What’s so great about this chicken coop?
In short, the Recycled Chicken Coop encompasses ideas of minimalism, art and sustainability/ circular-economy / eco-friendliness.
As far as a chicken coop goes, it is practical, it is functional, it is beautiful, it is simple, it has an incredibly low footprint on the planet and has even proved an effective defence against red mite infestations. Due to its easy, non-complicated design it is easy for kids to use. The height of the coop door is also accessible to those in wheelchairs. It is a fantastic size for any garden, whether a small suburban yard or a rural meadow.
The Story Behind It All
In 2020, at the start of the first COVID lockdown, my wife, Jane, joked with me about getting chickens for our garden. It wasn’t long until the monotony of lockdown drove me to actually go out and get said chickens! I soon rediscovered a fascinating world I had not known since my childhood. I also found a host of problems that came with the first couple of chicken coops I bought. There had to be a better way, so I started thinking about creating a chicken coop that would solve these problems, while also being as environmentally-friendly as possible. The ideas kept coming and eventually “The Recycled Chicken Coop” was born!
Making ideas happen is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. I need to thank a load of good people for their sweat……The afore-mentioned Jane, for igniting the spark and putting up with me for all these years, my nephew Aaron for all his time and patience, Mahatma Hannah and Andy for sharing their creative genius, John at ANA Motors for his roof, Peter and Dermot for their building knowledge, Scrapyard Sean, the The Rediscovery Centre, John Kelly’s top quality tunes and for all the ideas – the Internet!
We came up with the concept in February 2022 and finished the prototype in July 2022. Following months of testing to ensure your chickens will be safe and that the coop will stand up to the rigours of an Irish winter.
Red Mite Protection
Like every other poultry keeper the two words you dread to hear the most are ‘Red Mite’ If infested, these pesky creatures come out at night and feed off the blood of your chickens. Once you have red mite, they are fiendishly difficult to get rid of.
It is impossible to guarantee that you will never get infected but The Recycled Chicken Coop has been designed to try our very best to stop Red Mite getting established and accessing your chickens, and if your flock are unfortunate enough to become infected, we have hopefully made it easy to disinfect your coop effectively.
About The Materials
Both of our coops is unique – we have scoured the streets, rummaged through skips and scrap yards to source materials to build each one.
The wood stain used is a combination of vinegar, rusty nails and tea! To get the dark stain takes five coats. Did you know Red Mite hate the smell of vinegar?
The only materials that currently are not either organic or recycled are the screws, brackets and locks used to keep the coop together and the varnish to keep the wood water resistant. We use Polyvine, a water-based varnish.
