Creature Comforts
by Pamela Baggett
The Zdroj family not only lost their home to the wildfire in Bastrop County, but also their chickens, rabbits and some pets. But Daisy the donkey managed to find her way to safety. The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew decided to build her a new home, too.
Daisy’s shed is inside a corral and part of a trio of special critter havens adorned with animal murals. Her shed has a butterfly roof that mimics the Zdroj’s home.
The rabbit shed houses three rows of three cages. The floor is raised several feet above ground level to keep the animals dry and to make it easy to keep the cages clean.
The state-of-the-art chicken coop will house at least 14 nesting birds. The sky-blue coop has egg-shaped openings from inside the coop for the chickens to access the nests, and hinged drop-down doors on the outside to make it easy to collect the eggs. Three sides and the floor are wire mesh with foldable sides to protect against the elements and other animals looking for a meal.
Like the rabbit shed, the coop has a corrugated metal roof and raised floor to keep the chickens dry.
Since all special homes need “curb appeal,” this one has an egg-shaped, flap front door.
Karen Baker, a member of Single Volunteers of Austin, was part of the paint crew. “I’ve done a lot of painting, but this is my first chicken coop,” she said.
