Having chickens and vegetables in your backyard is great for self-sustainability, but what if I want both in a small space? Seattle-based architect turned-self-starter Traci Fontyn has the solution in the form of the Kippen House; a modular chicken coop with a rooftop vegetable garden that creates a looped ecosystem to benefit both your home-grown veggies and eggs.
The Kippen House (“chicken-house” in Dutch) is a modular chicken coop that comes in two main types; the Garden Roof Chicken Coop – a coop with a roof garden 8” deep, enough to grow small vegetables; and the Vertical Garden Chicken Coop – a coop with a sloped roof directly run-off rain to a vertical garden wall with containers for small plants like herbs or strawberries. The coops are designed with three foot interchangeable panels that can be assembled according to the requirements of each yard and covered with the material of choice; either wood slats, wire, egg hatch door, wood gate, wire gate or with external vertical garden. The modular design leave the option open for expansion in the future.
Apart from its modular design, the advantages to the Kippen House are numerous. It's multi-functional, providing twice the food opportunity in half the space and the chickens are kept insulated from extreme temperatures. It utilizes permaculture principals and creates a looped ecosystem – manure and eggshells are composted and used as organic fertilizer in the garden, garden scraps are fed to the chickens, and you get to eat the veggies and the eggs. Win-win!
Traci makes each chicken coop to order, needing 1-2 weeks lead time, and 2 days to assemble on-site. For $875 (+ $80 delivery charge within 50-200 miles of the Seattle area only), your customized 3' x 6'7” Douglas fir coop comes with:
- 1 x roof choice
- 6 x wall panels
- 1 x nesting box
- 3 x roosting poles
- 1 x feeder box
Traci is diversifying with the addition of new products; a compost bin, a garden box on casters, a bee hive, an extra chicken run attachment, and garden trellis.
