Our chickens have moved many times in the 4 years we’ve been at our home. From the original two chickens we started with in a tiny coop, to a free-range life in our animal pen, to our 4×8 shed-style coop, to our repurposed kids playground coop, to our 4×8 dog run. The latest (and hopefully final) coop is an expansion of the very nice custom built coop given to us by a friend. We brought over their 3×8 coop + run in 2022 and battled rodents and predators when letting the chickens out during the day. In need of a fortress, we enclosed the run-side of the coop to make it a full 3×8 interior, and added a large walk-in 8×8 run. There are cinderblocks dug into the ground with 2 feet of wire underneath so nothing is digging under. The wire mesh walls are secured on both front and back. And the custom door we built event fits perfectly in the doorway with no gaps… A few weeks in and all our chickens are loving their new space.

Our first farm pets were two chickens that we got while living in the suburbs in Carmel Mountain. They had a small coop and would walk around our tiny side yard kicking bark from our planter all over the place. But we enjoyed having them, getting a few eggs and starting to get a feel for caring for farm animals.

After we moved and had lots more space, we quickly grew our flock to a dozen hens and they were due for a proper coop. We built this 4′ x 8′ coop connected to the chickens run and have used it over the years as a coop, a shed, and a place for the goats to shelter during our biggest storms.