Coop design

We’re just unpacking from a weekend trip to Kalamazoo to see our friends Eric and Char.

We had a wonderful time, eating, and hiking … and talking all things chicken.

The great news is that Eric agreed to help us build our coop. After looking at a photo of one that Matt and I like, Eric confidently said we could do it in a weekend. I’m not so sure about that, but two weekends might do the trick between the three of us.

We also picked up our first shipment of rocks for the garden. It ends up we got about half of what we need, so just one more trip finish the border. We plan to order top soil and start landscaping in the next week or two.

The best news of all is that we finally decided upon a coop design. After scanning books and countless websites, I chose the Wichita Cabin Coop. It’s a great starter coop, and comfortable holds 3-5 hens. The couple who designed this coop offer access to 3-D computer models, online tutorials and a list of materials for $5. What a deal!

Timeline-wise, were hoping to get the coop finished sometime in September or October, with hopes for an inspection sometime in December.

Money-wise, it’s hard to tell how much this project is going to cost us. We’ve seen estimates for the Wichita ranging from $700-$1,400. We’re aiming for the smaller number, of course. I plan on keeping close tabs on the receipts and will report what we discover.