I met Mike two years ago when he came over to my house on business. As he was leaving, he inquired about the chickens in the yard. Of course, I had to take him over to the coop, introduce him to the girls and give him my 15 minute schpeel on the glory of keeping backyard chickens. It wasn’t long until Mike emailed me to tell me the news, they were the proud owners of baby chicks!
Mike soon sent me pictures of the beautiful coop he and his wife had made for their new flock. As time passed, they added new members and their flock has grew from four to ten. The chickens were officially members of the family with names to match their personalities and looks. I was also happy to hear that, Mike and Wendy are now the proud parents of two call ducks, Fletch and Flash. Yesterday, I was invited over to visit their human and feathered family for the first time. I was so excited to meet everyone.
The yard is beautifully landscaped. Fruit trees, a Kousa dogwood and a spectacular koi pond lace the property. The koi pond is gorgeous! The sound of the waterfall fills the air. Lily pads, water hyacinth, cattails, assorted koi and the occasional bullfrog croak are all part of this magical oasis.
Their flock of ten chickens is a combination of Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks and Golden Laced Wyandottes. With names like Patches, Honey, and Puddles, you can tell these chickens are well loved.
After researching many different internet sites and books, Mike and Wendy designed the coop, making sure that it had plenty of ventilation, windows and easy access for cleaning. One of the challenges of building their coop is the slope of their backyard. With a little bit of innovation, Mike and Wendy leveled the coop and built the run into the hillside.
Inside the coop, there is plenty of room to roost and three nesting boxes. A large hanging feeder is in the corner and the waterer sits perched upon some blocks in the center.
They created windows covered with plexiglass. I love this! This coop has windows on three sides and all can open and close depending on the weather. They are screened with hardware cloth. The run is over 32 feet long with the width matching the coop. It was created in eight feet sections covered with a corrugated roof, pitched for snow and rain run off. The run is enclosed with hardware cloth. Hardware cloth also lines the outside perimeter of the run. These extra measures, help ensure that the run and coop are predator proof. Living in a wooded area, it is not uncommon to see coyotes and fox running through the yard as well as hawks overhead.
All of the chickens are docile and gentle. They are lucky enough to have chickens that love to be held by the kids and receive snuggles. One of their chickens loves to swing on the swing set with their eldest little one. This sweet chicken below fell asleep in Mike’s arms as we chatted.
Of course, my visit would not have been complete without meeting their two male call ducks, Fletch and Flash. These two are the newest members of the family.
Mike and Wendy built their duck coop with left over scrap lumber and supplies from the chicken coop. It has a house with an attached run and a swimming pool just for the boys. I learned that male ducks are much quieter than females. With a bit of handling, these boys should become just as docile as the chickens.
Soon enough, our visit was over. They always seem to pass too quickly. It was a lovely afternoon and I was so overjoyed to see how much happiness the chickens and ducks have added to this family’s life. One of Mike’s friends from work plans to come over this week for a tour of Mike and Wendy’s coop and run. He too is planning on adding a flock of his own to his yard. One thing is for sure, with a little inspiration from a friend that keeps chickens, it is so easy and clear why keeping a small backyard flock is not only possible but incredibly rewarding.
Click here for all the Tour de Coops featured on Tilly’s Nest.
This post is linked up to Homestead Revival’s Barn Hop.
Photo Credits: Tilly’s Nest
14 thoughts on “Tour de Coop: Mike and Wendy in West Barnstable”
I love a coop tour. Living on a small city lot my girls have two coops. A day one and a night one and roam the yard during the day for a few hours. They however are hard on a garden so I am looking forward to cooler weather to keep them in the day run longer hours.
Wow Elaine, how lucky are your girls to have two coops. Yes, I do have to agree we are all looking for cooler weather. When its cool, I'll miss the warm weather! LOL!
I really like the coop, and the ducks so cute. I have one female duck who stays with the hens. She actually thinks she is a chicken some times.
How cute is your duck that thinks she is a chicken! I love that! I have to agree the ducks are pretty cute. I must restrain myself, at least for now.
Great tour, thank you. My daughter and her family raise chickens too. I love the colored eggs the hens lay! Hugs
Thanks Katherine! So glad you enjoyed it. I just love seeing how others set up their coops. How awesome that your daughter keeps chickens too.
What a great tour, one of my friends has backyard chickens and she just love it!
So glad you enjoyed it! I love to hear that other people love their chickens as much as we do.
Yay! Another great coop to add to the rest of your terrific tours!Love this one… very clever run idea and I think the plexi is a neat way to go for covering the vents too! Loved it Melissa!
Thanks Deb! You are so sweet! So glad you stopped in today and thanks for leaving such a lovely comment.
I love these tours! Those ducks are beautiful!
So, does the hardware cloth work really well to keep out predators. I lost all 4 of mine, 3 girls and one fella, to either a coyote or dog. They tore right through the chicken wire. I haven't repaired the coop yet, still looking into better ways to protect them.
Yes, in my experiences it most certainly does. I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Using the hardware cloth on the coop and run, burying it in the ground 18 inches around the perimeter of the coop and run, and also locking up the flock at night in the coop have all proven successful for us in place that has many predators.
Thanks I'll have to try that. I did lock them in every night, what amazed me was this happened at 10 am. I would always leave their door open so they had access to their run during the day. Never thought something would get them. Enjoyed your site and coop tours!