WELL, THAT DIDN’T GO AS PLANNED. THE NEW CHICKEN COOP: PLUS, SOME COOL ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR CHICKEN COOP

Have you ever had a plan fall apart?

That’s what just happened to us, literally!

But now we have a new chicken coop that will last us a very long time and it’s super fun!

It all started because I had purchased new chicks our small farm, and we needed to make changes to the old coop by adding additional nesting boxes and perches.

The old coop floor also had a handful of patches, and the best choice was to rebuild it with some new plywood and 4×4 timbers.

We thought that after we built the new floor, we could lift the existing chicken coop and set it on the new platform,

but it crumbled, and there went the weekend because our chickens needed shelter.

You know how it goes with DIY.

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Thankfully after the crumble, we were able to reuse the roof and trusses from the old coop. I also have a scrap lumber stash that saved us a little money and time on this unexpected project plan.

We ran to our local lumber retailer/Menards and purchased some 2x4s and AC2 3/4 x 4 x 8 Green Pressure Treated Plywood for the frame and walls.

The door was built from some cedar boards I had left over from a porch project, and the chicken exit door was from a vintage glass panel window.

Because one of the trusses was destroyed in the fall, the decision was to shorten the chicken coop by a foot and a half to leave an overhang that we’re calling a porch.

HERE’S A LOOK AT THE OLD CHICKEN COOP BEFORE THE CRUMBLE

As for the chicken playground area that everyone loved on our old chicken coop, I saved it.

The playground is back up and running on the new coop, and I’ll leave a link to that post at the bottom of this one.

The chickens love the playground area for shade, and our silkie rooster Wolf can always be found admiring himself in the mirror.

THE NEW CHICKEN COOP EXTERIOR

Yep, I went with pink, and it matches the pink stalls in my pony barn.

The decision of pink was also easy because there were two gallons of pink paint in the Oops department at Menards.

You just can’t beat a gallon of paint for under $10.00.

I always check for exterior paint in the oops paint department.

You do not need to spend a ton of money on paint to have a colorful hobby farm.

I felt this chicken coop needed some more color, so I painted one of my quirky, nature loving garden girls on scrap lumber to watch over the chickens.

I also added the lime green details with craft paint.

The stripes above the door remind me of a circus tent.

Because we reused the roof, this coop is very similar to the old chicken coop, besides we have the little porch overhang, and it’s a lot sturdier with no hole patches.

THE BEFORE

AND AFTER

The plan to just repair the old coop didn't go as planned, but I’m happy to have a fresh new coop.

We were able to get the frame built in one day, and the chickens had a safe place to sleep that same night.

As for the new shingles, paint job, and interior, those took a few extra days, and we never made it to the lake that weekend.

The animal’s needs always come first, but it worked out because the following weekend had beautiful weather, and we took a day to relax in our kayaks on the water.

XOXO

Emily