What practical extras can I add to make a coop cute?

[MIgardengal]

Yay! Our first winter has passed with our 6 hens! The weather is warming up, and I'm looking at my coop thinking its about time to give it a thorough after winter clean! I'm super happy our walk in shed/coop/run design worked out perfectly, I'm glad we did what we did! But I'm looking for a way to make our coop cute, easy to clean, and hide dust.

We have a old pre-1910 Edwardian Era-ish home in a small city, big column front porch, ginger bread, old lap siding etc. Soooo when building our coop, I wanted it to "look" like it belonged with the property. The coop it self has old reclaimed doors and windows, a antique chicken weather vane, and is painted to match our house (our house is lavender! I know it works on a old place like ours though!).

Maybe I'm a little vain, but I love things that look quaint and charming. I love my coop exterior, its super cute... The interior of my coop is NOT! Its ugly particle board everything!

So of course I have seen coop ideas, where people paint, contact paper, or wall paper the inside, they install cute curtains on the nesting boxes, decorate the inside etc. I realize that chickens do poop and make dust. In articles I read it said that it was easier to scrub down the coop having wall paper etc. So I'm wondering if any one here has done any of those things? Did it last? Was it easy to clean? After I do our spring coop clean, I want to do a "make over" on the interior.

Please post pictures!

Here are references to some articles I read.

https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2016/07/chicken-coop-decor-for-posh-flock.html
https://www.threelittleblackbirds.com/coop_wallpaper/

 

[K0k0shka]

I painted the inside of my coop a warm yellowish color that hides dust really well. It's pretty much about the same color as pine shavings generated chicken dust! Also, I have the roosts far enough out from the wall that the chickens don't poop on the wall. I've never cleaned the walls and they don't get dirty. The dust only settles on horizontal surfaces, of which there aren't many. So I don't really clean the coop beyond the twice annual deep clean, when I also do some dusting.

This is what it looks like:

My kids drew pictures of the chickens and we hung them on the wall, that also adds to the cuteness. I also put curtains on the windows. I like them on the windows better than on the nesting boxes. That way they make the coop look more like a little house.

You can also do something cute with the nesting boxes, paint them a different color so they pop or make them look like something else. I made mine to look like a chicken face, though some people say it looks more like an owl

Another thing that adds cuteness but is also practical, is child-size gardening tools. They are convenient for a small space, because they don't have long handles that bang around the walls when you turn, and their narrow width fits between and around things. I use the push broom for my twice annual cleanings, to sweep the pine shavings up and out; I use the leaf rake to fluff up new and new-ish pine shavings; and I use the garden rake to stir the bedding around when it starts to get too heavy for the leaf rake further into the year (between deep cleans).

One thing I would suggest for the outside of your coop is to paint the door and window frames as well. A bright white would really pop with that nice lavender. Otherwise the facade looks unfinished with that bare wood.

Good luck, and post pictures when you're done cutening up your coop!

 

[Sally PB]

I painted the inside of my coop plain ol' white. I gave it three coats, to thoroughly seal the wood. I picked white because it helps maximize the light inside, and also to keep whatever I'm looking at from picking up a color cast. (I used to work in a photo lab, so that's important to me.)

That said, it is a blank canvas, should I want to decorate. @MIgardengal, can you post pics of your house and coop? I'd love to see them.

By the way, I've come to realize that coops and runs are never "done." There is always an improvement to be made. Enlarge this? Add to that? How about a...?

 

[aart]

'Cute' and 'Practical' rarely go together.
But I have to say I find practicality and function very attractive, even if it's not 'cute'.

 

[azygous]

A weather vane. I was just thinking this morning how much I actually look up at mine to check wind direction. It also looks terribly classy. https://www.amazon.com/SWEN-Product...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

 

[azygous]

Some of us install vinyl floor covering on the wall behind the perches for easy maintenance.

 

[MIgardengal]

@melleo and @DLHOCNT

Thanks! Last spring we got COVID chicks and a collie pup it’s actually quite funny “Nova” tries to lick and groom her chickens. I think she thinks she’s their mama or something

 

[MIgardengal]

Yes yes these are all great ideas, def need to get some pots and window boxes of flowers. And I will ask hubs if he can make some shutters.

Idk that I’m a great free hand artist. But I could probably paint the coop walls and then do a paint over stencil.

I just want to to have a cottage-y antique vibe, I know the chickens could care less, but since I’m in the coop myself 4 or 5 times a day, I want it to be pretty for me to look at

 

[MIgardengal]

Some of us install vinyl floor covering on the wall behind the perches for easy maintenance.

That is a fantastic idea!!! I love it!

I just looked up on Menards which is a hardware store about 40 min from me. They have some really pretty sheet vinyl flooring! I might try covering the entire plywood wall with it!

https://www.menards.com/main/floori...144/p-11060051211920139.htm?primaryMeas=144.0

I love the artsy looking one, and its only .69c a sq foot!

 

[azygous]

A tip on installing vinyl flooring on a wall. It's not easy to get the stuff to stay flat until the adhesive sets up so I use a staple gun at the edges to secure the vinyl. Later when the adhesive has been given ample time to cure, you can remove the staples or leave them in for extra secure hold.