A Dysfunctional Chicken Coop

It started with an idea. “I want to have chickens!” So I knew I had to build a coop for the dual purpose of keeping the elements off of them and their food, and keeping predators out.

But then, somehow, foolishly, we skipped to the last step of the design process: surface.

“The landlady’s coming over. She said we’ve gotta move the coop to the other corner of the yard so it’s regulation-distance away from the neighbor’s house, but I feel sick today. Let’s just dismantle it, move the pieces over there, and prop it up so it LOOKS OK when she comes over.”

And then it rained. And the roof bowed, and then fell down. And the chickens stood on their muddy feet, all drenched with rainwater.

So now we’re at the roof-fell-down stage in the design process of the chicken coop. Perhaps I’ve learned more about the constraints of the materials I used than I would have if I’d followed someone else’s blueprint and built a sturdy coop the first time around. I’ll be more proficient with a drill than I was before, after building the coop a second time. And I’ll have a better sense of what structural form is more reliable after going through the experience of seeing the old form fail.