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Emily & Mike's Coop

Emily has been a most outstanding advocate for chickens in our little town of Wake Forest. She was instrumental in getting the chicken ordinances changed in our community. Her husband Mike, never one to leave well enough alone Tongue out, fooled around with his Catawba ConvertiCoop plans. He used my dimensions for cutting the lumber, and came up with this unique piece that reflects his own personality.

Em's Coop :: Side made of wainscoting plywood. Em's Coop :: Hey, those aren't chickens. Em's Coop :: Hinged egg collection doors. Em's Coop :: Looking good with an access door in the middle. Em's Coop :: Em holding a handful of new chicken. Em's Coop :: Good Lord, put some feathers on that thing! It'll fill out someday.
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Jill's Coop

Jill was one of the first people to purchase coop plans from me. She recently posted these to her Facebook profile. Thanks for letting me post them Jill.

Jill's Coop :: Side view with the end doors in place. Jill's Coop :: Side view with the end doors and sides removed. Jill's Coop :: Side view with the end doors and sides removed. Jill's Coop :: Lula checks out the new digs. Jill's Coop :: Is that Fresh Step kitty litter? Jill has redesigned the inside of her coop to best meet her needs. Jill's Coop :: Nothing comes between a man and his chicken. Jill's Coop :: From left to right: Juju, Harriet, Lula.
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Joe's Coop Update

It appears that Joe has some unwanted company in the neighborhood. His Brougham ConvertiCoop has kept his Rhode Island Reds safe and secure. Joe writes:
Here in Hawaii there is a endangered hawk locally called an 'Io that likes to land on top of my Catawba ConvertiCoop. The chicks of course, run upstairs when the hawk is around. I've attached a couple of pics if you're interested.
Wow... look at that dark, rich volcanic soil.I'll bet you could grow anything in that. How about sending some of that beautiful soil our way Joe? It must be better than our North Carolina red clay.

Joe's Coop :: 'Io wishing it could get into the coop. Joe's Coop :: 'Io wishing it could get into the coop.
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The TinyCoop

Since I have been so active in the changing of the Wake Forest town ordinances, the fine folks at the Farmer's Market have invited me to sell my chicken coop plans at their venue. Since I don't own a truck, and really am not interested in removing all the seats from my wife's minivan every Saturday morning to schlep a full sized coop to the market, I designed TinyCoop to sit on a table.

TinyCoop is an exact scale replica of the Brougham ConvertiCoop, but it's only 20" long. It's scaled 1" : 4.25mm, which I know may sound odd, but it lets me rip boards from 1/4" 1/2" and 3/4" oak that match the size of the coop perfectly... just a lot smaller! And I like working in metric better than empirical measurement. Honestly, which is easier for you to figure out; 2 5/16" or 59mm?

Mitzi likes it so much she want me to build another one for the kids to play with. I'll probably have to chunk that one up a little bit so that it's not as fragile. More pictures will come as I finish it.

 Tiny Coop :: I used gray screen door mesh to approximate hardware cloth Tiny Coop :: The handles on the ends are handcarved with an exacto knife. 
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Joe's Coop

Joe wrote me about his coop project. He saved a substancial amount of money by using materials that he had left over from another project. 

All of the siding was used redwood, so my costs were just over $100. I had to add smaller wire to the sides to keep the chicks in... and off of my porch. I have to put them in the loft by hand each night where the light is located. I also added a perch for them sit on during the day.

Thanks! It was a fun project and it only took me a day and a half to complete. - Joe

Joe's Coop :: End view showing the egg and run door hardware. Joe's Coop :: Side view. Joe's Coop :: Little chicks hanging out in style.
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Ricky's Coop

Ricky's mom Amy came across my coop plans and thought that she would buy a plan for her entrepreneurial minded 15 year old son. Amy writes:

"My 15 year-old son finished the coop in just a couple days. He has never built anything before in his life and did great! It looks even better than the photos online. He has stained/sealed it and it looks like a high end piece of furniture. I am sure he will have no trouble getting the price he wants for it...if he can let it go! Thanks again for the great customer support."

Ricky's Coop :: Side View, Closed. Ricky's Coop :: Side View, Closed. Ricky's Coop :: Side View, Closed. Ricky's Coop :: Interior View.
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Deniece's Coop

Deniece is the first person to send me pictures of her completed coop. She has a word of advice for future coop builders:

"I have the egg and coop doors done on one side. Unfortunately, I'm fighting board warping, so that's making it difficult. I think I'm going to build the other side by getting the wood close to the right size, but a little oversize. I'll then trim it down to the right size using my band saw. That will make cleaner matching edges."

Deniece, your coop looks great! Nice choice of hardware clasps and handles.

Deniece's Coop :: Side View, Closed. Deniece's Coop :: Side View, Open with larger roost bar. Deniece's Coop :: Side Open View Deniece's Coop :: Nestbox View
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Dave's Original Catawba ConvertiCoop "Brougham Edition"

This is my second coop. I used the prototype to work the kinks out and then built this one based solely upon the plans.

3/4 View :: Here's a shot of the completed coop with the cover removed. View looking towards the street :: The cover is on the coop in this picture. It just slides right into place. We've had some pretty big windstorms and have not lost the side off the coop. 3/4 View :: Our 1550 gallon rainwater cistern in the background. Penny Finds a Juicy Morsel :: Who knows what she found! That's the advantage of the ConvertiCoop... you can put it anywhere.
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Catawba ConvertiCoops Featured on NBC-17 Evening News

We're featured on the evening news. The piece below was originally aired by NBC-17 News on July 11th, 2008. It's got a lot of great shots of the Brougham ConvertiCoop, and another chicken tractor that my wife asked my to build so that the kids could get in and play with the chickens.

Backyard Chickens :: Originally shown on NBC-17 News 07/11/2008
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Dave's Prototype Coop

This is my original. There are some things I don't like about it, such as horizontal boards placed along the ground that catch all kinds of dirt that the chickens kick around. I fixed these issues with the Brougham edition ConvertiCoop.

Original Coop :: View with side closed. Original Coop :: View with side open. Original Coop :: The hinged egg door was a pain. Original Coop :: Anna checks out the roost and nestboxes. Original Coop :: Using the chickens to clear grass for another garden. These are truely urban chickens!
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