to enter through the open chicken door.

What type of siding did you use?

Multi-Use Primed Grey Engineered Panel Siding (0.34-in x 48-in x 96-in) This is pre-primed, so ready for paint!

“What color stain is on the door and run?“

Thompson WaterSeal Timberoil in Transparent Teak. This is a waterproofing seal that is used on outdoor decks and fencing for maximum protection on our run.

“What color is on the exterior of the coop?“

SW Pure White

“What type of roofing material did you use?“

Our roof is a black standing seam roof that we hired out to be installed.

“What “bedding” do you use inside the coop?“

I use a variation of the deep litter method with sand and pine shavings

“What “bedding” do you use in the run?“

We use untreated wood mulch and it is amazing. Highly recommend it because the poop will filter down underneath and compost itself pretty easily.

“How many nesting boxes do you have?“

A: We have 6 total, but they really only use 4.

“Where did you find your light fixtures-are they hardwired?”

Our exterior lights are the Arnette Outdoor lights (similar item linked here) from Lamps Plus and are hard-wired and set up on a smart system that connects to my phone.

What are your favorite coop features?

I absolutely love our coop, so it is hard to pick just one! My personal favorite features are:

• the walk-in ability for easy cleaning
• cement floors (easy cleaning)
• storage space
• electricity for lights and fan
• easy access to nesting boxes
• AUTO CHICKEN DOOR

If you had to change/add anything, what would you do differently?

One of my biggest regrets was not finishing the ceiling-which I recently completed. My hens would roost in the rafters and poo into the storage side-making it difficult to touch anything without getting flakey poo on myself. That problem is now solved!

If I had to “change” anything, I would have made the run even larger. But now that we have the lama crew, my chickens are safe to free-range with added protection.