The Poultry Palace

We are finally finished with the poultry palace. Well, not really. One minor task remains: weather-proofing the exterior of the hen house. No biggie, I'll probably do it later this afternoon or tomorrow.

We used this plan for several reasons. I have essentially no construction experience and I wanted detailed instructions so I could make progress on the project myself. Also, our six birds require a little more space and I liked the idea of a coop/run combination. However, our execution of the coop stretched out quite a long time so the chickens feel awfully entitled to the full backyard now. That being said, they seem to like their new digs.

So, with no further ado, here it is:


A nice rustic/modern synergy; we used all salvaged wood which adds to the rustic patina (as does the less-than-perfect construction by yours truly), but the design is very modern.

Let me point out a few features. Here's the egg door on the front of the hen house:



You can access the hen house by another door, complete with an observation window, inside the coop:



The window box is actually the vestigial nesting box of our interim coop (I did clean and lightly sand it before installing). This fact delights me as much as its ornamental presence:




Meatspace tours are available if you find yourself in the area.


The chicks have practically grown up waiting for their backyard accommodations. This is what they look like now (to see their adorable baby pictures, see here):


Penny. She is larger than she looks here. In fact, she's huge!


Purse. We are pretty sure Purse is a rooster. Go figure. Our neighbor claims it was inevitable with such a name.


Inkheart, who has not lived up to her name; she's no longer a bully.


Hazelnut and Pigwidgeon-turned-Peregrin.


Erica.



I am ready to come up for air, reclaim the carport, and move on to other projects.



p.s., The chickens love the trampoline!