A cute cottage-style white backyard chicken coop with gingerbread trim, a red and pink striped front door, lavender topiaries in terracotta pots on either side of door, and crisscrossing gravel pathways in front of coop amongst colorful flower beds

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White, cottage-style chicken coop with pink and red striped front door out of focus in the background. Fennel blossoms in focus in foreground.

Whew.

It has been a LONG road to get here, but the chickens are finally moved in and living in their brand new coop. In case you don’t know the backstory here, we sold our previous home of 15 years back in the fall of 2021 and moved in temporarily with my mom while we hunted houses. The chickens went from living the good life in their old coop, to living a pretty medium existence in a dog run in my mom’s garage.

A dog run set up as a temporary coop in the garage. — *The garage life at my mom’s house.*

That “temporary” situation lasted 9 months. And then in the summer of 2022, we finally found and bought our new house. The chickens’ ramshackle garage dog run moved with us and into our new garage, again, as a temporary fix while we built their new coop.

Chickens in a temporary dog run coop inside a garage with cattle dog sitting in front of coop. — *The garage life again. (At our new house).*

And it took us one. whole. year. to build the damned thing. Unfortunately for us, California saw the rainiest winter and spring on record and we got rained out almost every time we tried to work on it. At a certain point, it became hilarious. We had to start and stop and work through downpours so much that all we could do was laugh or we’d just sob.

Our poor chickens. If I had known when we sold our house that it would be 18+ months before the ladies were living in a real coop again…I would have been even more reluctant to move than I already was. But they needed more space (and so did we). And now…finally, at long freaking last (much longer than we ever intended), they have it.

White chicken coop with pink and red striped front door and gravel pathways leading to it through a flower-filled garden. Lavender topiaries in pots flank either side of front door and a pink patio umbrella sits over bamboo lounge chairs.

As a reminder, here’s what this part of the yard looked like when we first bought the house a year ago:

A before shot of the yard comprised of neatly-mowed weeds and grass and a cluster of palm trees. — *The coop went right smack dab where those palm trees were.*

If you’d like a closer look at the gardens we’ve installed around the coop, you can take a peek at those here.

But I digress. We’re here for the coop tour. GET ON WITH IT, KATE.

Close-up of a white board and batten chicken coop with gingerbread trim and a pink and red striped front door. Small antique leaded glass windows flank either side of the door, as well as terracotta pots with lavender topiary

My goal for the design of this thing was for it to read more like an English garden folly or Scandinavian summer house rather than have it looking overtly chicken coop-y. And I wanted the run to feel like an attached greenhouse type structure. I also knew I had to have a little bit of simple gingybread trim and some pops of color. Normally, I would have probably made the entire coop some crazy color (please see our previous coop for reference), but because our house and garage are currently white, it felt a little too jarring to the eyeballs for me to paint the coop bold at the moment (I reserve the right to change my mind in the future, mmkay?). The same rules don’t apply to the front door, obviously. Nor the interior.

The precious little leaded glass windows were an Etsy score that we framed out and turned into awning style windows (the openings are lined in hardware cloth on the inside for security). Likewise, the little vintage speakeasy window in the door was a thrilling second-hand find that just felt right for a Drinking with Chickens coop.

A small brick patio next to a white chicken coop. A pink umbrella stands on the patio shading two bamboo chairs and a small table with colorful flowers on it. Round, striped pillows are on the chairs and a pink and blue pouf ottoman sits nearby.

To the right of the coop, we wanted a small sitting area, so we did a dry-laid brick patio that was just big enough for two lounge chairs and a cute umbrella. It’s a perfect spot to sit with a drink and watch the chickens free-range in the garden. There is also an access door on the patio side of the structure that opens into the nesting boxes so that we can retrieve eggs without going inside the actual coop.

Hidden nesting box access doors open through exterior white board and batten wall to reveal painted red nesting box area.

Cute, cottage-like white chicken coop with pink and red striped from door surrounded by gravel pathways and raised garden beds filled with flowers.

To the left of the coop is another raised garden bed in which to grow cocktail ingredients, garnish, and citronella geranium (which helps deter flies and mosquitos and other such pesties).

Cute, cottage-style white chicken coop surrounded by gravel pathways and raised wooden garden beds filled with flowers and herbs. A tan cattle dog and a black doberman dog play on a pathway in the foreground.

Why did we choose this exact spot in our yard for the coop? The main reason was because this area of the yard backs up to the backsides of all our surrounding neighbors’ properties—essentially, this means that their houses are on the opposite ends of their pretty decent sized properties from that spot. So it felt like this location was as far as possible from all of our neighbors’ houses, which seemed like the most respectful place to position a coop. Unbeknownst to us when we chose the spot, it was literally the perfect choice when it comes to sun exposure, too. Hot summers are a major concern for us here, which is a huge part of why we decided to put a roof on the run instead of letting it be open air (I’ll get to the other reasons in a bit). The run gets the perfect amount of gentle morning sun that cuts directly into the dust bath area for the chickens to loll in the sun-warmed dirt. By the time we get to the super hot afternoon hours, this part of the yard is engulfed in shade from the trees at the back of the property. Additionally, we get a pretty amazing breeze every afternoon that channels through this part of the yard like magic. The chicken run stayed SO NICE this summer during the hot weather!

A white, cottage-style chicken coop and run with gravel garden pathways and rose garden in foreground.

As I mentioned—we chose to put a full roof on the run for multiple reasons—heat protection was definitely one. But we also liked the idea of the run being protected and dry during the rain (and if we wind up having a super rainy season like we did last winter, we will be so insufferably smug about having that dry run!!!). Finally, we wanted a roof because there are so many wild bird-borne illnesses that can be transmitted to your flock and the best way to keep your chickens safe is to keep them protected from interacting with said wild birds; ie under some sort of cover. Obviously, we still let them have supervised free-range time in the garden (we find that risk to be worth the quality of life reward for the chickens), but if we ever have to go on full chicken lock down again (like we did in 2019 into 2020 for virulent Newcastle Disease here in Southern California), it will be a big relief for them to have a huge covered, protected run to be in.

And now for the interior…obviously, since I restrained myself with color on the outside, I had to overcompensate for it on the inside.

Interior of chicken coop with red and white chicken damask design wallpaper on walls, red trim, red roost bars, red bead board ceiling, two antique leaded glass windows, and two small chickens perched on roost bars in front of windows.

Why yes, yes I did put wallpaper in my coop. Again. Looooooots of people roll their eyes at me over the absolute extra-ness of putting wallpaper in a chicken coop, but I will die on this hill. This is not just any wallpaper—this is woven peel and stick wallpaper from Spoonflower and it has been the best surface cover I’ve used in my coops, bar none. If you recall, I used it in the interior of our last coop (and, frankly, in many parts of our last house, too). Not only is it really easy to install, it is SO durable, and the very best part is that it is so easy to wipe down and clean. No other surface that I’ve had in my coops has come close to being as easy to wipe chicken spackle off of. I’m not sure that Spoonflower ever realized that this would be a selling point for their products, but here we are!

Interior of chicken coop with red trim, red door, red roosting bars, and red and white chicken damask design wallpaper.

When I stumbled across this adorable Chicken Damask design by artist Norma Vela ( @normajeanestudio on IG, and normajeanestudio.com on the web), I knew I must have it. In fact, Norma has sooooo many chicken-inspired patterns that it was truly hard for me to narrow it down, but this cranberry and cream damask really made my eyeballs happy. Not only can you get her designs (along with so many other independent artists’) on wallpaper (peel & stick, pre-pasted, un-pasted, and grasscloth, even!) through Spoonflower, but you can get them on multiple types of fabrics, as well as countless homegoods like throw pillows, curtains, tablecloths, etc. Spoonflower is the absolute best.

In related news, Norma has recently opened a brick and mortar shop in Cherryfield, Maine called Tethermade Gallery where she showcases her art and homegoods as well as the work of other local Maine artists and creators. Love to hear it and hope I get the chance to visit someday!

Close up of interior wall of chicken coop wallpapered in cream and red chicken damask design wallpaper with red crown molding and an antique window covered in hardware cloth. A floofy-haired chicken sits on a red roost bar in front of the window.

I definitely wondered what those overactive little chicken brains were thinking as they moved into this coop situation after being garage gremlins for a year and a half. What I can say for sure is that they absolutely seemed to recognize that this was a coop with roost bars and nesting boxes much like their old one—there was no re-learning curve at all, they knew exactly where to sleep and exactly where to nest.

And it is cute as heck when they perch on their roost bars and look out those little vintage windows.

A fat, fluffy blue laced red wyandotte hen and a smaller, speckled Miele Fleur hen enter the interior of the chicken coop through a small chicken door. Interior of coop is lined in red and cream chicken damask design wallpaper

People always ask me what bedding we use in the coop. I’ve always been a pretty steadfast pine shavings girl because I just really love the fragrance. BUT, since these images were taken, I actually swapped it out to try sand for the first time (we tried using sand as a ground cover in our old chicken run but the area did not have good enough drainage and it was a nightmare—but I’ve never used it in the actual coop before). So far that’s going ok? The jury is still definitely out—but for now it’s a whole heck of a lot cleaner and soooooo much less dusty. So far so good!

Interior of chicken coop with red and white chicken damask design wallpaper, a red door, and red nesting boxes with red storage cabinets above and below.

We put eight nesting boxes in this coop (double the amount we had in the last), with storage cabinets above and below. Eight whole identical nesting boxes and as per usual, they all fight over one or two of them. (Numbers 5 & 6 seem to be the coveted boxes here…which is really just pure laziness because they are the closest to the run entrance).

Four of eight in-wall nesting boxes inside of chicken coop painted red with brass number plaques above each. A speckled golden chicken pecks around inside one box around two eggs.

I was extremely proud of myself when I discovered these pink plastic paper storage trays in the dollar bin at Target and knew they’d be the perfect insert to use in the nesting boxes; easy to pop in and out and clean. And speaking of clean, I recently started using these Aspen Nesting Box Pads from Fresh Eggs Daily. I was completely skeptical whether they’d work or not because my chickens are notoriously terrible about kicking EVERYTHING out of the nesting boxes—but holy heck, these things are AWESOME. They actually stay put and the chickens can fluff them into the perfect nest shape without kicking any materials out. HIGHLY recommend.

A close up of a red-painted nesting box with a small brown hen nestled inside of it. A single egg protrudes from under her chest amongst the nesting straw. A brass plaque above the nesting box shows the number 5.

The view from the front door of the chicken coop through the back door and into the chicken run. A blue laced red Wyandotte hen stands just inside the run. In background is a small fountain.

The back door of the coop heads out into the enclosed run, and the first thing you see is the frog fountain. And usually Corn sitting on the frog fountain.

The frog fountain has been an invaluable part of our backyard chickening process for the last dozen years or so; in fact, it moved with us and was set up in both garage coops because I realized that the chickens weren’t drinking enough water without it. And Corn just seemed depressed without it…so we lugged that thing everywhere they went. Good times.

I get asked allllllllll the time where I got the fountain from, and I wish it was still in production, but it’s not! And I have never found a comparable replacement—and believe me, I’ve looked for years and years. But if you do want to add a fountain for your chickens, just be sure it’s small enough that they can’t fall into it, and small enough that you can easily dump it and rinse it out frequently…because you will definitely need to dump it and rinse it out frequently. Trust me.

Multiple chickens gather around a small fountain to drink surrounded by landscape rocks and colorful chicken-shaped potted plants. A sign above the fountain reads: it has been 0 days since someone pooped in the fountain

The frog fountain is a very popular spot.

Since these photos were taken, we have also added a covered, automatic waterer just to be sure to have a constant, un-polluted water source available at all times.

The Talavera chicken planters have been acquired from various places over the years, and I keep plastic succulents “planted” in them because I like seeing greenery and I wish I could put real plants in them. However: chickens.

A wide shot of the north end of our chicken run with a small frog-shaped fountain in the foreground, a colorful outdoor bench in the background, and several chickens milling about on the gravel covered ground.

As in our last run, we prefer to use gravel as a ground cover. It provides excellent drainage, it’s easy to hose off and rake around, it is dust-free, and it really helps file down chicken talons.

A wide shot of one half of our chicken coop run with white walls and rafters, gravel floor, and pink and red stripe coop entry door and a colorful outdoor bench at one end. A few chickens mill about near a galvanized feeder.

On one end of the run, we have a cushy bench to sit on with adjacent wall-mounted wine glass holders (which we sell from time to time in our shop) so that we can hang out and drink with the chickens comfortably.

At the far end of our chicken run, a red metal outdoor bench covered in colorful coral and pink cushions sits. A golden speckled chicken sits on the pillows watching a white chicken wander by. A pink metal wine glass holder is mounted to the wall.

And before anyone starts screaming about how we keep the bench cushions clean, we keep it covered when it’s not in use, and whip the tarp off when we want to sit down. Exhibit A:

Outdoor bench in chicken run is covered with a tarp to keep it clean when it is not in use. Two pink metal wine glass holders are mounted to the wall behind and each hold a glass of wine out of reach of the chickens.

At the opposite end of the run is the dirt bath, which is basically a walled-off sandbox for the chickens to dig and dust bathe in. The morning sun hits this side of the coop and is perfect for a little daily sunbathing, too.

We chose to try the Run-Chicken automatic coop door (which is the small, chicken-sized door that the chickens use to enter and exit the coop). I was excited about it because it claims to be app-controlled which is something I really wanted to have because I liked the idea of being able to operate the door from afar via a phone or device. And to be quite honest, the literature on the Run-Chicken kind of leads you to believe that’s what it does, without actually saying it—or I guess, it’s kind of a normal assumption when something says it is “app-controlled”. Unfortunately, the app is only there to allow you to set the timer (which I suppose is good and convenient). It does NOT allow you to open or close the door from afar. And I’m a little salty about that.

But all that aside, the door does have both daylight sensor and timer open and close function and that’s, at least, something. Because we live in the city, in close proximity to our neighbors, we don’t want the door opening with the sun in the mornings—we like to make sure the ladies don’t come out and start bickering until after around 8 or 9 in the morning. So the door functions great for us in that respect. Plus, I like that it’s available in multiple colors.

A wide shot of the south end of our chicken run with white hardware cloth-screened walls, a small fountain to one side, an automatic chicken door to the left

A large rectangular area in the corner of the chicken run is filled with dirt for dustbathing and eight chickens scratch around in it. There is a red chicken swing hanging in the corner. Through the screen-enclosed walls a lush garden is visible.

Everyone told us that our chickens need a chicken swing, so we put one in, comma however, I don’t think that our chickens think we need a chicken swing. So far not a single one of them has indulged us.

A white chicken run with hardware cloth screened walls. Several chickens mill about inside. New lavender plants are planted along the exterior base of the chicken run wall.

And there you have it! The new coop. The chickens are happy, safe, and seem to have adjusted to coop life without a hitch. We could not be more thrilled with how it turned out!