Sussex craftsman conjures up world’s first shepherd’s hut poultry palace

Designed by young craftsman Rob McFagan, the practical poultry palace combines modern sustainable manufacturing techniques with traditional construction skills used to build shepherds' huts since the 16th century.

Rob formed Lewes-based Holmes Hill Shepherds Huts in 2019 and with no formal training in carpentry built his first commercial timber-framed Shepherd's Hut as a labour of love aged 21. Since then, he has become one of the UK's leading manufacturers of bespoke Shepherds Huts.

With Shepherds' Huts becoming the go-to-choice for trendy, eco-friendly sustainable living in the back garden, Rob saw another potential use for the iconic rumbling wagon - downsizing it as an upmarket chicken coop for the 21st century.

As a proud poultry owner himself, he was quick to see the potential of combining one of his loves in life - shepherds huts - to solve some of the problems of another - looking after chickens.

"Keeping chickens is one of the easiest ways to live more sustainably," said Rob. "A steady supply of fresh eggs produced by chickens that are well looked after is by far the biggest reason people give for raising their own chickens.

"But despite the boom, chicken coops have remained basic in terms of design and practicality and, although just as likely to be found in small urban gardens as sprawling farmyards, look pretty ugly.

The Shepherds Coop is designed to tackle all the inconveniences that come with keeping chickens in conventional coops. It's high above the ground to avoid rats, fox proof with joinery grade doors, insulated to avoid the heat and the cold, it has a stainless-steel floor and nest boxes for ease of cleaning and a whole side door to allow full access for cleaning.

"It's built on iron wheels and a chassis, so the coop is easy to move from one place to another."

As with full-size Holmes Hill Shepherds' Huts, the Shepherds Coop is handcrafted to order to customers' personal requirements.

"Our standard coop houses up to 10 chickens, but we can customise to suit specific requirements, such as larger or smaller nest boxes, installing windows or simply making it bigger," added Rob, who builds the chicken coops by hand at his premises in Holmes Hill.

"The cost reflects that and the fact that a Holmes Hill Shepherd's Coop is built to last, is totally fit for purpose, blends in and makes life for the chickens and their owners a whole lot easier."

To find out more go to https://holmeshillsh.com/shepherds-huts/mcf-cc/ or telephone 01825 280488.