Lubosh Cech’s Hen Temple

When Portland designer, filmmaker, and photographer Lubosh Cech was ready to build his own chicken coop, he wanted it to be a work of art. The Garden Coop chicken coop plans turned out to be the perfect place to start. Lubosh told us recently about the modifications he made to the design and how he gave his backyard coop an artful, personal touch:

Thank you for the plans! This was a fun project, and it successfully distracted me from my work for most of the month.

Because of the space limitations, I had to shorten the design and push the structure all the way to the corner of the yard. In addition to buying new lumber, I reused wood and other materials that cluttered my basement shop. Half of the paint I used is 100% recycled latex from Metro.

To make the structure more fun, I painted the Buddha on the front panel of the henhouse and decorated the roof with the Tibetan prayer flags. The Buddha is holding a golden egg over the nesting box access door.

Coincidentally, my three chicks moved in on July 6th, the Dalai Lama’s 75th birthday!

Here are a few more pictures of the Hen Temple. The recycled cabinet door and hardware works well on the inside wall of the henhouse to give ample, waist-high access for care and cleaning:

Would you just look at this! Whether his hens lay actual eggs inside or not, what a blessed way to start the day:

What’s the sound of one hen clucking. . .

All according to plan — two nesting boxes, one secure small door for you to collect your fresh, backyard eggs.

Many thanks to Lubosh for sharing his ideas and creativity. If you’ve built a coop from The Garden Coop or The Garden Ark chicken coop plans and would like to show how you made it your own, let us know. Leave a comment below or send an email.