The real Yellow Coop

It started with a pitch from three girls.

Yellow Coop is named after an actual chicken coop. It's yellow, it has a corrugated roof, and my three daughters and I built it in our driveway.

They wanted chickens. They didn't just ask for them. They put together a presentation for my wife and me, made their case, and got a yes. Then the four of us built their dream coop together.

The yellow coop with its dark corrugated roof and two white sliding pop doors.
Yellow, with a roof and two pop doors

How it came together

No kit, no contractor. A plan, a lot of lumber, a can of yellow paint and four sets of hands.

STEP 1

The run

A white frame wrapped in chicken wire, with a door, a ramp and room to move.

Run framed and the wire going on
Run framed and the wire going on
The base frame for the run
The base frame for the run
STEP 2

The walls go up

Pine boards, one row at a time, with openings cut for windows and the doors the hens would use.

Framing the coop, plank by plank
Framing the coop, plank by plank
Looking down into the shell
Looking down into the shell
STEP 3

A nesting box on the side

A box built onto the outside wall, so eggs could be collected without walking into the coop.

The nesting box takes shape, and the first coat of yellow
The nesting box takes shape, and the first coat of yellow
Openings cut and framed
Openings cut and framed
STEP 4

Yellow, of course

The color was never up for debate.

First full side painted
First full side painted
The people door, before its own coat of paint
The people door, before its own coat of paint
STEP 5

A roof and the details

Corrugated roofing on a slope, sliding pop doors for the hens, white trim to finish it.

Roof on
Roof on
White trim, vents and the people door
White trim, vents and the people door
STEP 6

The nesting box lid

A hinged lid, so eggs can be collected from outside the coop.

Lift the lid, collect the eggs
Lift the lid, collect the eggs
The finished box
The finished box
The finished yellow coop in the back yard with its wire run, ramp and feeder.
Done: coop, run and feeder

The part that matters

Ask any of my three girls and they'll tell you building that coop was one of the best experiences of their lives.

That's the standard I hold Yellow Coop to. When an engagement ends, I want every client to feel the same way: that the work was one of the best experiences they've had.

What the coop taught me about this work

Building a coop with three kids isn't so different from leading technology for a growing company. The same things make it go well.

  • You make the case.The girls pitched the idea. Clients know their business best; my job is to help sharpen the case and get to a clear yes.
  • We build it together.They held the boards and drove the screws. Your team works alongside me, so the knowledge stays with you.
  • One piece at a time.Walls, then paint, then roof, then doors. Each step works before the next one starts. No big-bang rebuilds.
  • It's yours when we're done.The coop is theirs. When an engagement ends, you own the plan, the systems and the documentation.

— JP, founder of Yellow Coop

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