Reviews by DobieLover

It would be nice to read about how this coop and run were designed and constructed. A picture of the entire structure would also be useful.
The xylophone is a cute toy.

I'm ashamed to admit I've burned larger pieces of plywood in my bonfire pit than you used to make a coop with. That is some nice use of recycled material.

This is a nicely constructed coop but it does look a bit small for the number of birds it is housing.
You will not need any additional nest boxes as 2 boxes is enough to serve 10 hens.
Your Cochin is too cute!

The end product is very cute.

Now that it has been up and running for a while, do you find that you have a lot of mud in the run and water flowing under the coop? How are you stair stringer roosts doing? I would think the roost bars would be a bit close together and girls on lower bars may get unwelcome "mud" baths during the night!

The jail/hospital station is great. The surface is an excellent location for weighing birds and giving them health checks.

Have you ever needed to break a broody in the jail? I would think you would need a false wire floor about 5 or 6" up to really get the job done.

Overall it is a great little coop!

I love the idea of adding the curtains for privacy for the chickens but also for the keeper. I enjoy the decorations in my coop. I'm sure the chickens don't care at all! I used an old vinyl tablecloth. It only cost $3 and was super easy to use as you only have to sew in the rod pocket. And then just hose them off and rehang them if they get dirty.

I know that you can use 1 box to 4-5 hens without issue. I would rather not devote a lot of space to nest boxes if they are not needed.

I also would add that the dimensions seem to work better having more height as that gives you the opportunity to put a thick (4-5") bed down. My chickens have that much chopped straw and they love to burrow in to make a nest in each box. The added height is good for when they stand up just prior to delivering their package.

I have a metal cat litter scoop but have the same problem. I'm picking up a strainer the next time I'm at Wally World. Thanks, IM!

Thanks aart for taking the planning and design steps out of my future tractor build as I'll be wanting one for my first flock of meat birds next year. This looks like just the ticket.

You've done a fine job of beefing up the structure of a pre-fab coop. But I happen to know that any of your coops would not last 2 years in my climate. Your ideas are practical if the predators in the area can be controlled with something not as strong as stick built and in a less aggressive climate.
For folks wanting to keep chickens under those conditions but are unable to build, purchasing a shed and converting it into a coop I feel is a much better option.

I have read this excellent article through once and will read it again as I work to rehab Fabio with the advice you've already given me. It has certainly helped us both already but we have a ways to go. Now that we've got little Captain growing up with the new batch of chicks, he will add a new dimension to my flock. One that I hope Fabio will adjust to. I will continue to learn and try to improve my behavior with my flock based on your endless good advice and suggestions.

I really enjoyed reading how you got to where you are with your chickens. Amazing!

To me, this is hands down the best way to raise chicks so they are friendly when they mature.
Reducing stress on all the animals we choose to include in our lives is just plain good husbandry that is often overlooked. We typically make decisions about how we are going to do things that work to reduce OUR stress, not theirs. Sometimes that extra effort up front reduces all our stress.
This is such a well written, informative article that reads easily because of well thought out formatting and photos. Just wonderful!
Thank you so much!

Very interesting read with some background information on chicken origins.

I have noticed this behavior with my one tiny flock as well. Every time I was outside to observe when I heard one of the girls start in with her "egg song", the cockerel would show up to bring her back to where ever the flock had wandered to.
I never really fell for the theory that the pullet was celebrating laying an egg. Didn't make sense. This does. Thanks for the article.

I like the lay out and the photos. Well, I don't actually like all the photos, eew, but you know what i mean!
I would only add that in addition to the daily soaks and cleaning, that should be followed up with an antifungal ointment to speed recovery.
I haven't researched this but would converting the chickens diet over to fermented also be a preventive method?
The article is sound advice. Thank you for sharing it.

Thanks, Shadrack! This article has prompted me to change the design of my nest boxes when I do my shed to coop conversion this spring. Anything to make my chickens lives more natural and enjoyable.

Very well designed. I would consider your coop an improvement to your property value, certainly not an eyesore so I'm sure your wife is happy.

The information in the article could not be more complete. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

I've had bear visit my home prior to by owning chickens.
I came out of the chute with a 10,000 V/1.2 J output electric fence around everything after having read this article.

This was a wonderfully detailed article on repurposing an existing building. A LOT of thought went into it's design and construction.
I find it extremely useful when people include their failures and explain why they failed and how they rectified them so others may learn without having to make the same mistakes.
I just love this coop!!

I'm really glad I read this article. Nice preventive tips along with what to look out for and how to help your hen if she becomes egg bound. Thank you for writing this!