I mentioned a few projects in their “acorn” stage that need preparation before jumping in feet first. One being hens ^^
After days of researching coops, and after weeks/months of reading up about hen-keeping we went out and bought our coop. We decided to buy a coop in kit-form, rather than trying to make our own, mainly because when we compared the cost of making ourself or buying, there wasn’t much of a difference. We are lucky enough to have a coop supplier not far away, so were able to go along and get a proper look in the showroom of Poulailler Design.
We settled on the “Miranda Duplex XL” after lots of chatting with the very nice lady and discussions about how to make a chicken run, to give them more freedom.
Came away with our coop-kit and bottle of Seasonite (to treat the wood) . . . and we now have our coop assembled – yay!
A few adjustments need to be made to make it more practical for us. We haven’t yet attached the enclosure to the coop because we want a system whereby we can separate the two parts but still be able to have them attached securely together when in place. As mentioned above, we also need to buy materials to build a “park” around this to give our hens room to roam, keep them safe, and keep the neighbours’ gardens safe too ^^
Coop is set up in our veggie garden which is 250m2 – the next photo puts it into context
Our idea being, to move the coop and park on a monthly basis, to give hens fresh areas to scratch, but not to let them roam free. We plan on having a 24m2 park for 3 hens – I hope that will be big enough!
So, not ready to go and buy our hens quite yet – maybe late April, early May, but I already have the address of a local breeder, therefore know who to contact when we’re ready.
Other preparations have been taking place indoors. I told you about my plans to try “dress-making” . . . well, I’ve been organising my sewing room that it will be more pratical ^^
Doris (who is modelling a shop-bought tunic) is waiting patiently . . . and I have moved furniture around so that the table should be practical for cutting out fabric.
Need to put the cover back on the sofa bed lol – that was in the washing machine when I took the photo. But my sewing room is now ready for some serious sewing ^^
Claire93's Blog 
I think your future hens should be very happy. It sounds as if you have their living accommodation all sorted!
not quite ready, but the coop is the big investment
Your sewing room looks fab, and I do love your garden.
that’s the veggie patch lol although for the moment my husband has only planted strawberry & raspberry plants
In that case, that is an awesome veggie patch. You could fit my entire garden in there several times over 😛
The hen coop looks like a chicken’s idea of a hotel! Very spacious and smart. As is your sewing room, I am envious of the space you have 🙂
Gorgeous coop! Looks a bit like mine, and I’m loving the design. What do you plan to use to enclose their yard?
thnking of buying this http://www.poulaillerdesign.com/enclos-parc/140-kit-filet-volaille.html but it’s only 110cm high, so not sure. It will only be for an enclosure during the daytime. What do you think?
It looks like it will be tall enough for them not to jump over, and flimsy enough that they can’t land on top. It will most likely work to keep them enclosed. What kind of predators do you have in your area? If you have foxes/dogs/raccoons around during the day, you might need to electrify a flimsy fence like that. If you have birds of prey (ie. hawks), it would be best if they had a tree or shrubbery they can hide under. And you’ll want to think about nighttime predators as well for your coop… make sure nothing can dig under it, and that there are no holes (even ventilation holes!) bigger than 1/2″. We learned the hard way about that one. Good luck! 🙂