We decided (after several years of going back and forth) to get chickens this Spring. What better time to start this project than when we all are at home during a pandemic, right? Picking out the chicks (all 16 of them) was so easy, but what’s next? There are SO many chicken coops online to choose from (between Pinterest, Instagram, and Google), how do you decide which one is the right fit for you?
We thumbed through hundreds of blog posts and reviews on Pinterest. We even bought several sets of plans that looked interesting to us – everything from mobile chicken tractors to stationary coop designs. When we found The Garden Loft, it was the most well designed, had the easiest to follow instructions, and when we emailed the owner a few questions — he was super responsive. We knew that if we ran into problems, he’d be there to help.
So, we began the work.
This project took us three weeks from start to finish. We have received a couple of questions asking if this plan required a skilled DIY-er or if a beginner could tackle it. The Garden Coop site answers this question:
The plans are written for beginners, so if you’ve at least used a circular saw and a cordless drill before, you can build this coop. That said, given the scope of the project, it would help if you or a building partner had some DIY building experience already, otherwise, you could get frustrated at points along the way, and that’s no fun.
If you work patiently and safely, you should have no problem. All the cuts are simple and straight. All the joinery is explained in the plans. There is some digging involved, and some wrestling with rolls of hardware cloth, but you won’t need any special skills there, just maybe that extra pair of (gloved) hands.
It was a family project for sure. We had all hands on deck and wanted this to be a project the kids would remember doing together.
Once it was completed, of course, I wanted to make it the cutest little chicken coop you ever did see. I hopped on Etsy and grabbed a few things (and I’m still looking for a few other items to add to it) and had such a fun time sprucing up this space. You can shop the coop decor HERE.
Our favorite features about this coop?
- security — chickens are safe in there
- full size door — we don’t have to stoop to get inside
- good use of space
- well ventilated
- the easy to follow instructions
But one of my all-time favorite things about this coop is the little touch we added to the front with that metal sign. See it? It says,
“Tucker’s Cluckingham Palace”
We have a local, custom metal sign shop in our little town – Maker Table – that we used to have this sign made and we absolutely LOVE how it turned out!
Maker Table was the best to work with! We placed our custom order on their website on a Thursday afternoon and by Tuesday, our sign was on our doorstep. Talk about a speedy delivery.
If you’re in the Nashville area and need a sign made, make sure to check them out. They’re wonderful! You can also follow them on Instagram – @maker.table
You can shop some of the items from our coop HERE. Also, check out my Instagram highlight “Chickens”.
Do you have chickens? I’d love to hear about your experience with them.
How do your chickens stay warm in the winter and with all those screens doesn’t it get pretty wet in there from rain?
They’re fine as long as it doesn’t get too terribly cold. If it gets in the teens or below (and we have had that several winters over the last several years, even down to 0 degrees and a little below), we wrap the coup in plastic sheeting. You can see exactly what we use over at @MeghanTucker on Instagram under the “Chickens” and “Chickens2” highlight on my profile.
http://www.instagram.com/meghantucker
How did you attach your sheeting to the coop?
We used staples / a staple gun.
Love this coup.
Thank you so much!
We love your coop. Are we able to buy blueprint plan? Great work! It’s adorable. Thank you
Hey! Yes, here is a link to the plans: https://rstyle.me/+NA2n81kfZT29dUJledlrrA
Beautiful coop! Are you providing a dust bathing area for them? Just an option so if they want they can clean themselves 🙂
We sure do! Thanks!
The floor is gravel with shavings on top? What is the cleaning process for the shavings? Is the inside of the actual coop part hard to clean? Thanks!
Yes, that is correct. Here is a link to how we clean it out – we just do it twice a year and works GREAT! https://www.meghantucker.com/using-the-deep-litter-method-in-your-chicken-coop/
Yes, that’s correct! Here is a post about how we keep it clean. We only have to clean it twice a year! https://www.meghantucker.com/using-the-deep-litter-method-in-your-chicken-coop/
What is the size of this coop and run ?
I don’t know off the top of my head. However, it’s in the link for the plans which is located in the post. Thanks!
Hello! Love your coop! We are getting ready to build the same plan. Where did you find your black hinges?
We got them at Lowe’s! Can’t wait to see your new coop! Share photos!
Beautiful coop! Did you use the wood horizontal closure strips for the roof or plastic?
We used wooden closure strips.
Is there a place to actually buy the chicken coup plan? It is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Great Job! Thanks
If you read through the post, you’ll see several places to click the links which will take you straight to the plans where you can purchase them.
Or you can use this link here: https://rstyle.me/+_UmGZEWGlF7lZpSpFVSboA
Thanks so much!