Coop Thoughts

Matt modified his Garden Coop to fit on an existing concrete slab next to his home. He also added in a loft for his Birmingham roller pigeons, a unique way to make added use of the structure. More about the pigeons later in the post.

First, some of Matt’s comments about building his chicken coop:

I must say, this was the biggest construction project I’ve ever undertaken, and your plans were worth every penny. It was fun and fairly easy.

I have my coop on the side of my house on a concrete slab. This made it easier because it removed the need to dig a trench. I put wood shavings down on top of the concrete.

The biggest modification I made was to shrink the coop’s depth to make it fit. I have only three hens and they have plenty of room. Narrowing the coop like this, I had to make the door swing outward, otherwise there is not enough room to move around easily with the doors open.

I used cedar fence boards for the siding and added battens to the hen house. The battens help insulate and give it a nice look.

Thanks, Matt, for sharing your ideas and pictures. . . and for teaching me something about roller pigeons. Here’s a video link Matt sent showing what roller pigeons look like in flight. Apparently, their flips are caused by some sort of seizure they have as they fly. This anomaly makes for some dramatic aerobatics. . . but please, don’t let these pigeons drive the bus.