'We wanted it to match the house': Singer Carrie Underwood's elegant chicken coop exceeds all egg-spectations

Country singer Carrie Underwood resides (fittingly) near music capital Nashville, and her farm offers much to be admired – not least its 400-acre 'backyard.'

Carrie's estate is a rural paradise – featuring private horse stables, an orchard, and an impressive greenhouse – the latter being the latest addition to the sprawling estate. If we were pressed for a favorite feature, however, we must confess that Carrie's chicken coop comes out on top. 

Keeping chickens is becoming increasingly common as more people look to enjoy its rewarding benefits (beyond fresh eggs for breakfast). Naturally, Carrie's set-up (seen in the video below) has set the bar for all chicken coops – in both its functionality and design – so much so, in fact, because it's not so dissimilar from her home. 

'We wanted to make it match the house a little bit,' Carrie says to her interviewer, who remarks that it's one of the cleanest coops he has ever seen.

'Unsurprisingly, it looks like Carrie has a pretty good setup here,' says Chris Lesley, the founder of Chickens & More. 

'I love how spacious her run is, although it could use a bit more stimulation – maybe some things for the chickens to climb – or a wider variety of plants. 

Much of Carrie's coop gets approval from Chris, who notes the benefits of reinforcing the wire fencing with some hardware mesh. 'That'll keep out snakes, weasels, and other potential predators,' she says.' Chicken wire is great for keeping the birds in, but for the bottom half of the fence, especially if you want something more sturdy.'

Chris Lesley

Fourth-generation chicken keeper Chris Lesley has raised chickens for over two decades and holds a certificate in Animal Behavior and Welfare. She is the founder of Chickens & More, where she shares her expertise on raising 'healthy, happy chickens' with those who want to learn how to care for chickens of their own. 

The footage shared doesn't go inside the coop itself (thought to be the white building that resembles her home). However, it does show her nesting box setup, where you can just reach in and pull the eggs out without going inside. 'That's how I have mine at home, and it's so convenient,' Chris says. 

'The other great thing is that it looks like her coop is on top of a hill; because she's in Nashville, I wouldn't be too worried about winter wind exposure, and those same winds will help it stay cool and ventilated in the summer. The white paint will also help it stay cool in the summer, although the black roof might counteract some of that.'

Plus, while you can't help the geography of your home, Chris remarks that Carrie's hilly country garden is convenient for a coop, as the higher elevation will help the ground drain and keep the coop dry. 

'A wet coop is a breeding ground for a lot of respiratory diseases, so having proper drainage is crucial,' the expert adds. If you don't have a hill, you should elevate the coop on stilts to help keep it dry and give your hens more space to explore. 

Why own a chicken coop?

Carrie Underwood is not the only celebrity who has spoken about raising chickens –with Meghan and Harry and celebrity chef Clodagh McKenna also speaking about their coops in the past. However, the growing interest in keeping chickens is no surprise to Chris Lesley, who is all too familiar with the benefits. 

'For most people, the biggest benefit is the obvious one, which is having fresh eggs every morning,' she explains. 'Backyard hens are generally healthier than industrial ones – they get more exercise and have a more varied diet – their eggs are more flavorful and nutritious. This is especially true if the chickens are free-range.'

Plus, as Chris explains, having backyard chickens can also have other benefits for your health besides just better eggs. 'People with chickens tend to spend more time outside and be more active since they’re caring for their birds.' 

Perhaps the most unexpected benefit, however, is that chicken coops help contribute to creating a more eco-friendly garden – significantly promoting less waste and creating fewer antibiotics and pesticides for the environment.

'As people pay more attention to the climate and their personal impact on the environment, they're also starting to feel that keeping their own chickens is a more environmentally sound choice,' Chris says. 

'Having a personal coop is certainly less wasteful than the industrial system, and it also puts less into the environment in terms of antibiotics, pesticides, and so on. Generating feed is one of the biggest wastes and environmental drains from the industrial system, so having free-range chickens and feeding them kitchen scraps can help reduce their environmental impact even further.'

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In her book, Carrie Underwood shares the secrets behind her eating and exercise habits – helping readers with 'the ultimate goal of being the strongest version of themselves, and looking as good as they feel.'

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