Winging It! Our Hens + Chicken Coop

Our idea sprouted within the week of learning that we were able to have five hens. We had planned on having chickens once we would leave the city and we never knew that having chickens was a possibility on our city lot. I came across an article early May and once the news came to our attention we started to draft the chicken coop plan and jot down our ideas. A new idea was due; since Mallory's birth we have done mini projects here and there but nothing exciting. Plus, what makes the idea so exciting is that it was spontaneous. At times I dislike my planning personality, because there's no surprises. Do the laundry, wash the dishes, feed the dog, feed the baby, feed the husband, the list continues. A routine is nice, but at times its awesome to be able to stop and surprise yourself with a little bit of fun. Your fun might not look like ours: gaining 5 chickens with a 5 month old plus a lab that's trained to bird hunt; we enjoy a good challenge and our plate full.

Our design was inspired by an old farm's shed we have access to. This old farm is a goldmine for people like Nate and I and we even started to call it our "salvage spot." We were able to get all of our exterior materials from the salvage spot which included: wood siding, trim, metal tin roof, hinges and locks. The hunt for the old character is what I live for in any project. There is no better high for me than to find a used discounted item and incorporate it into our lives.

Nate framed up the coop and was gracious enough to put the time and effort into an extended cupola that runs the length of the coop; what it takes to win me over. The cupola has windows on both sides for ventilation and light for the chickens. We got all of our coop guidelines by reading blogs and watching tutorials. Each hen needs at least two square feet of space in the coop which resulted in our 4'x4' sized coop. We have three 1'x1' nesting boxes that the chickens lay their eggs in and also added thick branches for the chickens to sleep on. Along with the coop, we made and enclosed 4'x8' run to obtain up to five hens.

 

Our five hens, Dolly, Nugget, Loretta, Little & Butch, are roughly 4 months old and together lay 3 to 6 eggs each day. Initially, we fed the hens a grain that had 16% protein. This resulted in the hens growing rapidly yet laying membrane eggs. To harden the shells, we added cal to their diet which lead to an increase in laying as well as hardened eggs. The hens enjoy their coop and love to venture around our backyard. With having minimum knowledge, we feel our success is increasing and we are enjoying our small hobby.