This April, after much deliberating, himming and hawing, I made the decision to take the leap and get 7 laying hens for our family. We went to our local feed store during chick days and picked out two Barred Rocks, one Buff Orphington, one Jersey Giant, and three Golden Sex-Links. Living in North Pole, Alaska I knew that keeping the hens warm enough in the winter would be a challenge, but I had done quite a bit of informal research speaking with friends I knew had done it successfully. When picking out a design for our coop, I had several things that were factors for me: first and foremost, the coop had to be well insulated for our blistering cold winters. Next, I wanted to have a design that was simple to construct as my construction skills are still very novice. Last, I needed something in the size range for living space that was big enough, but not too big as it becomes a factor to heat the airspace in the winter here if it is too large. I decided on a simple slant-roof design with a raised coop. The structure I selected would be sized 10' long by 6'deep, with the actual living quarters for the coop being 4' wide by 4' high and 6' deep. I began construction at the end of April and with the help of a generous neighbor and my father(s)-in-law, was able to complete the coop in about 3 weekends.