edible endeavors
COOL COOPS
Local chicken enthusiasts get creative with upscale hen houses.
WRITTEN BY BARBARA TWITCHELL
PHOTOS BY DAPHNE HOUGARD AND AMANDA TWITCHELL
Chickens are hot right now, and we don’t mean the rotisserie kind.
Hen ownership is climbing in popularity, with many Northern Nevada urban and suburban residents adding these feathered creatures to their backyards. And why not? They’re easy to raise, inexpensive, will eat all your kitchen scraps, keep your yard bug free and, best of all, will reward you with fresh eggs and the best compost around.
And for some creative poultry keepers, housing those chickens is more than just a practical matter. Even Chicken Little wouldn’t worry about the sky falling with any of these fancy roofs over her head!
Clockwise from top left: Jane Brinson. Photo by Amanda Twitchell.
Jodi (and Paul, not pictured) Johnson painted their coop to look like a cottage.
Greg Haines says family friends hand-built his chicken coop in old southwest Reno.
Ashley and Eric Jennings inspired their neighbors with their coop.
The Cadillac Model
Jane Brinson always wanted to raise chickens.
“When the kids flew the coop I said, ‘All right, it’s time.’ It was my answer to the empty nest,” she says.
That was when Jane and husband Dennis called their longtime friend, Gary Laack, with an unusual request: Build them a chicken coop.
Laack admittedly was used to somewhat larger projects such as sprawling custom homes, including the one he built for the Brinsons in Carson City. But of late he had ventured into creating state-of-the-art greenhouses (see the story on Laack in the spring 2012 edition of edible Reno-Tahoe), so the idea of trying his hand at a chicken coop intrigued him.
Two weeks later, the Brinsons had a coop that was a masterpiece of function and style. Elevated two feet off the ground to keep it well ventilated in summer and above the snow in winter, this six-by-four-foot coop is constructed of gorgeous, rustic redwood and boasts beautiful Craftsman style.
The Brinsons are delighted. The six chickens that now call it home are happy. And Laack? He’s ready to branch out into a burgeoning custom coop market!
The Birdmuda Triangle
When Ashley and Eric Jennings built their chicken coop three years ago, they had no idea they were starting a trend in their old southwest Reno neighborhood. They just wanted a few chickens.
The young entrepreneurs and self-described do-it-yourselfers put their talents to work.
“We looked online at different plans,” Eric says, “and ended up just taking what we liked most out of each one to build our own.”
Their beautiful ten-by-five-foot coop stimulated the interest of several chicken-loving neighbors, and before long a poultry fellowship was formed.
Jodi and Paul Johnson soon followed suit and raised the stakes. They took an area that originally was just a wire dog kennel and enclosed it with wood siding and a shingle roof, creating an eight-and-a-half-foot-square coop. Then they added a 12-foot tunnel that connects to a large 16-foot chicken run. It’s a chicken paradise.
Charmingly painted to look like a little cottage, one might expect Hansel and Gretel to emerge rather than six hens.
Greg Haines, inspired by his neighbors, set out to create his own chicken mecca.
“I grew up in Iowa and always had chickens. I wanted to bring a piece of Iowa here,” Haines says.
Having specific ideas in mind, he hired someone to execute the plans. The results: an eight-by-seven-foot coop that towers over 12 feet high and boasts a French door, clerestory windows, and a working chandelier!
Chandelier? In a hen house?
“My friends from Burning Man thought that a coop like this deserved a chandelier, so they made one for me,” Greg says with a broad smile.
And as far as bringing a piece of Iowa here, he really had to look no further than across the street. It turns out that Jodi grew up about 30 miles from Greg’s hometown in Iowa. Ironically, they didn’t know that until they had established the Reno Birdmuda Triangle connection.
Barbara Twitchell is a Reno-based freelance writer who would love to have a really cool chicken coop of her own. The chandelier is optional.
Chicken Coop Resources
1-Stop Ranch & Feed
760 Glendale Ave., Sparks
775-284-0377, www.1stopranchandfeed.com
Carries several models of coops in stock. More options available for order
Gary Laack Construction, Inc.
Growin’ Again Greenhouses
100 Lewers Creek Road, Washoe Valley
775-742-5915, www.Growinagaingreenhouses.com
Designs and builds custom coops on-site to suit
Rail City Garden Center
1720 Brierley Way, Sparks
775-355-1551, www.Railcitygardencenter.com
Carries several models of coops in stock. More options available for order
Sierra Feed & The Saddlery
7460 S. Virginia St., Reno
775-853-6700, www.Sierrafeedandthesaddlery.com
Can order coops through outside vendors
The Poultry Palace & Nursery
5694c Motherlode Drive, Placerville, CA
530-295-1886, www.Thepoultrypalace.com/other-coops
4×4 pine or redwood A-frame coops, delivered fully assembled
Williams-Sonoma
13945 S. Virginia St., Suite 600, Reno
775-853-6877, www.Williams-sonoma.com
Coops can be ordered. Check out the styles available on the website
