At the beginning of the Quarantine, I caught the homesteader bug and decided to raise chickens.
After researching the cost of coops, I immediately grew discouraged. Store-bought coops were prohibitively expensive, not terribly functional, and often esthetically boring. So, armed with some basic tool knowledge & a ton of bravado, I set out to build a chicken coop straight out of a fairytale!
Wish me luck!
It was inspired by Romani caravans, and I mainly used free & scavenged items
I had always admired the beauty and function of Romani caravans and decided to make one in miniature. Because my budget was tight, I challenged myself to use only free & scavenged items to keep the cost low.
Premade coops were too expensive for my tastes, so I tried an inventive solution
Only a few but essential details were bought
The only things I purchased were the utility wagon (used), an electric coop door (a necessity if you don’t want to be “up with the chickens”), the carved medallions for the wheel hubs, the round stained glass window (previously found at a flea market for $5!) and some miscellaneous hardware. The rest was MacGyvered using a couple of free, oak headboards, an antique doll crib, an old farm gate, and some cast-off cedar shingles and scrap wood.
My goal was to build a chicken coop that looked like it came from a fairytale
The chickens were also free
Even my chickens, Hester and Prynne, were free! I love how it turned out, and more importantly, the girls do too! Next on my to-do list is a large chicken run.
The building process
Next on my list: a chicken run
Both of us are happy with results!
