This is the 31st post in my series on cool coop builds. I haven’t been looking for the biggest or best, but ones that express the heart and soul of the owners that have interesting back stories and might inspire my readers.
I’ve noticed more chicken keepers who repurpose materials to build their first coops. The results are so much more interesting and satisfying than buying a pre-fab coop or hiring someone to do the work for you. I’m hoping that their stories will inspire others to challenge themselves to do the same.
Blair and her husband Mat combined some of things I love about keeping chickens: how folks come together to care for their flocks and how creative those keepers are in providing shelter for their birds. Together they used upcycled materials to create a shelter to be proud of, that also didn’t break the bank. When I first saw the photos I thought the only thing missing was a funky mural. Good news, that’s on the to-do list for the coop’s future upgrades.
Mat and I live in Addison County, Vermont. This is our first time with chickens. I’ve been wanting them for years now. It’s a dream come true! We currently have eight: Ameracaunas, Croad Langshand, Olive Eggers and Black Copper Marans.
We acquired this observatory when we purchased our home a year ago. It wasn’t in the best shape and we’re not really into astronomy. We also couldn’t afford the required equipment it would to use of it for its intended purposes. We were looking around for chicken coops and they were so expensive. I joined a few Facebook chicken-focused groups and posted a photo of the observatory asking the masses: “Can we/should we convert this?” and there was a huge and resounding “YES!” so we went for it.
This isn’t my first build, but I wouldn’t call it a building project. We just made a few additions and made use of what we could find and made very slight modifications to it.
My husband and I did the work, which took about a week not including the wait time for the run to arrive in the mail. That was a Wayfair find. It’s hard to say how much we spent because it was done piece meal. $400?
Coop: 8’x8’ Run: 8’x10’
Features
- Disco ball, twinkle lights
Future Plans
- An auto door
- My sweet neighbour is cutting the perfect sized branches for roosting bars. He’s a bit of a chicken expert so we’re lucky to live next to him
- A fence around the coop. It’s located a a few yards away from the bedroom door. I would love to go out in the morning and have coffee with the “space chicks”.
- And a mural. Maybe of a chicken operating a UFO? Or chickens getting abducted. Maybe constellations that look like chickens. The last thought is an egg yolk as a planet and the egg white as “rings” around. We’re open to feedback.
- Stay tuned and follow my progress on Instagram @cuddlebug_organics
Thanks to Blair and Mat for sharing their story and photos, used with permission.
Bitchin' Chickens 
this is awesome!!!!
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