Chris Gleason is the author of several books for the DIY market. He was raised on a farm in upstate New York. He has been raising chickens in his Salt Lake City backyard for over six years and currently builds and sells chicken coops. He has owned Gleason Woodworking Studios for over 13 years.

Ever since we bought our first house I've been wanting to convert a portion of our backyard into a food source of sorts. A small garden and perhaps a chicken run would be ideal. The gardening idea hasn't made it farther than a few herbs and tomato plants but we're in the process of redoing our backyard's landscape. In the meantime I've been reading a book here and there about keeping chickens and realized there's no way I can pull it off. LOL That said, I loved this book! Not only is it inventive and inspired, but Gleason's approach is very Earth-friendly. One of the things I expected to see was all new supplies and instead the reader is encouraged to reuse old doors or scraps of wood when possible. As someone who values reusing and repurposing when possible I was really happy to see several of the coops had been made using repurposed materials. The designs themselves are each charming and adaptable. Designed for different sized flocks and with different features for both the keeper and the hens' convenience I would honestly love to build any of these if I was sure I could make it worth my efforts. Additionally this book is peppered with cool information about chicken breeds, history and recipes featuring eggs. As a whole I would recommend this book to an experienced chicken keeper looking for some nice design plans for a new coop. I also think it's a great inspiration for a new keeper, or-as in my case-someone considering keeping chickens. Maybe this would even make a neat gift for someone who just adores chicken paraphenalia.

• TABLE OF CONTENTS Coop-a-doodle-do: Coop Designs 1. Sunny Side Up 2. X Marks the Spot 3. Simply Salvaged 4. Rustic Sophistication 5. Little Big Barn 6. Gypsy Hen Caravan 7. How the Chicken Crossed the Road Fowl play: Profiles of Fine-Feathered Chicken Keepers 1. Andrew Stone 2. Jimmy & Brit 3. Kate & Molly

Chris Gleason is the author of several books for the DIY market. He was raised on a farm in upstate New York. He has been raising chickens in his Salt Lake City backyard for over six years and currently builds and sells chicken coops. He has owned Gleason Woodworking Studios for over 13 years.

Ever since we bought our first house I've been wanting to convert a portion of our backyard into a food source of sorts. A small garden and perhaps a chicken run would be ideal. The gardening idea hasn't made it farther than a few herbs and tomato plants but we're in the process of redoing our backyard's landscape. In the meantime I've been reading a book here and there about keeping chickens and realized there's no way I can pull it off. LOL That said, I loved this book! Not only is it inventive and inspired, but Gleason's approach is very Earth-friendly. One of the things I expected to see was all new supplies and instead the reader is encouraged to reuse old doors or scraps of wood when possible. As someone who values reusing and repurposing when possible I was really happy to see several of the coops had been made using repurposed materials. The designs themselves are each charming and adaptable. Designed for different sized flocks and with different features for both the keeper and the hens' convenience I would honestly love to build any of these if I was sure I could make it worth my efforts. Additionally this book is peppered with cool information about chicken breeds, history and recipes featuring eggs. As a whole I would recommend this book to an experienced chicken keeper looking for some nice design plans for a new coop. I also think it's a great inspiration for a new keeper, or-as in my case-someone considering keeping chickens. Maybe this would even make a neat gift for someone who just adores chicken paraphenalia.

• TABLE OF CONTENTS Coop-a-doodle-do: Coop Designs 1. Sunny Side Up 2. X Marks the Spot 3. Simply Salvaged 4. Rustic Sophistication 5. Little Big Barn 6. Gypsy Hen Caravan 7. How the Chicken Crossed the Road Fowl play: Profiles of Fine-Feathered Chicken Keepers 1. Andrew Stone 2. Jimmy & Brit 3. Kate & Molly

Chris Gleason is the author of several books for the DIY market. He was raised on a farm in upstate New York. He has been raising chickens in his Salt Lake City backyard for over six years and currently builds and sells chicken coops. He has owned Gleason Woodworking Studios for over 13 years.

Ever since we bought our first house I've been wanting to convert a portion of our backyard into a food source of sorts. A small garden and perhaps a chicken run would be ideal. The gardening idea hasn't made it farther than a few herbs and tomato plants but we're in the process of redoing our backyard's landscape. In the meantime I've been reading a book here and there about keeping chickens and realized there's no way I can pull it off. LOL That said, I loved this book! Not only is it inventive and inspired, but Gleason's approach is very Earth-friendly. One of the things I expected to see was all new supplies and instead the reader is encouraged to reuse old doors or scraps of wood when possible. As someone who values reusing and repurposing when possible I was really happy to see several of the coops had been made using repurposed materials. The designs themselves are each charming and adaptable. Designed for different sized flocks and with different features for both the keeper and the hens' convenience I would honestly love to build any of these if I was sure I could make it worth my efforts. Additionally this book is peppered with cool information about chicken breeds, history and recipes featuring eggs. As a whole I would recommend this book to an experienced chicken keeper looking for some nice design plans for a new coop. I also think it's a great inspiration for a new keeper, or-as in my case-someone considering keeping chickens. Maybe this would even make a neat gift for someone who just adores chicken paraphenalia.

• TABLE OF CONTENTS Coop-a-doodle-do: Coop Designs 1. Sunny Side Up 2. X Marks the Spot 3. Simply Salvaged 4. Rustic Sophistication 5. Little Big Barn 6. Gypsy Hen Caravan 7. How the Chicken Crossed the Road Fowl play: Profiles of Fine-Feathered Chicken Keepers 1. Andrew Stone 2. Jimmy & Brit 3. Kate & Molly