For the chicken farmer on the go.

Mike Robidoux of East Haddam, Connecticut, is an operating engineer at a power plant by trade, woodworker by hobby, and now chicken farmer by his wife's impulse. When Mike's wife came home with eight chicks this past April, they had nowhere to keep them but in a box in their basement. After failing to find a coop that met his construction standards, Robidoux, who's built decks and house additions in the past, decided to build one on his own.

He drew up plans, and over the course of two weekends in May, he used halved 2 x 4s to build a 14-foot-long, 6-foot-tall coop and chicken run. Robidoux outfitted the project with multiple entry points —including a full-sized door in the back, hinged roofing, and a small window in the chicken wire to access and let down the front door of the coop—so that he, his wife, and their two young sons could easily tend to the chickens. The coop is also equipped with a set of wheels, so the family can relocate the chickens throughout their 4 acres without having to personally herd the birds.

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