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/

 

[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

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Rustic metal nesting boxes your practical and cute. On the outside you could put window boxes if there are any windows. I put goodies for the chickens in mine. Mainly pretty varieties of lettuce and some marigolds.

 

[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...?

 

[AntiqueB]

My coop is painted with the same color scheme (cream with dark brown trim) inside and out. It exactly matches my house, so I completely understand!

As long as the inside's pained and clean, I'm happy. I do like those little signs some people hang in their coops, though, the ones that have cute sayings or pictures.

 

[MIgardengal]

@Sally PB was white hard to keep clean?

here is a photo of my coop exterior

And part of our house, the third pic shows our front perennial gardens. I landscaped with perennials around the coop last fall. So hopefully it looks lush out there this summer.

So the last photo is the current interior...ugh...it just looks homely! Like it needs some help

 

[MIgardengal]

Rustic metal nesting boxes your practical and cute. On the outside you could put window boxes if there are any windows. I put goodies for the chickens in mine. Mainly pretty varieties of lettuce and some marigolds.

Did you make or buy the nesting boxes?

 

[Sally PB]

was white hard to keep clean?

It's not pristine white anymore, let me put it that way. I painted the walls to give myself a durable surface to wipe down. The white shows the dust, the poop splops, etc. I chose white for the other reasons I listed.

I am NOT Mrs. Clean. Never have been. Never will be. I have too many other things to do.

 

[azygous]

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

 

[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!