2022 Summer Garden Tour: Inside Our Chicken Coop

It has been one year with our cozy chicken coop (click to learn more about the process)! We have adjusted, we have learned, and we have made some adaptations to the coop. While I answer a lot of questions over on our Coop FAQ page, below I am highlighting a few more questions and sharing pics of our beloved chicken coop to date (with some winter decor and all because life has been a little too hectic to worry about changing our coop decor)!

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As always, be the first to see updates on my Instagram: @theroostingplace

I’m wearing some of my favorite overalls and they are linked 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 type of bedding do you use?

We use pine shavings inside the coop and untreated local or cypress mulch in the run.

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 salvaging windows, wire, and doors.

Most of the cost came from our cement base and the standing seam metal roof. (We also built during the height of cost increase, so give or take on today’s cost).

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!

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.

To learn more about our coop, click HERE.

Thinking about adding chickens to your home? Tap HERE for some things to consider!

Want to see more of the Summer 2022 Garden Tour? Check out the posts below!

Introducing the Tour

Talk soon,

xx, Lanna


Introducing the Summer 2022 Garden Tour

The garden is finally at a stopping place. A state of rest for the hot summer months. Now is the perfect time to pause and reflect on the last 18 months of projects that have made the garden what it is today.

In reflection: I cannot believe it has been 18 months yet only 18 months since we began staking out the chicken coop that started it all. It was bitterly cold and windy, but on New Year’s day 2021, the garden was started with stakes and string- the beginning of a dream come true. But dreams are not handed to us-they require work and often growing pains. Hard lessons learned and time traded-in. I have no regrets because the garden process has been filled with so many memories and sweet lessons in both skill and life.

I’m excited to launch my Summer 2022 Garden Tour. I will be highlighting the following spaces week by week here on the blog and on my Instagram using a mix of static photos, and video content. I cannot wait to take you along.

Overall Layout and Components

The Greenhouse

Our Cozy Chicken Coop

In-Ground Landscaping

What I Grow in Zone 8a Summer

This week: We dive into the basic Q&A of the overall layout and garden components.

To explore ideas that inspired my garden, click HERE

What Growing Zone are you in?

I am Zone 8a!

To find out what growing zone you are located in, click HERE for a link to the USDA Plant Hardiness Map and input your zip code.

What is the overall dimension of your garden area?

Our garden is approximately 45 ft x 45 ft

What are the dimensions of your Greenhouse?

While I will go into more detail regarding the Greenhouse in a further post, it is approximately 10 ft x 16 ft plus some for the entryway.

What are the dimensions of your Coop?

While I will go into more detail regarding the Coop in a further post, the enclosed Coop is 10 ft x 10 ft. The Run is 12 ft x 9 ft.

The new duckling run addition is approximately 10 ft x 10 ft.

What is your ground cover and what did you use underneath?

I chose crushed limestone for my groundcover. Crushed limestone compacts better than pea gravel and I personally liked the color variation more. Underneath, I used tar paper (for roofing) and landscape fabric to assist with run-off or drainage near the in-ground beds. I will say, the landscape fabric areas are where I have to do the most weeding-something to consider.

To read more about our groundcover… click HERE

What color are your stepping stones?

These are Oklahoma Gray flagstone

Did you build your raised beds? Will you add more?

Yes! Each box is 4 ft x 6 ft.

You can read more about the raised boxes HERE. And YES I plan on building 4-6 more boxes in the future for more edible crops growing capacity. Little bits at a time.

How did you make the arch trellis?

Using a cattle fencing panel and some t-posts!

Tap your 4′ t-posts in (I only needed two because we secured to the box side with metal strapping (as you can see in the image above) and then bend the fencing into an arch-securing with wire or sturdy zip ties!

Our fencing was already on property, so we used what we had. But, I would say this 12′ fencing builds about a 6′ tall arch if placed on the ground with the ends approximately 3′ apart.

Did you build the fence?

I did! And you can read more about them (and snag a tutorial) HERE.

What stain color do you use in the Garden?

Thompson Waterseal Timber Oil in Transparent Teak

The fence is Olympic Mystic Black Solid Color Exterior Stain and Sealant

What direction does your garden face?

The Greenhouse door faces North.

The Garden gets 6-8 hours of sun in the summer, with morning shade until about 11 am in the summer due to surrounding trees.

Do you have a dripline or automatic watering system?

Yes! Without an automatic watering system, my plants would not survive. I will cover this more in my segment about the garden boxes. 😉

Any other questions about the garden layout? Send me a message or DM on Instagram and I’m happy to answer them!

Want to see more of the Garden tour? Check out these posts:

Inside Our Chicken Coop

Talk soon,

Lanna