When our neighbors first offered us some chickens, I was hesitant. Living inside the city limits, with a small backyard, two toddler boys (and one on the way), I had plenty of reasons to say no thanks. But when my wife told me I could build a coop, I was all aboard. She knew I couldn't resist the opportunity to play with my toys... er I mean tools! So I got out my sketch pad and got to work.
Since it would be visible from every back window of the house, I wanted a nice looking coop. And if I was going to raise chickens, by golly I wanted them to be happy, healthy chickens! After a few trips to the hardware store (and lots of measuring and cutting), building the structure was a breeze. Well, a long breeze, because the biggest challenge was patience. I could really only find time to work on the coop after the kids went to sleep, and before the sun went down, which left me about 45 minutes on most days to build. Plus, I'm a big believer in measure twice, cut once!
After construction, I then took the time to stain and paint to enhance the look and durability. So... finally, four weeks later I had my Happy Chicken Coop. We moved the chickens in, much to the delight of my two boys, and we have enjoyed their constant entertainment ever since. You never know what you'll see them doing while looking through the kitchen window while washing dishes. They are a hoot! And all of our visitors love going out to see the coop and the chickens. Maybe I inspired some friends to join the chicken community.
The biggest surprise for me was how much I enjoyed this project, despite it taking much longer than I anticipated. And that's the biggest thing I will take away from it as well. Patience is a virtue, and if it takes a little longer to do a good job, it is totally worth it in the end.
When our neighbors first offered us some chickens, I was hesitant. Living inside the city limits, with a small backyard, two toddler boys (and one on the way), I had plenty of reasons to say no thanks. But when my wife told me I could build a coop, I was all aboard. She knew I couldn't resist the opportunity to play with my toys... er I mean tools! So I got out my sketch pad and got to work. Since it would be visible from every back window of the house, I wanted a nice looking coop. And if I was going to raise chickens, by golly I wanted them to be happy, healthy chickens! After a few trips to the hardware store (and lots of measuring and cutting), building the structure was a breeze. Well, a long breeze, because the biggest challenge was patience. I could really only find time to work on the coop after the kids went to sleep, and before the sun went down, which left me about 45 minutes on most days to build. Plus, I'm a big believer in measure twice, cut once! After construction, I then took the time to stain and paint to enhance the look and durability. So... finally, four weeks later I had my Happy Chicken Coop. We moved the chickens in, much to the delight of my two boys, and we have enjoyed their constant entertainment ever since. You never know what you'll see them doing while looking through the kitchen window while washing dishes. They are a hoot! And all of our visitors love going out to see the coop and the chickens. Maybe I inspired some friends to join the chicken community. The biggest surprise for me was how much I enjoyed this project, despite it taking much longer than I anticipated. And that's the biggest thing I will take away from it as well. Patience is a virtue, and if it takes a little longer to do a good job, it is totally worth it in the end.
