The homeowners live in Huntington Beach and are permitted to have up to six chickens. They had initially built a chicken coop and run, however it quickly became apparent the chickens would not be contained.
The chickens were free ranged for a while, but eventually, they tired of the constant cleanup required. After looking for ideas on Pinterest they found a design, and decided on the space where they wished to place the coop. Since the chickens would no longer be free range, they wanted to make the new home as roomy as possible. Using ins the picture from Pinterest as inspiration, we designed and built the new coop.
| We started with a 10' X 8' footprint. Since space was a factor and we wanted the chickens to have the most "free range" area as possible, we decided to create a "floating" nesting box. Here you can see the frame taking shape, along with the pergola type roof. 
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Since the homeowners have siding on their house, we decided to use siding for the nest box allowing for continuity. The picture above shows the siding in place and the frame painted to match the house trim color.
We chose to use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire for a variety of reasons. Although the cost of hardware cloth is higher, it is much more aesthetically appealing. It is also easier to work with, therefore we were able to pull the wire tighter, creating a much cleaner, finished look.
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One of the most attractive features of this coop is that you do not need to bend over to enter. The original coop was rarely cleaned or raked out because access to the run was very limited for an adult, and getting kids to clean the inside of a chicken coop can be challenging at best. |
Putting some finishing touches on the coop: trim and paint to match the main house, and decorative features to make it more visually appealing in the small back yard.
| Although a lot of our touches were aimed at making the homeowner happy and creating a structure that would not look out of place in a small space, we could not forget about the main occupants: the chickens. We created this space saving ramp allowing the chickens to get to the nest box and stay warm at night, without taking away much of their foraging space. | 
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| Special Features: We figured while we were customizing the coop we should include some useful features. The homeowners have a wonderful garden so we included a clean out trap door so the chicken droppings could be hosed into the garden for fertilizer. Since the kids were very involved with the chickens, we wanted to make sure the egg collection door is child friendly. | 
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| In the past, when the hens went broody, it was very difficult to remove them from the nest box, so we created a large interior door making it easier to remove broody hens. |
Finally, we put on some decorative touches and painted the coop the same color as their house. Last we heard their new chicks were adjusting well and everyone was happy.
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