Reviews by BDutch

Overall very good tips if you don’t want to spend a lot of money to start with chickens for eggs.

A great coop and thoroughly build. Very wel documented too.
Amazing you are still around as active reader and member. I wonder how it looks like in 2026, what your experiences are after 14 years and how many chickens you have in there. Do you let them free range too? I would welcome a second page as a follow up.

Great article. Very true and a reason to treat chickens with respect.

Great design. Love the light and ventilation.

Most of all it’s great to have an extra coop for whenever you need one. I have converted a children’s playhouse of about the same size as 2nd coop. Not perfect either but loved it to avoid roosting troubles with youngsters.
Currently 4 of my chickens prefer another safe spot to sleep far away from the bullies.

As you say this extra coop isn’t perfect. But I love the explanation and your experience in using it. The pro’s and cons.

Because of all the reasons you mentioned, it is forbidden to sell chicks in shops in the Netherlands. Its also forbidden to send chicks by mail.
Great if this animal abuse stops worldwide!
PS After signing the petition I got spammed with mail .

Imho this article is not much more than a nice start to consider a few things. If your main goal is healthy chickens and longevity this article is useless.

Thanks for writing this. It was a long read but also fun to read the entire thing. No doubt you covered the essentials and probably almost everything. Conclusion, I stick to my 2 wooden coops for my 8 bantams.

Thanks for sharing your building and starting with chickens experience. The story and all the photos that almost tells your story by itself. Love it that you used lots of reused materials.

️️️️️
For your kindness.

I would get very annoyed if someone intruded in my personal BYC life like Notabifake did with you.

A stunning good informative article about the benefits of hedges.

Sadly enough most hedges in the Dutch landscape disappeared approximately 50-60 years ago when the farmers started to buy tractors and larger equipment to work on the fields, and wanted to make as much profit as possible.

And our gardens are often so small , the old type of hedges would take too much space. BTW: A simple hedge like on the photo gives less protection but works too for simple shelter.

Very good article on quarantining from personal experience. And the need for it, especially if the chickens come from a breeder who keeps many chickens in cramped cages with small runs. The same counts for chickens coming from a person who buys and sells chickens.
Buying hatchery eggs is another way to keep your existing flock secure.

Very thorough article. Compliments. There was one thing however that is not correct in:
“How Long Do Chickens Lay Eggs For?”
Old breed and barnyard mixes often lay until about 10yo.

Nice attempt. But IMHO a misleading article. There are so many breeds, strains, and so much individual characters that it’s quite impossible to make a true list.

Spelling isn’t checked properly.

Well done. I love to see such repurpose jobs and the nestboxes look really cozy.

Well written with excellent pictures. The boots sticking out from the small coop tell more than a 1000 words. And I love it that you explain why large coops are best but a small coop can work too for some people (with more ventilation and maybe other alterations).

Maybe I should not give a rating bc I haven’t tried this for real. I know you are right about not treating if there are no real health problems to address.

The test description looks very good. If I ever suspect worm problems I certainly buy a microscope and follow these directions.

Very well written article about keeping chickens with nearby neighbours on a small plot. I live in a town that had no formal limit to the number of chickens. Only roosters are a no go if neighbours complain. Neighbour cats keep away rodents.

Two things I miss:

• Bantams need less space and make less poop. Therefore they are often a better choice in a small garden.
• Lots of openings / windows with ventilation keeps down the smell. When the poop dries out quickly it stops smelling. And is better for their health too. I cover/top up the bedding after a week and dry clean every two weeks. I use /re-apply diatomaceous earth as a wall paint.

The article shows interesting points to consider when you buy chickens or are a new chicken owner. But contains a few personal opinions/experiences imho. :

I am surprised about what you claim about bantams: “Most roosters are docile and calm, especially breeds like Brahmas, Leghorns, Silkies, and larger breeds, but you're more likely to end up with a mean rooster when raising bantam breeds like seramas, Old English Game Bantams, and more. ”
And
“CAN I HAVE MULTIPLE ROOSTERS? The answer to that is yes, (except for bantams)”

Where do you have this information from?
I had several bantam cockerels, different breeds, and I had a few very protective but several docile cockerels too.
I can’t keep roosters in spring (when they start to crow loud) but I had several who were 6- 8 months old and their characters definitely showed.
My individual bantam cockerels:
Protective: Dutch, naine de Tournaisis
Friendly: RIR, Sulmtaler, Amrock

+ I rather say protective and not mean. The protective ones just did their job to protect the hens from intruders. And because they are so small, they never hurt me.

The article gives very limited information on how to address an infestation with lice or mites. Many alternatives for permethrin are not mentioned. There has been extensive research by experts into remedies against lice and mites. *

Permethrin is forbidden to use on poultry in the Netherlands , Belgium and some other countries in the European Union. For 2 reasons:

1. residues get in the eggs and meat.
2. it often doesn’t work anymore bc some red mites strains got resistant.

Besides that it’s a pesticide that kills randomly and is also poisonous (attacks the nerve system) for bees and insects, and indirectly for mice, songbirds and other animals like cats.

In my country poultry keepers often use heat (+ 45C) , oil baths at the end of the roosts, diatomaceous earth (food grade) and herbs in the water/food to control red mites (the main problem).

As a poison/chemical only Elector with the active ingredient Spinosad is available in shops for poultry keepers. Permetrin is available too for songbirds and other animals, but not allowed to sell for chickens.
Other poisons/chemical products can only be obtained through the vet. There are 2 products available: Byemite (active ingredient is Foxim, waiting time eggs 12 hours) and Exzolt (contains Fluralaner, waiting time eggs 0 days).

* one of the available research reports with info about red mites : https://edepot.wur.nl/140046