I started with two chickens.  I had the cutest little coop ever.  It looked like a little doll house that only chickens could fit in.  Unfortunately, those two chickens never saw their first birthday due to a raccoon attack.  It wasn’t the coops fault, it was mine.  The coop door was left unlatched and the enemy got in.

I was so bummed that I immediately went out and tracked down some chicks for sale.  This time, I brought home four.  Actually, I mail ordered two and brought home two from a local farm.  I ordered my two silkies from a hatchery and they were delivered to the local post office in a chirping box.  Pretty well the cutest dang thing you have seen when a box is chirping with baby chicks!

These four birds quickly were the cause of an additional ‘run’ on the little doll house.  They needed more room and were quite confused over the only two nests.  They slept in one nest all piled on one another and never stepped foot in the other.  Clearly, they needed somewhere to roost as pooping in the nest is not allowed.  Chickens naturally roost (sit on a perch and sleep at night), but when there is no roost to be had, they will make any ledge a roost or may pile up on the floor.

Fortunately for me, a local garden shop had closed down and their tiny office was a small shed.  The shed was left sitting in the field for months and with multiple drive-bys, it slowly began to look like a chicken coop that needed chickens.  With a few phone calls and a reasonable offer, this shed was on its way to my house.

I was actually getting excited at how easy it would be to clean.  Standing height makes life a lot easier as bending over at the waist can get old real fast.  Not only did it have a real door, but it also had windows.  Perfect for ventilation as coops need to be draft free yet well ventilated.

Now for decorations.  I found an old dresser in our tack shed that was missing a drawer.  It was just enough room for a bird to climb in and feel protected on a nest.  Some chickens will lay an egg in the middle of a path.  Not mine.  Mine like to feel they are in a well decorated house with rooms for birds.  So of course I cater to the need of my clients.

From the first little coop we learned roosts are important.  We wanted something with ample space and plenty of options.  I found two old ladders in a pile of junk on our property and grabbed some large tree branches that had dried out in the pasture next door.  With all this new space it made perfect sense to order more chicks.  Since we made it from 2 to 4, I figured 15 made perfect sense to be next.

My husband made the two ‘chicken doors’ using two old dog doors we had from a prior move.  The frames work great without the rubber mat and the covers are perfect for locking the coop up in a winter storm.

I used one of the extra drawers from the dresser to place on the floor and fill with ashes (inside or outside depending on weather).  Ashes from our wood burning stove come in handy too!  They are a natural insecticide and chickens love a good dust bath!  They use the dust/ash to clean their feathers from insects and also to help the feathers maintain insulation.

Lastly, we attached two runs (outdoor enclosures) built out of scrap wood made into a frame.  We originally had a wide wire panel enclosing the entire run to keep predators out, but we eventually covered it with a smaller chicken wire as wild birds were flying in and bringing insect infestations with them.  This Chicken Hotel had no vacancy for wild birds…we only house refined ladies and a few gentleman.

Meet “Momma”