Chicken Coops

So today I would like to talk about chickens and their coops. More specifically I would like to let you know how much work goes into these homes that our girls spend their nights roosting in. Too many hours. At least that's what people always seem to be saying. It becomes almost an obsession for those of us building our coops. We thyink of something new while we are out and about and suddenly our attention can only be held by thoughts of things to add to the chicken coop and make it better or more interesting.

That is my finished coop. If you can't already tell, it is made of almost entirely repurposed woods that I got from three of my neighbors. They all sort of pitched in to help me build it by giving me different types of materials from the wood to fencing, and even shingles for the roof. I then insulated the inside of the coop and painted it to make it colorful. Overall I would like to say that I am proud of my coop.

But I have to be honest. I am always rather jealous of all these fancy schmancy coops that I see online that are big enough for a person to sit comfortably inside and spend time with the chickesn, that have nesting boxes that are accessible from outside the coop (mine is only accessible through the front door, but hey it works for me), have electricity with automatic doors and feeders and lights.

Sidenote: I made the personal choice not to provide artificial lighting in the winter time for my chickens. the reason people provide artificial lighting is to provide their chickens with at least 15 hours of light a day to maintain a constant lay cycle. Otherwise with the shortened days of the winter, your chickens often times will goes days without laying an egg or completely stop laying eggs for the duration of the winter. I chose to give my girls the winter off as its been proven that it helps to extend the life of the chickens if you give them the winter break each year.

I would like to share a picture of one of my favorite coop designs that I have come across so far, but please remember its not mine! It's called "The Eggplant" and I am sure you can guess why! Thanks so much for sharing your design on Backyard Chickens Navychick!

She has inspired me to build one of equal character and grandeur at some point, but I think I will stick with my cheap one for now... Still jealous though! So pretty!