Just over 24 hours until the coop gets inspected! I’m nervous and excited.
We put some finishing touches on the coop over the weekend- lots of paint, installing the brackets for the polycarbonate roof, installing a door handle, etc. There are still some more things I’d like to do, but I’ll wait until after we get approval from the city inspector.
The green roof is prepped with dirt, and waiting for strawberries to be planted. Can you believe I haven’t been able to find strawberries at any of the nurseries this year? I had to break down and order some online.
We also put a latch on the inside of the run door, after in incident where the chickens were spooked and bumped into the door. The door only stayed open for a second, but that’s long enough that if there was a dog running around the coop, they might have the opportunity to race inside. Obviously I can’t let that happen, so my failsafe is now installed, for use when I’m in the run.
We put some hanging planters from Ikea in the run, just for a decorative touch. I absolutely love it- the hint of extra greenery really adds to the overall appearance.
We painted everything to match the house and garage, so the coop seems to “belong” there.
The lever for the chicken door is on the outside- in the future, we’re hoping to install an automated or remoted controlled door.
Door hardware matches on the run door and the nesting box lid. We also added a magnet to the window cover on the back of the coop, so that the window can stay open.
All in all, it was a ton of work this weekend. Painting the trim in the places where the 1/2 hardware cloth is attached was a pain, and took a long time to get all the nooks and cranies filled. I also went over all the “vulnerable points” after hearing something walking around the garage one night when I went to close the girls in- we used horseshoe nails to ensure that the hardware cloth is attached in every place that a predator might seek access, mainly as reinforcement to the staples we had previously used. The pavers seen around the coop are in their position temporaily, as I’ll be leveling them and making some paths through the garden in the future. At the end of the day Sunday, we were exhausted and ready to just sit down and admire the finished product.
To all the people who said they wouldn’t want to live next to someone with backyard hens- is this what you pictured?
Ferndale Chickens 
What a gorgeous coop! Being able to walk inside the run (while standing up fully, that is) will be huge, and I love the green roof. You’ll have to post more about that (if you haven’t already).
Hi Christie: I haven’t posted about the green roof until now, mainly because I’m still waiting for the strawberry plants to put in there. I’m also hugely nervous about the inspectors reaction to the green roof- I don’t know if that’s something they’ve ever seen on a small/residential scale, or if they’ll be comfortable with it. I’ll know for sure soon enough!
Amazing, just beautiful! I would love to live next door to that coop. Good luck tomorrow.
thanks Jerri! My neighbors are pretty impressed- they’ve watched it turn from a box on stilts into the pretty thing it is now. I think I may have a few more people interested in getting their own laying hens after watching me with mine 🙂