One Cool Coop

Over the summer, two sneaky hens were hatching large numbers of chicks in the holly bushes to hide their eggs from me. It was clear they didn’t want my interference. And they did it twice, proudly presenting their little ones in tow. I now had so many birds that I had to make some housing decisions, one way or another.

I picked up a book, Hentopia (Create a Hassle-free Habitat for Happy Chickens; 21 Innovative Projects), by Chickens magazine columnist Frank Hyman, full of innovative ideas about chicken-keeping and affordable ways to build a henhouse. I sprang for the 12-by-7-foot coop idea. I had never attempted building anything that big, other than finishing a three-sided coop given to me. Frank’s wonderfully instructional book gave me the knowhow to proceed.

At 67, I’m a small but mighty lady! I worked around the clock, day after day, laboring to finish before winter. After much self-correction due to the learning process, my version of those excellent prefab coops came to be, as ideas came to mind.

I built the pallet coop and the run with salvaged barn trusses and other found wood, in three months. I wanted it to look like something out of a storybook and be bright inside despite the low-sloping roof lines. I put in a skylight from a clear panel and used the rest of it to make snap-on window covers in the front. I cut wooden panels to cover the vents in the back. A homemade octagon window provides more ventilation on the side.

I plan to cover the run with the wavy clear panels for rain protection when funds are available. It was all that I could do, hoisting the large pieces of plywood and roll roofing up there on the ladder. Crawling like a crab, easing myself along the roof was especially hairy as I was nailing the roofing down. Looking back, I marvel that I accomplished it! I call my creation “The Friends of a Feather Inn.” — Deborah Haney