I got my first chickens when I was ten years old. Thirty years later, I still can't walk past a coop without stopping to look.
A working farm, not a workshop
Our family farm sits on six acres in Wildomar, California. On any given morning there are more than 150 chickens out there, 50 homing pigeons, 30 ducks, a few geese, guinea fowl, turkeys, and about a dozen goats. I've been breeding American Gamefowl for 20 years.
That matters for one reason: every box we sell gets used here first. When a design doesn't hold up, or birds won't settle into it, or it's a pain to clean, I find out — because I'm the one out there at six in the morning. Nothing goes in the catalog until it earns its place in my own loft and coop.
Family owned, family run
This is a family operation in the truest sense. We also host three farmstay cottages on the property, where guests come to feed the animals and get a taste of farm life. We've been Airbnb Superhosts for six years running.
That's actually how I met my wife — she booked a stay, fell for the animals, and stuck around. We're raising our kids here now, and they grew up doing exactly what I did at their age: hauling feed, collecting eggs, and learning that taking care of an animal is a real responsibility.
Why we sell kits
There's something worth preserving in building a thing with your own hands. That's why our boxes ship as kits instead of finished furniture.
We do the hard part — every panel comes cut to fit, with the hardware and clear instructions — so you get the good part: an hour at the workbench, a screwdriver, and something solid to show for it at the end. Hand the screwdriver to a kid or a grandkid and it becomes an afternoon they remember. Their bird ends up with a better home, and they end up with a little pride in something real.
Beyond the birds
We also keep orchards of figs and pomegranates. Over the years I selected and propagated my own fig variety — the Shubin fig — from a single standout mother tree. It's now the anchor of an orchard of more than 60 trees, and its cuttings have made their way to growers across the country.
By trade I'm a mechanical engineer, and I've spent 18 years in aerospace. It's a habit that's hard to switch off: I want things to fit properly and last. But the farm isn't an engineering project. It's the part of the day I actually look forward to.
Come say hello
We're a small operation and we like hearing from other keepers. If you have a question about a box, need a custom size, or want to talk wholesale for your store or club, just reach out — you'll be talking to me.
John Shubin
Shubin Farms · Wildomar, California