I built my first chicken coop when I was twelve years old.
- My dad helped me out by threatening to kick my butt if I didn’t do it.
Dad wasn’t a hands-on type of guy, but he knew how to encourage his kids! I like to kid about it, but in his own way Dad helped me to figure out the type of person I was (spoiler alert – I am not at all like him, and never threaten to hit my own children). At the time our old chicken coop was falling apart around the edges, and it was getting dangerous for the chickens to be in there. I examined the old structure, and decided to tear down the outside, strip it to the skeleton, and then rebuild it. Instead of using cheap pieces of wood for the supports I wanted to use rebar rods. For some reason Dad had a broken down pick-up truck in the front yard that was filled with rebar rods, baling wire, and double loop ties. I have no idea where it all came from, but had been there for years. That was why I decided to use it, because the rebar rods and the double loop ties had been sitting out in the elements for so long and were still in perfect condition. Rebar rods are basically impervious to the elements, which gives them endurance and longevity, as well as strength. I reasoned that a chicken coop build on a skeleton of American made rebar and forming wire would be strong enough to outlast all the chickens, and probably the family, too!