The Diehl/Witzenburg chicken coop

Diehl, who blogs about her chickens at greenfrieda.blogspot.com, says watching their chickens is more interesting than watching TV. Witzenburg is a bird-watcher, too.  (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Witzenburg, an artist and furniture maker, considered form and function when designing the coop for his and his wife’s chickens.  (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Furniture designer Dakota Witzenburg with one of his pet chickens.  (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

The chicken coop that Witzenburg built sits on a level spot in the tiered backyard of his Mt. Washington home.  (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Diehl and Witzenburg’s coop includes four distinct zones: a space for the chickens to hunt and peck in the dirt, a more protected space where they eat, the roost where they sleep and the nesting box for laying eggs.  (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)