Coop Town: Western-Themed Chicken Coops

I think lots of folks see chicken coops as practical structures intended to house their flock. If they are viewed as livestock those birds usually get a basic home that, hopefully, protects them from the elements and predators. Pet birds are often given more attention, which is reflected in the time and energy their keepers have put into making their coops aesthetically pleasing. Most folks are constrained by budgets, while others may not have the skill to undertake a DIY project.

And then there are the chicken keepers who go whole hog and build something so over-the-top that it catches the attention of the chicken world and creates a bit of a buzz. Nearly seven years after it was originally built the online images of the replica western-themed chicken compound are still making the rounds.

Mitzi, the brainchild behind Coop Town came up with the design and did the decorating while her husband, Tracy, brought her vision of a spectacular frontier-themed chicken town to life. He’s a long-haul trucker and away from their Missouri home a lot, but once there he had a long list of projects in order to create the dedicated space for their chickens.

Each building is complete with clever details of everything you’d expect in a Wild West community: the livery stables, hotel, cafe, shops, water tower, dust bath, blacksmith workshop and of course, a saloon and brothel. Future plans include a church and school house.

Highlights

The attached hotel, café and mercantile are actually one building with three fronts painted different colours. The door at one end reveals a large coop that houses young birds.

The town water tower is made from a 15-gallon water barrel able to capture rainwater. “We just found the barrel and made the rest up as we went. There was no written plan, it was all in my head after we watched some videos about how old time water towers were made and we adjusted it for size.”

And every town needs a communal dust bath.

The two-story livery and the barn have opening doors. A closer peek reveals faux hay in the upstairs doorway.

Check out the intersections with chicken-themed street signs.  

If you look closely the blacksmith building houses PVC feeders in both sidewalls, which can be filled from the top so the chickens can eat under the weather-proof galvanized roof.

The saloon, owned by Rooster Cogburn, features curtains, swinging doors and hitching posts to tie your horse out front. The tiny red porch lantern and the sign on the right subtly advertise the services of Miss Clara, Miss May and Miss Lulu, a hint of what else might be happening behind closed doors above the saloon.

Rowdy roosters should be careful or they might end up in jail (a building which doubles as storage for feed and supplies). The mini lock-up’s facade is complete with a wanted poster and tiny keys out front.

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Many thanks to Mitzi and Tracy Ballard for sharing their story and photos.