Chalet de Poulet

Chalet de Poulet

It has taken me 14 years to take the plunge and commit to raising backyard chickens. It was always on the list, somewhere between establishing a productive asparagus bed and refinishing the wood floors beneath the hideous wall-to-wall carpeting that came with the house. I never did get around to planting asparagus, but it looks like the floors might be part of a home-improvement effort later this year, and though I still do not have any chickens I do have a hen house, the product of whimsy and a week of vacation spent at home and in need of a good project.

From an economic standpoint, this venture is unlikely to repay the investment in materials, though I did incorporate a great deal of scrap plywood and other household detritus into the design. I had a couple of old 4-by-4 posts that were no longer needed for the old stockade fence and which I cut in half and set in concrete to elevate the coop.

The hen house was conceived around an old bureau, laid on its back with the drawers perched on top for nesting boxes. I dismantled a second dresser and made a door from one of its smaller drawers, cannibalizing the wood from the rest for rafters. The roof is sheet metal left over from the time we replaced the bulkhead door to the cellar. 

I nailed up cedar shingles to weatherproof the hutch, the scent of which immediately transported me to hot summer days spent laying sidewall on my grandfather’s barn. It ended up looking somewhat like a pagoda as the design evolved, though I have taken to calling it Chalet de Poulet. The wire fencing and posts that surround it should give predators pause, though I am under no illusions; a determined weasel will always find a way.

Naturally, as I conceived this project on the fly, fitting whatever materials I had at hand into the design, I am now considering a few modifications. The right balance of light, ventilation and warmth during winter has compelled me to consider adding a Plexiglas porthole or two. 

There is room for three to six birds depending on size and temperament, but I think I’ll start with just three hens and see how it goes. Because this household has been smitten by the “Hamilton” phenomenon, their names are already certain, and we look forward to introducing Angelica, Eliza and Peggy to their new digs sometime later this summer.

Tim Abbott is program director of Housatonic Valley Association’s Litchfield Hills Greenprint. His blog is at www.greensleeves.typepad.com.