Chicken Coop
This simple, small, shed-roofed coop is typical of many built on farms all over Vermont in the first decades of the 20th century. It is built of machine sawn, dimensional lumber, which tells us it was built in the 20th century. Another clue is in the nails. Modern “wire” nails as they are known, were developed in the last years of the 19th century and, because they were so inexpensive to produce, quickly took over the market. All the nails in the chicken coop are wire nails. Chicken coops were built with large, south-facing windows, as you see, in order to let in the maximum amount of sunshine and keep the hens as warm as possible. The roof slants to create a low north wall with no openings, which also helps retain heat.