Reviews by karenerwin

How great is it that you were able to convert a shed to a coop and it came with electricity! I would have liked more details about what all you had to do to accomplish the conversion. I am wondering what you did to make the one side with the different paint swaths on it more secure at the base of the wall. It looks like there is quite a bit of weathering on that side.
I hope you are still enjoying your chickens. Thanks for sharing your coop with us.

What a nice coop and run. Thanks for the details about how you did the base with putting the hardware cloth inside and filling with rocks, dirt and sand. Those were great details. I also appreciate that you named the 2 coop styles that you based your off of. I would have liked more details about the actual build like perhaps a supply list or approximately what it cost to build this.
The details about the polycarbonate tp help block out the wind and snow was great as well.
Thanks for taking the time to share!

Your coop and run look really nice. I rated it low because it is lacking the necessary information needed if someone wants to build one like yours! For instance, what are the dimensions of your coop? In the last picture there is a large area on the side that looks like it is open, but I am assuming there is hardware cloth or something over that area to keep the chickens from getting out. I also liked how you mentioned that you should have made the angle/pitch steeper over the nest boxes because the birds love to sleep up there.
Thanks for sharing your coop with us.

I really enjoyed reading your story and seeing your pictures! Your daughter did a great job with the mural! I will confess that I did not click on the link you provided, so it may have the information that I am thinking was missing. ( Details like how much lumber you used and what sizes, what did you use as fasteners,...).
I did like how you explained what you liked about the old coop and run and why you used the same design and just married them to make one! Thanks for sharing!

This is a very cute coop and I love that the chickens and the rabbit share the space! The reason I rated it so low is because there are no details or information for anyone to use if they were wanting to build a coop like yours, other than what they can see from your pictures.

While this is a neat idea to reuse something that is broken, I don't believe that this incubator would work for incubating eggs from start to finish. It may work in a pinch if the power goes out or something, but you don't have a way to maintain a steady temperature. Adding boiling water to a thermos would start you off at too high of a temperature and as the water cooled off the temp would drop. To successfully hatch eggs you need a way to maintain a steady temperature of 99 degrees.

I like that you gave written directions as well as drawn out pictures to hopefully show other people what you mean. There are some spelling errors. but I don't think they are preventing anyone from understanding what you did. My only concern is that there appears to be an inch or 2 gap on the top right side between the top edge and the roof. I am concerned that snakes or weasel (or anything else that can squeeze itself through small openings) will be able to squeeze in there and attack your chicks. Nice job and thanks for writing an article about your project.

I love all the pictures and that you explain what you wish you had done differently! I would have liked to see a materials list ( so someone wouldn't have to look for that information elsewhere) as well as blueprints (for the same reason). However, you pretty much stated in the beginning of your article that you weren't going into those details.
As far as the pop door goes, have you considered having it open upwards instead of downwards? That way dirt and stuff wouldn't clog the hing area and it wouldn't obstruct your view from the house! It does look like you would have to mess some more with the window trim though.
Thanks for sharing! I hope you enjoy your chicks!!

I agree this should be moved to a thread as it is not an article.

This really is not an article. It is a request for advice and should be moved to another location (instead of the articles section).
I am glad that your silky seems to be doing better and is getting up to the roost at least some of the time. If you are wanting to trim her head feathers you could wrap her up like a burrito ( with just the top of her head sticking out, but make sure she can still breath!). Then 1 person could hold her securely and another person could give her a trim!

Well written in story format. I love the cute pictures to illustrate the story. I like your commentary about what you were thinking as things progressed. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Thank you for taking the time to write this article. It was very well written and thought out. I also like your humor and that you are upfront about the genetics section possibly being over some readers' heads.

I like your article but I have to wonder, what makes these hatcheries the best hatcheries in the US? Have you ordered chicks or other supplies from each of them? Did you do a survey of some sort and these came out on top?

That is my only suggestion for making this good article into a great article. Give some explanation as to how you came to the conclusion that these are the best hatcheries in the US.
Also I liked that you told what state most of them are located in. Do you know if any of them allow you to go pick out/up chicks locally instead of receiving them in the mail? I believe that Cackle hatchery does, but I don't know about the others.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a fabulous article! I love all the details, explanations, and pictures. This article should truly be able to help anyone that experiences a chick with a slipped tendon (or 2), or has a chick that has limited sight.
I had a chick with slipped tendons a few years ago and despite my efforts it did not work out as well for my chick. However, you did do some things that I did not try ( such as the sock sling).
Thanks again for a fabulous article!

I like your water heater that you made. I was wondering as I was scrolling through the pictures how it heated water but then I saw that you put the water container on top of it and had the water container attached to ( the ceiling?) so it couldn't get knocked off and spill everywhere.
One of my questions is how did you drill the holes in the clay pot? Did you need a special drill bit?
I understand that you cut the square hole (for the electric cord to go in) with the dremel, but what did you use for the small circular holes?
Also, I assume that you already had the pipe strap on hand and that is why it is not on your cost/supply list.
Another thought is that you could explain why you used the springs. I am guessing that it makes it easier to take apart to change the bulb if needed.

I like the pictures, but I think that anyone that would be interested in making a similar hatcher would need more details.
What is the container that you used?
What size light bulbs did you use?
Is there water or anything in the spaghetti jars that you used for a heat sink?
What did you use to keep track of the temperature and humidity?

These are just a sample of the questions that I think should be answered to make this a better, more complete article.

Thanks for sharing what you did to help heal your hen after she was attacked by a raccoon. Are you a vet? I am not sure that everyone would be able to get the inject-able penicillin like you did. I certainly wouldn't have any idea where to obtain it. If I did get some I wouldn't know where I should inject it at.
Details that address these issues would make this article better. Also, a warning about not using antibiotic ointment/cream that has pain medication added in. (That is what I have read in multiple articles here on BYC).
Did your hen drink the gatorade on her own or did you have to use a syringe or something in the beginning.

I agree with you that it can be hard to see much in an incubated egg at day 18, I am not sure that I think water testing them is always a good idea.
I am concerned with the potential of drowning your chick if they had piped internally earlier than expected. I think it would have been a good idea for you to at least mention this possibility, so that people could be informed/warned and be better able to make an informed decision about what they want to do. Depending on how familiar the person is with incubating, they may have had fluctuations in temps which could result in the eggs developing a bit quicker than expected.
I also think a video would maker it clearer/easier to understand for people not familiar with float testing incubated eggs.

You have some good tips in your article such as making sure that you have adequate ventilation! A lot of people don't realize how important ventilation is especially in the winter! I also like the recommendation to check to see if there is enough roost space for all of the chickens. The deep liter method that you mention is great for all of the reasons that you mentioned plus it generates heat itself. One of the few comments that I don't agree with is when you stated that keeping your chickens warm and cozy will help them to produce more eggs in the winter. Egg production is a result of the number of hour of light that chickens get each day. It is not impacted ( at least not much) by whether or not the chickens are warm and cozy.
Another good suggestion that you had was about putting petroleum jelly on the wattles and combs to help prevent frostbite. Frostbite occurs when condensation settles on the wattles and combs and then freezes due to the cold temps or possibly cold drafts that cause the condensation to freeze. So keeping your coop well ventilated should be your first line of defense. The petroleum jelly is a good back up plan or added defense.

Very informative! Good tips and advice.