Urban Chicken Coops from Ikea?

I have talked here before about the rising popularity of urban chicken coops.  Of course, nothing says "urban" like Ikea...

Recently, a chicken coop primarily made of Ikea products was featured on the IkeaHacker blog:

Click here to see more pictures and read about the Ikea chicken coop...

The family who built this coop spent about $400 to make it.  However, they did make one "deadly" mistake.  They used green plastic chicken mesh to enclose the coop.  Unfortunately, their foster dog broke into the coop and killed their four chickens.  Lesson learned - now they have three new chicks, and have replaced the plastic mesh with wire.

I have to admit, their coop is beautiful.  However, if it were mine, in addition to wire hardware cloth, there are a few other modifications I would make:

*  First, their coop is fairly open and does not appear to provide protection from the cold.  I am guessing they live in a warm climate (yep, the palm trees in the picture gave it away).  However, here in Indiana, this coop would be useless when the cold weather hits.

* There are no perches!  According to the description and pictures on IkeaHacker, the storage unit and drawers are being used as beds for the chickens.  I am guessing these will also double as nesting boxes when the chickens are ready to start laying.  Due to the obvious poo problem, I would not recommend this type of arrangement.

* It appears from the pictures on the IkeaHacker site that they are using softwood shavings as their litter material.  However, since the coop is not completely enclosed, there is a good likelihood that rain will be able to blow into the coop.  In this situation, I would personally opt for bark or gravel for covering the floor, and use the shavings in the nesting boxes.

So, now that you have heard what I think, it's your turn - what do you think?  Will we be seeing more urban chicken coops made from Ikea furniture?

Related articles from DIY Chicken Coop Plans:

1. Urban Chicken Coops Although urban chicken coops are not in every neighborhood, they...
2. Back to Basics with Backyard Chicken Coops Backyard chicken coops are becoming a common sight in neighborhoods,...
3. Wooden Chicken Coops: The Good & the Bad Wooden chicken coops are the most common kind, although these...