Coop de Ville is my first poultry operation, but I studied lots of different plans for my cool coop. The floor is a 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood raised a foot above the ground. The interior features a roost, two sets of shuttered windows (one would have been enough), three nesting boxes (with room for more), an outside egg door, a sweep-out door, a heat lamp on a timer, and a light-activated chicken door.
All used bedding and waste is composted.
Read more: This Kentucky cool coop keeps chickens happy while bringing joy to their keepers.
The soil here is mostly sand, and the chickens love it. The run is very large, but I had an existing roof to work with. Both feed and rainwater dispensers hang from the ceiling beams. A chicken door leads into a fenced-in yard with wildflowers, garden boxes and an anthill.
Right now, we have three Buckeye and two Silkie hens, and they’re very happy and productive. This spring, I plan to expand my flock!
— Erich Decker-Hoppen, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2022 issue of Chickens magazine as a “Cool Coop” feature. Have a cool coop you’d like to share? Email us a short write-up (~250 to 500 words) about your chicken coop along with a few images to [email protected] with the subject line One Cool Coop, and include your name and mailing address. Check out Chickens magazine for current prizes and contest rules.