I don’t remember who initiated the conversation, Brian or me. There was no awkward silence, no convincing or debate required; we were both immediately onboard.

Last fall, the yard was covered with slugs, a vegetable garden’s arch nemesis. I also hate how many food scraps end up in the trash, and I’ve heard chickens are incredible recyclers.

I’ve never owned or cared for chickens, but it’s time.

A friend in Anchorage (shoutout to Erika!) already has a flock, and she’s incubating eggs right now. In a few short weeks, Brian & I are going to be chick parents.

Our home is right in Anchorage – we’re definitely in an urban area with neighbors – but the Anchorage Municipality allows backyard hens.

Lucky for me, my husband is a wonderful builder. Instead of buying a chicken coop, he wanted to make one custom for our yard. Although I helped a little (I’m good at holding boards steady and watching the bubble on the leveler stick), this project is definitely more Brian’s journey and accomplishment than mine.

We chose a spot in the yard tucked between evergreen trees, where no grass grows and the lawn is hopeless. I wanted it to be out of the way and protected.

Here are the chicken coop progression pictures to-date. The finished coop is still to come!

[UPDATE – you see the next stage of the coop progress here: Building a DIY Backyard Coop – Part 2 and see the final stages of our project in Building a DIY Backyard Coop – Part 3.]