Chicken Coop | Model Behaviors

Growing up in New Mexico, we only ate eggs from the chickens that we raised ourselves. In fact, I never had a store-bought egg until I left home, sixteen years later. If you’ve ever had farm-fresh eggs, you just know the difference. There’s no comparison! But honestly, it was the love and hard work of caring for our chickens that made those edible pieces of heaven even tastier. My responsibility was the chicken coop, and whether it was one hundred degrees or thirty degrees outside, I collected the eggs, cleaned out the coop, and fed the chickens every morning before school. To this day, I can still remember every nook and cranny of that chicken coop we built with our bare hands.

Some of my fondest childhood memories were centered on our small farm. It shaped us—taught us the value of life, taught us that effort and care lead to positive results, and it taught us to appreciate today because there are no promises tomorrow.

Now that I’m a parent, I value my upbringing even more so, and I try to seek out small ways of bringing those life lessons to my daughter. I don’t want her to become complacent with city life. I don’t want her to go to the grocery store and not appreciate how the produce gets there. She will know the value of life. She will know how to work hard and appreciate what she has.

And that’s why we decided to build a chicken coop for Darlington. But what started out as a coop large enough to give her room to play with the chickens—allowing them to be free range without becoming a free lunch for the coyotes and water moccasins—turned into something far more than just a basic coop. This month, the chicken coop is Part X of our DIY Ranch Design Series.