Exactly a month ago, I bought the build plans for a chicken coop. Since then, Aaron has been building like a madman to create the most epic chicken cottage of all time. This week, we’re over the moon (and a bit relieved) to finally welcome the flock into their cozy new home.
From start to finish, this coop has been a labor of love. It’s yet another testament to the unreal ways the farm has welcomed our family with open arms. The property’s previous owners left behind a small fortune in wood and scrap. We embraced the abundance. More than half of everything we needed was right here in the barns – it just took a little digging.
Along the way, we prepped the garden and uncovered the most amazing concrete table behind the barn. Together, this trifecta – the coop, garden and table – create the most swoon-worthy scene we could have ever imagined.
As the sun sets on yet another workday, I am completely humbled by the magic we’re stirring up on the farm. Golden sun rays cascade through the flowering fruit trees and bounce across the fresh white paint of our new little building.
The fresh breezes rush across the partially mowed grass and rustle through the green onion patch. Sahara enjoys the cool shade in her new favorite place under the coop – watching the chickens scamper about the run.
Our hearts (and consequently many arguments and emotions) have been poured into this project – and, that’s beyond obvious. I can’t even fathom the many amazing stories we’re going to continue to make out here.
While we did all of the building and finishing on the chicken coop, we cannot take full credit for its epicness. We did work from a set of plans and purchased quite a bit of hardware to pull it all off.
Here’s everything we used for the DIY:
- Chicken coop plans
We found these stunning plans on Etsy. The seller has wonderful reviews and we agree. The plan was easy to follow and made great sense. We chose to build the coop for 12 chickens, but there is also a version for 5-8 chickens. - Chicken run plans
Same seller, different plan. This set builds the wire run off to the side of the coop. Awesomely simple instructions. Aaron’s mom and I actually built this part alone without any trouble! - Planned parts
The plans call for tiny windows, hinges, latches and more. I played with a few ideas for deviating from the shopping list, but for the most part, ordered exactly what the plan suggested. Again, they just did a really nice job with these plans. - Upgrades
Ok, ok – the decorative lighting on the front was not exactly original to the plan. We winged it with a few embellishments of our own. Here’s what we found and where:- 2×4″ supports
We had a surplus of 2x4s in the barn – so we used those instead of the 2x3s noted in the plan. We think the 2x3s would probably have been better (whoa, this thing is heavy) but we liked that our found lumber was free. Ultimately, if you use 2x4s just remember to adjust your measurements to accommodate the few extra inches in the frame. (We learned that the hard way a couple of times!) - Epoxy floor
I’ve read that an epoxy floor is a common chicken coop upgrade that protects the plywood from moisture and makes the coop easier to clean. I am all for easy cleaning. We used the Rustoleum Epoxy Shield garage floor kit for a simple DIY application. - Solar lights
I really wanted the coop to have some personality and feel like a small part of our home. Adding some solar lights for our evenings in the yard helped! I snagged a sweet pair of hanging solar lights and they are exceptional. When I compared prices, these were by far the most reasonable available (we got ours for $35 for the 2-pack!) – and the quality is fantastic. I’m super impressed and will probably look for more places to add them around the farm!
- 2×4″ supports
- Upgrades continued…
- Cedar shingles
I desperately lobbied for a black tin roof but Aaron refused to cook my chickens before they have a chance to fatten up. We “compromised” with his much superior idea for a cedar shingle roof. While the cost wasn’t too high for this small space, the level of effort definitely was. Neither of us anticipated the impact this roof could have on our marriage…just make sure you’re ready to risk it all. In the end, the look was worth it – mostly. - Bug Juice paint
We’re suckers for a fresh coat of Sherwin Williams Extra White. In this case, we plopped on some A100 Exterior Acrylic Latex in a flat finish. It holds up beautifully and cleans up super well. (Side note: this is also what we want to use when we repaint the house so the coop is going to be our testing ground for how filthy the white gets and how quickly!) We’re also watching the effectiveness of my latest discovery: an insect repellent additive called Bug Juice. The farm as a whole has a hard time with mud daubers and wasp nests. Bug Juice is supposed to repel them from building nests anywhere you’ve put the paint. Only time will tell if it works, but I’m super excited to give it a go on the coop. - PVC gravity feeder and waterer
We DIY’d a PVC pipe feeder and waterer inside of the chicken run to replace the very tiny feeder and watering can we’d been using in the garage. Truth be told, we are tired of refilling the food twice a day. It’s time to expand the operation. I’ll have to put together another post on how this works because the science behind these feeders is a bit rough when you just wing it and start chopping pipes from what you see in pictures. - Our “name tag”
As we build up new stuff around the farm, I want to leave a little calling card for our family, friends and future owners. The coop gave me the perfect chance to start. A little (very roughly engraved!) plaque screwed into a tiny corner notes the year and initials of some of the helping hands along the way:
Built 2020
Crossley Farms
AC LC IC AC SC DC CN TN
- Cedar shingles
More to come? Likely. Aaron is already working on a roof expansion for the chicken run that is going to be simply ridiculous. But what kind of farm project would this be if it wasn’t completely over the top?
Need a coop but thinking “oh, no way?” I get it – I really do. Aaron did say that he’d likely build and sell a few of these over the summer if there’s interest. Want one? Hit us up.