Vice President JD Vance has added a chicken coop to his residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory, along with a dozen baby chicks. The coop, designed to resemble the Victorian-style home where the second family lives, features a round turret and faux slate roof and was donated by Carolina Coops, a North Carolina-based company known for its premium coops. The structure was completed on May 29, according to the company's founder, Matthew DuBoise, who called the project "something amazing to do for this country." The coop was built without taxpayer money, according to an anonymous source familiar with the project.
The residence hosted a family event over the weekend where local 4-H students taught children about the new coop. Vice presidents since 1977 have lived on the 72-acre Naval Observatory grounds, and many have left their own mark. Joe Biden added a heritage garden, Mike Pence’s wife, Karen, contributed beehives, and Kamala Harris updated the library with pink wallpaper. A heated swimming pool was added by Dan Quayle in 1991.
Backyard chickens have seen a resurgence in American life, with a 2025 survey by the American Pet Products Association finding that 11 million U.S. households now have them. Vance’s coop was first reported by The Daily Wire. During the 2024 campaign, Vance frequently cited the high price of eggs as evidence of inflation, which he blamed on then-President Joe Biden. He joked that his two young sons eat "about 14 eggs every single morning." DuBoise said his team designed the coop to be "something the Vances would fall in love with."