As I usually do, I first made a digital model.

The physical work started mid-January. First, I had to move a little hill of dirt. Then the holes for the foundation was dug. Progress was slow but steady.

By February I had the foundation ready, but work slowed down a bit from then on. Other things had higher priorities.

As the fall (no we didn’t get any winter) turned to spring work continued. Somehow, I wasn’t documenting every step and suddenly I hade most of the outer boards up.

As summer came, I started insulating the house. We got some paper-based insulation as it is much nicer to work with (and more environmentally friendly).

As summer was about to end, and with it my parental leave too I got in a bit of a hurry. I painted the coop and built the enclosure. Then I got some net to keep the foxes out.

There was some more cleaning to do. All the bricks and other trash I found inside hade to be moved out.

We got notice from our friends that they wanted to get rid of their chicken, so we had to act fast. I got the net up over the enclosure. Built the “furniture” for the house and all the other small parts that were to be made. But by the end of October we were ready for our new family members to move in.

And then on a Monday morning the chicken arrived. They seem to like their new place. We got one rooster and six hens.

We are so happy this finally is done and now we are waiting for our first eggs. Most Hens don’t lay that many eggs in the late fall, but maybe we’ll get some for Christmas.

We have been dreaming about having chicken for eggs as long as we have lived here. We thought we would build a chicken coop for a while now too. As I have been on paternity-leave it was always the plan to build it during this time. We didn’t start yet though.

Now I have kind of started though. The planning started some time during the autumn. I like making models so I made one in SketchUp. It’s probably not final. I think I might widen the door a little; just 50 cm wide might be a bit narrow.

Here are two pictures of the coop.

First from the outside; I’m having it raised so that the chickens have a place in the dry when being outside.

Here a cross section; the inside is not entirely ready in the model, there is no feeding tray and water-place yet.

The first real work has started too. Because there was some old garden-waste pile there I have started to flatten the ground. I don’t know how many wheelbarrows of soil I have moved.

I’m almost done with this first part. Here the chicken coop will be placed in line with the wood-shed and all other buildings on our plot. We will fence in an area around it so that the chicken can stay outside in safety form other animals.

I’ll try to update the progress on a regular basis, but who knows how fast things will go, I just hope I’ll be done before I start to work again, I have kids to take care of too (and they want to help).