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?

This post is from Chicken Coop Plans, where you can learn more about raising chickens.

Urban Chicken Coops from Ikea?

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It makes you think about how things will be ten years from now.  Will Fido be sharing his dog house and water bowl with a small flock of hens?  It really makes me wonder...

Take the Eglu, for example.  Not even a decade ago, this plastic chicken coop would have been scoffed at by people who raise chickens.  These days, it's a hot seller, with people willing to plunk down a hefty sum of cash to have one in their yard.  Even used ones!  Not too long ago, I came across an eBay auction for a pre-owned Eglu.  The auction still had a couple of days left, but at the time, it had already received sixteen bids, with a current offer of $300.00!

Eglus are nifty, but they are not the only urban chicken coops available.  Any kind of coop that is attractive and fits in well with your landscaping will keep your neighbors from squawking "fowl" play.  While browsing the web recently, I even saw a coop disguised as a garbage can (actually, I thought it resembled a compost bin).  However, the theory behind the design was that people in urban areas are so used to seeing garbage cans, they are "blind" to them.  Sneaky, huh?

This brings me to my next point.  Unfortunately, chickens are misunderstood by many city dwellers.  They have a reputation for being smelly and noisy.  As far as noise, hens are a fairly quiet bunch (much quieter than the teenage boys next door!).  It's the roosters that are a problem.  Hens will be more than happy laying eggs without a rooster present, so if you don't plan to breed your birds, there's really no need for cock-a-doodle-doos at four o'clock in the morning.

As far as the smell - well, you can't really blame the birds.  It's the owner's responsibility to maintain their coop and run.  By using a portable chicken ark or coop, many of the problems with keeping the run clean are taken care of.  Of course, the coop will still need to be cleaned, but it's not too difficult, as long as you make a regular habit of it.

Getting back to the original point...

If you would love to welcome chickens into your backyard, you will first need to look into your local laws.  What are the rules regarding having livestock within city limits?  Many places do allow hens, but for obvious reasons, ban their noisier male counterparts.  Some have restrictions on how many birds you can own, or have minimum requirements for how much land you must have in order to raise chickens.

Of course, some cities still have a strict "no chickens allowed" policy.  If you live in one of the cities, realize that you can change things - it just might take a little work on your part.

Next, you will need to address the concerns of your neighbors.  Educate them on the benefits of raising chickens.  Show them different urban chicken coop plans and pictures, and get their feedback.  Assure then that your chickens will be quiet and clean, and will not interfere with their use and enjoyment of their own property.

I'm sure I will talk about urban chicken coops more, but as I have rambled on for too long already, I will open it up to your comments...

photo credit: thomas pix

This post is from Chicken Coop Plans, where you can learn more about raising chickens.

Urban Chicken Coops

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2. Urban Chicken Coops from Ikea? I have talked here before about the rising popularity of...
3. A Look At Chicken Coop Designs When it comes to chicken coop designs, the sky's the...
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