Urban Farm Hub’s First Sponsor: Kippen House Chicken Coops

Urban Farm Hub would like to announce and thank our very first sponsor: Kippen House!  Kippen House chicken coops were designed with the urban farmer in mind. They are stylish, efficient and multi-functional.

Traci, founder and owner of Kippen House, started designing a chicken coop for her own family to use while she was living in Portland; but a few life events landed her in Seattle and building chicken coops for a living. Here’s the lowdown from Traci:

I was laid off from my architecture job in Portland. Shortly thereafter my husband’s job was relocated to Seattle.  We packed up, shipped out, and I began my job search in one of the worst economic climates, particularly for architects. The unfulfilled desire to design and build was really starting to frustrate me.  I desperately needed something to design or build to keep me feeling motivated as the rejection letters poured in. The chicken coop design we had started in Portland kept creeping into my thoughts. I received many compliments and suggestions from friends to build and sell them to the public. I decided to go for it!

Traci was also encouraged to start up her business when she discovered how welcoming and encouraging Seattle is to the urban farming lifestyle.  She started Kippen House with the idea that she could design and sell chicken coops and eventually offer other urban farming accoutrements like planter boxes, compost bins and garden trellises to help meet the rising demand of all things urban agriculture in the Northwest.

Kippen House chicken coops aren’t your typical farm accessory. Aesthetically modern and made-to-order, these chicken coops also include built-in garden space, so you don’t have to sacrifice a square inch of your yard when adding chickens to your urban farm.

Traci wanted to meet three major design objectives with her chicken coops. They needed to be modern, multi-functional and modular:

Modern: Kippen House chicken coops have a modern aesthetic, and are well-built with materials and hardware suitable for exterior conditions. You will be able to proudly keep chickens without glares from your neighbors!

Multi-functional:  Adding a chicken coop to your yard is a major investment, in terms of money and space. In order to off-set these losses, Traci wanted the coop to provide another urban farming aspect; the garden roof on the chicken coop is deep enough to grow small vegetables. The addition of the garden roof creates a mini-ecosystem as the manure and egg shells can be composted and used as fertilizer in the garden; and garden scraps could be given to the chickens. (Seattle Tilth offers some tips on how to handle chicken manure, and provides resources on how to compost it so it is safe for your veggie garden.) Furthermore, the garden also acts as insulation, so your chickens can stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Another option is to add a sloped roof instead, which directs rainwater to a vertical garden wall that can grow succulents, flowers or herbs.

Modular:  The chicken coop is designed so that the sidewall panels are interchangeable, and can be assembled in a manner that responds to each unique yard situation.  This adds an element of customization as it can be tailored towards your specific needs.

This September, Kippen House is offering an incentive deal to one lucky customer who would be willing to host her second coop prototype, which will feature a vertical garden.  In exchange for $250 off, the chicken coop owner would allow Traci to stop by on occasion to show prospective clients her handiwork (and your happy chickens), and would offer feedback about the design. More information on this deal can be found here.

Related posts:

1. Urban Homesteading: Design and Build a Chicken Coop
2. Cosmopolitan Hen: Prime Chicken Real Estate
3. Palais de Poulet

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