Behold: The Royale

Since becoming poultry parents our ladies have enjoyed free reign over the backyard.  This has been great, as I've never seen such happy hens, but we don't own this property, and the chickens have worn the yard down.  So, in the interest of letting the yard recover, not further exacerbate the situation, and to offer full-time security from predators, we have decided to confine the ladies.

While cooping up our chickens was the obvious choice, it has been a bit sad for us, as they really love to range as free birds. To console them, and us, Matt (with friends) built the ladies the luxurious, expansive, and super secure Coop Royale. 

The ingenious Coop Royale design connected our original tractor (to still allow them as much sunlight as possible and a cozy roosting box) to the dilapidated boathouse at the back of our yard.  There is a high school a few blocks away, and we couldn't seem to keep the teenagers out of the boathouse.  They like to skip class, smoke cigarettes, and guzzle energy drinks back there -- so now it will be locked and full of chicken shit.  That should do the trick.
  

The coop features a veritable chicken playground, with lots of places to climb and roost.  There is also a secluded nest box for the ladies to do their laying business in.  

We hope our beloved hens will appreciate the Coop Royale.