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    Reinventing the Chicken Coop: 14 Original Designs with Step-by-Step Building Instructions

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    by Kevin McElroy, Matthew Wolpe

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    • ISBN-13: 9781603429801
    • Publisher: Storey Books
    • Publication date: 01/01/2013
    • Pages: 192
    • Sales rank: 121,948
    • Product dimensions: 8.80(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.40(d)

    Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy are the owners of Just Fine Design/Build, a company that produces original pieces of furniture and small structures. In 2010, they designed a chicken coop called “Chick in a Box” that went on to win an Editor’s Choice award for design at the Bay Area Maker Faire and was featured on theMake Magazineblog, theFarmhouse Modernblog, and theTreehuggerblog. Kevin lives in Oakland, CA.

    Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy are the owners of Just Fine Design/Build, a studio that produces original handmade furniture and small structures. In 2010, they designed a chicken coop called “Chick in a Box” that went on to win an Editor’s Choice award for design at the Bay Area Maker Faire and was featured on theMake Magazineblog, theFarmhouse Modernblog, and theTreehuggerblog. Matthew also is a Senior Mechanician for Furniture and Carpentry at the University of California Berkeley's College of Environmental Design and teaches woodworking at The Crucible, a non-profit arts school in Oakland. Both authors live in Oakland, CA - Matthew in a 120-square-foot tiny house he designed and built.

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    REINVENTING THE CHICKEN COOP

    14 Original Designs with Step-by-Step Building Instructions
    By KEVIN McELROY MATTHEW WOLPE

    Storey Publishing

    Copyright © 2012 Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy
    All right reserved.
    ISBN: 978-1-60342-980-1

    Chapter One

    CHICKEN COOP ESSENTIALS

    During the process of designing and building coops for this book, we became accustomed to quizzical looks when explaining our latest projects. There were plenty of positive responses, but just as often came the question, "Why would you want chickens?" It was an easy thing to answer: "For the eggs, of course." However, this wasn't the question we were hoping most to be asked: "Why would you want to build a chicken coop?" What appeals to us about the form is that there's a set of design parameters for a well-designed coop, and beyond that it can really be anything. Also, most coops are informal structures and typically do not require building permits or messy bureaucracy. With coops, ordinary people can actually build something of architectural significance next to their home and be proud of the statement it makes: "I made this thing, and it brings me closer to the food I eat every day."

    Along with our desire to explore the idea of what a chicken coop could be, like any thoughtful designers we wanted to be cautious and deliberate. A new idea isn't always a good one, and a classic, time-tested technique is not something to be dismissed. We wanted the design choices we made to be significant, not random, guided by the site and concept for each coop. We also wanted to experiment with conventional and unconventional building materials and to treat the chicken coop like the hybrid structure it is—part outbuilding, part outdoor furniture, part sculpture. Throughout the project we often joked with each other that our mission was to bring the coop from the backyard to the front yard.

    Given the scope of what we were taking on, however, it was important to stick to our fundamental premise: To design really good coops for the chickens and their owners. An experimental design that looks incredible but functions poorly and doesn't pass the scrutiny of an experienced hen raiser would be a failure on our part. Therefore, we approached each coop project with the following design considerations in mind. The same guidelines and questions can help you when making modifications to your own projects.

    GENERAL SPACE REQUIREMENTS

    While there are many different breeds of chickens and, of course, different sizes, our rule of thumb is to provide roughly 8 to 10 square feet of space per chicken. This number is the coop and run space combined. Keep in mind that if you live in a cold climate where the chickens will be inside for a good portion of the year, you should increase your coop size so that it remains a healthy living environment.

    (Continues...)


    Excerpted from REINVENTING THE CHICKEN COOP by KEVIN McELROY MATTHEW WOLPE Copyright © 2012 by Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy . Excerpted by permission of Storey Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
    Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

    Table of Contents

    Preface

    The Basics

    Chicken Coop Essentials

    Coop-Building Basics

    Coop Projects

    Two Simple Classics: The Standard and the A-Frame

    Stoop Coop

    Modern Mobile Coop-Tractor

    Icebox

    Modern Log Cabin

    Chick-in-a-Box

    SYM

    Corner Coop

    Kippen House Garden Roof Chicken Coop

    Pallet Coop

    Coopsicle

    Cupe

    Container Coop

    What People are Saying About This

    Author of Farm City Novella Carpenter

    "For us hen-lovers, building a secure, sanitary, and aesthetically beautiful chicken coop is a tall order; but with the genius guidance of Reinventing the Coop, anyone can now do just that.The designs are the perfect blend of innovative and whimsical, this book belongs on every urban farmer's bookshelf."

    author of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens Gail Damerow

    "This book offers plenty of clever ideas to get you started creating your own unique chicken chateau."

    Eligible for FREE SHIPPING details

    .

    Build a stylishly modern home for your poultry. Backyard chickens meet contemporary design in this inventive compilation from authors Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy. Reinventing the Chicken Coop presents 14 complete building plans for chicken houses that range from the purely functional to outrageously fabulous, with designs that include water-capturing roofs, built-in composting systems, and modernist architectural details.

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    Related Subjects

    Science & Technology
    Home & Garden
    Agricultural Sciences
    Pets
    Agriculture - General & Miscellaneous
    Animal Husbandry
    Pet Birds
    Chickens->Raising
    Science & Technology
    Home & Garden
    Agricultural Sciences
    Pets
    Agriculture - General & Miscellaneous
    Animal Husbandry
    Pet Birds
    Chickens->Raising
    Publishers Weekly
    Bay area artisans Wolpe and McElroy, whose coop was Editor’s Choice for Design at the Bay Area Maker Faire, dish the complete scoop on the coop for those just starting the yard-chicken journey or for experienced woodcrafters longing to bring chickens to their back-porch scene. Readers just getting their claws wet in chicken shelters will start with the basics of how many square feet per fowl, bedding, and waste disposal, beginning with A-frame and square nesting boxes that can be built in a weekend. Various living situations (urban, suburban, and country) are addressed as instructions are provided for confined housing with an attached run and open housing within a fenced run, with degree of difficulty warnings. Multipurpose issues (water-catching roofs, composting the coop, and a green-roof garden) are addressed for all levels of the DIY-er. In order to keep chickens without alienating the neighborhood, chicken-raisers can add some “bwawk” to their block with log cabins or the “Cupe,” a mid-century modernist design suitable for front yard art. “Stoop Coop’’ can double as a small staircase or a sitting spot, to add some poultry to the garden party. Chicken-raising instructions not included, but full-color photos and illustrations are. (Jan.)
    Book Page
    All 14 designs are architectural wonders of reductive space and ample imagination.”
    Backyard Poultry
    Splendid illustrations, both drawings and photographs, provide a sort of virtual tour of more than a dozen interesting and unusual coops without leaving home. Some are simple, some are elaborate, a few are downright extraordinary, and most have innovative features that could be incorporated into any design. … has the feel of an Architectural Digest for chicken people.”
    Los Angeles Times
    Bay area artisans Wolpe and McElroy … dish the complete scoop on the coop for those just starting the yard-chicken journey or for experienced woodcrafters longing to bring chickens to their back-porch scene.”
    California College of the Arts
    "Their care shows. The book is easy to read, and illustrations offer insight into egg access doors, cantilevered nesting boxes, worm compost bins and rooftop vegetable gardens."
    author of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens Gail Damerow
    All 14 designs are architectural wonders of reductive space and ample imagination.”
    Author of Farm City Novella Carpenter
    Splendid illustrations, both drawings and photographs, provide a sort of virtual tour of more than a dozen interesting and unusual coops without leaving home. Some are simple, some are elaborate, a few are downright extraordinary, and most have innovative features that could be incorporated into any design. … has the feel of an Architectural Digest for chicken people.”
    From the Publisher
    Hey backyard chickens: meet contemporary design!”

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