The Spatial Digs of the Diva Palace

The Divas have moved from a converted tub and grow light to a spacious Chicken Diva Palace. Thanks to my darling husband who still refuses to be called Daddy when speaking about the chicks, has created an ark shaped, tall chicken house. I looked at a lot of different chicken coop plans online and I found things I really liked here and there, but nothing I could definitely say " I want it built just like that". I liked the pyramid shape, but I liked the space of the rectangular coops. Remember, there is a certain amount of space required for each chicken, please do your research as they are not sardines and cannot be packed in as such! Happy chickens = happy eggs. I liked the ease of a flip top door to a small trap door. I really liked the suggestion of putting old linoleum in the bottom for easy clean out. My husband made three nesting boxes and the girls use only one. They slide out for easy cleaning and care. They had permanent roosts and temporary roosts, permanent ramps to fold up ramps and the list can go on and on. I wanted a chicken tractor so I could move it all over the yard so we'll have to flip it up and put casters on the bottom so I can wheel it around with ease. This may require a bribe of brownies to accomplish this (always feed your helpers).
I've lined their nests with shredded paper and we regularly change a layer of pine mulch on the floor. This not only helps with the clean up later, it's all compost material which makes my garden a happy place and the pine mulch satisfies the girls urge to scratch around in the winter. I was worried about the shredded paper but it seems to work wonders - I don't have to buy straw and is recycling at it's finest. Is there a better use for junk mail than a chicken coop? I think not!
All in all, I like it, the girls like it and my husband is just happy that it's finished. Remember: when you are looking at plans just make sure they have what you want, don't be afraid to mix ideas and make it your own, what may work for me may not work for you. Personally, the only thing left to do is to put a Gonzo poster up for the girls to feel right at home. I wonder if they want shag carpet and disco lights now? hmmmm...........