Reviews by BDutch

Yes! My chickens love to free range in/on our wild, poison free and natural ‘lawn’. Fresh nutrients and natural behaviour let my chickens thrive. They even take the young chicks out there if they have any/can.
So if they can’t free range, I cut a little grass into small piece’s to add to their menu.

A really great article for all the people who consider to start having chickens.
And for those who like to know more about keeping chickens.

Of course there is always more interesting stuff to tell. I missed these (for me) important nice to knows: some breeds don’t lay during winter or need artificial light to do so. And older hens lay less eggs than 1 year old hens. And take longer breaks during moult and winter.

Very informative article about oyster shells, other calcium sources and grit. Only one thing I missed, some info about calcium in feed in relation to laying hens/ not laying poultry and the necessity of other calcium sources like oyster shells.
I suppose it’s important to give real grit (stones) to chickens that don’t lay much, if the feed has enough calcium for laying hens in the industry.

A very nice coop for 5 small chickens.
I love it when people use used materials. Good for savings and good got the planet!

Handy to have the possibility to move it around, but only convenient for free ranging chickens without having to deal a lot with predators.

The ventilation looks good and the windows are great.

Beautiful in its simplicity and functionality. An excellent model for keeping chickens. It only needs a few roosts and a poop board to complete.

Great article. It ticks many boxes to keep in mind. Especially for newbies, but it’s also interesting read for experienced chicken keepers.

Thanks BYC manager for putting this article in the spotlight.

Wow, what a great article.
Just consider: Do I need all these protections or just a few of them? Of course this depends on you’re specific situation.
E.g. I don’t need complicated locks because we have no raccoons where I live (until now). They are an invasive species here and are shot whenever they find one. And I like the rain coming in into the run. This way its possible to grow plants in the run. Therefore I made strong netting against birds of pray / cat netting on top. Hard ware cloth would have been a better option but more expensive and less nice to look at.

If I ever hatch with an incubator , it’s nice to know there is a splendid article to dive into. Until now I didn’t need it because I started with 6 weeks old chicks years ago and had broodies after that first year for the necessary chicken math.

P.S. And thank you for the info about coccidiosis and why it is important to clean daily. This also applies to chicks in a small coop with a mother hen. I like to use old towels for the first week in the drinking and feeding area. They absorb well and have a great surface for their wobbly tiny legs. For water supply I use a flat bowl with marbles to prevent the newly hatched from drowning. ?

This article is a start. But IMHO the article is not honest and complete enough about hatching with a broody. It can be easy with the right breed, the right amount of space and a tolerant flock. But often there occur problems if you can’t tick all the boxes for a tranquil hatch.

Another possibility to hatch with a broody is to put her in a separated area. But if you move a broody she can abandon her nest.

Use fake eggs to test the broody. Mark eggs so you know which eggs are new and will hatch later (not).

A tip for the writer: add some links to other articles. Its important that newbies read more articles on natural breeding or breeding with an incubator if they are planning to do so.

Great and hilarious stuff to read. ? Thanks.
Also great you are still visiting BYC once in a while after all this years. I wonder, do yo have a few new adventures or learning moments about you’re flock today?

Great video explanation. Of course there is more to raising/having chickens. But it’s very helpful for people who want to start with chickens.
You made this very clear: Do it if you like to have chickens - don’t expect it to be a profitable hobby,.

After 2 years: approximately 800 - 10 * 24 is still 560 investment. If you add a rooster and do you’re own natural breeding you have you’re return on investment after approximately 10 years. ? Chickens are a lot cheaper then other pets.

And you had a lot of joy if you like having chickens.

Love it! Every newbie should read this (or another book/article ) to start with when they consider starting with BY chickens. ?

Great to mention and explain all the benefits of keeping chickens. Well done!

A little warning at the end (maybe with links to other threads) would make it even better because it is important to know some basic things about diseases, predators, healthy coops (ventilation) and living space if you are new with chickens and start keeping them to avoid unnecessary discomfort, health issues or even death chicks/chickens.

Thanks. Great to learn more about chicken poop for gardening. And how to avoid health problems.

These building plans are great for a small flock if you can free range you’re chickens all day and you live in a mild climate (withouth snow). Fyi: The writer isn’t active on BYC any more.

Very good article. I like it to reuse things if possible and egg shells are even better (easier to digest ) then the OS.

I read some informative comments too, some with good extra info like: don’t wash the shells , the egg-white in the shells are very nutritious. To keep it safe I put the egg shells in the microwave for a few seconds and give it back the next day. If there is more then they will eat it goes into the soil of the run. Together with leaves, weeds, grasses and poop it wil break down into a great and fertile topsoil.

There is one thing that needs a bit more explanation. The layer feed with calcium should not be given to chicks because of kidney damage. But there is no evidence that roosters and not laying hens get kidney problems from layer feed if I can believe what I have been reading (experiences from other BYC members). Nevertheless I am cautious and I prefer to feed my hens all flock in winter. Especially because I have 4 oldies now who don’t lay much eggs anymore.

If I buy extra eggs in winter I choose the organic eggs. These shells are not poisoned and are safe to feed to the chickens as well.

All this can be a good solution no doubt. I live on clay too and had a muddy run. The soil smelled and after a year it was not alive anymore. However I used another strategy that worked great.
“More roads lead to Rome.”

I did not cover it against rain. I made holes with pebbles/gravel for drainage and extended the run to give the chickens more space. I add compost from gardening and lots of brown leaves every autumn to compensate the nitrates in the chicken poop.
I scatter grains in the run that the chickens partly pick up and what they don’t like is growing. My run is partly green now and the soil is alive. I love it this way and I think it’s more natural and healthier for the chickens too.

Great to tell us a bit more about chickens and bathing. And of course chickens are not like humans in keeping a healthy skin.

A tip for people living in areas where it can rain ? for several days in a row. Make a dust bath area in you’re coop or sheltered run. A big plant pot and sand on the coop floor instead of bedding like wood chips does the trick for me. In the plant pot I add a few spoons of diatomaceous earth if I have to replenish the sand. This might help to prevent feather lice and mite infestations. I have no proof to claim this. But I never had problems with any lice or mite after doing so. Maybe just lucky ?.

I don’t have any of these ‘must haves’ especially for my chickens and didn’t need them either. Maintaining a healthy flock is to provide good shelter, good food and a large area to search for food. But if you have a large flock or live far away from stores it probably is a good aid kit to have.

The only ‘medicines’ I have ever used are mainly to prevent issues. Such as garlic, apple cider vinager, diatomaceous earth, tabacco and lavender. Mainly to prevent worm and red mite infestations. A few times I had sick chickens, but good care and time where enough to heal them. With chicks I took some losses. But most of them healed too after time.

If a chicken gets injured I will use my own bandage and means to heal her. If my flock gets in some kind of trouble I will go to the store to buy what I need.