“The chicken coop’s window—complete with a flower box—was modeled after the house, so it feels like a miniature version of it,” says the designer.
SOME GRANDPARENTS install a swing set to encourage family fun. But Mary Williamson and her late husband, Lex, opted for a custom chicken coop. The pair tapped longtime friend Daniel McCurry of Father Nature Landscapes to create the henhouse. “They wanted to connect with their grandchildren and bring together their loved ones more often,” says McCurry of the homeowners. “We had 11 grandkids when we built the coop, so everyone got to pick out their own chick and name it,” recalls Williamson. “If you start holding hens when they’re young, they’ll become very tame.”
Protecting the birds from potential predators was a top priority, so the designer built a run with 10-foot-tall chicken wire walls that he anchored with concrete to prevent pests from sneaking in from below. He outfitted the enclosure with an automatic watering tube and a solar panel-controlled door at the ramp leading into the henhouse, which is equipped with nest boxes, a rail for perching, and ventilation to keep smells at bay. “Chickens know to nest when the sun goes down, but we added the door as an extra precaution,” says McCurry, who also included exterior access for gathering eggs cleanly and easily. To make the structure blend seamlessly into the existing landscape, he surrounded it with complementary plantings that fit right in, such as ‘Autumn Angel’ Encore azalea, Southern wood fern, and ‘Snowflake’ oakleaf hydrangea.
by CAMERON BEALL
COURTESY REED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY
