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A vintage chicken coop with a ‘chunnel’

Between its Victorian corbels and dormers, this Bay Area chicken coop is not only unique, but a nod back to 19th century design. Devi...

kimberly0gomes

Linda Studebaker

Between its Victorian corbels and dormers, this Bay Area chicken coop is not only unique, but a nod back to 19th century design. Devised for functionality, contractor and chicken coop builder Doug Studebaker made a number of intentional moves to create a fun, vintage feel without sacrificing practicality.

With so many West coasters housing backyard chickens, it only seemed natural to dig into the design details for fellow coop fanatics.

“By securing heavy gage steel mesh on the underside the birds are protected from nighttime predators while allowing chicken waste to fall through. For convenience and scale I then raised the base 3-feet off the ground with 8 solid legs.”

Linda Studebaker

“We built a 7-foot long ‘Chunnel’  made of steel mesh that allows the chickens to pass safely to and from our fenced hillside, where they forage and dust bath each day. This Chunnel protects the chickens from our two dogs as the ‘girls’ head to and from the hill.”

Linda Studebaker

“My favorite part of the chicken house is the dormer and the window/door built directly under this dormer. This turns out to be an important design feature from both an aesthetic and a functional standpoint.”

Linda Studebaker

“Four nesting boxes protrude from the garden-end of the chicken house. In this way the eggs from our laying hens are easily accessible each morning.”

Linda Studebaker