Reviews by karenerwin

I like your article for the most part. I disagree with some of the comments about smaller homemade coops being good only for bantams, but then, it depends on a persons idea of small, I guess.
I like how you point out that tractor coops can often be too heavy to move unless you have a tractor! Or how they can be too flimsy to stand up to moving much.

I also like that you mention how often you should move the tractor and the fact that chickens can tear up a lawn in just a day!

That is an interesting use of your old feed sacks. I have a bunch of them sitting around as our recycle place does not take them. You could make your set up a lot safer just by adding a roof of some type. Even chicken wire would make it safer than leaving it open! And I am NOT a proponent of using chicken wire! Hardware cloth would be even better.
I like how you suggest ways to improve in your article, like when you suggest making it 2 sacks tall.

I really like the bi-fold lid. However when/if you decide to have 2 different sets of chicks ( one on each side) the bi-fold may be a problem if you only want to access the far side.

I would suggest putting linoleum or something similar on the floor to make clean up easier, and/or make the bottom removable.
Also, some people have argued for putting a window of sorts for the chicks to see out the side instead of only seeing large things coming at them from above.

I love your visual aid! It got the information across quickly and with enough details.

The only thing I would suggest adding would be a warning that hay and straw can be good hiding spots for mites. So people need to be extra cautious about that.

Thanks for sharing!

I was really excited to learn how to build this, but you didn't go into enough detail for me to know what to do with all the parts!

Good overview on what the book is about. I also like that you included the chapter headings.

Nice brooder for the first few weeks. After that it will be too small. You will be amazed at how quickly chicks grow! My hubby would be worried that the heat lamp would either melt the plastic or catch the diaper box on fire.
Also, I hope your bird eating cat hasn't figured out how to reach through the chicken wire to try to catch a chickie.

Nice job making a brooder box out of what you had on hand. Good job explaining your process and backing it up with pictures.

It looks like an interesting brooder, but you don't provide enough information about it or how to make it.
What are the dimensions? Why is this a good brooder ( you kind of addressed this when you pointed out some of the features).

If you are leaving them in it unsupervised then I would recommend that you use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. Chicken wire does not keep many predators out because they can tear through it easily. Also, I do not see any place for water for the birds or any way for them to get out of the sun if they so choose.

Otherwise, I love the use of the training wheels!

Interesting turkey coop.

Why did you use chicken wire on the ends? Aren't you worried about predators? They can tear through chicken wire. Also did you add any type of roost for the turkeys? How many turkeys will you keep in there? Will they free range or stay in the coop all day? Where did you put the food and waterers?

It's great that you are expressing your thanks! It just doesn't belong in the learning center.

What did you use on the floor to keep the shavings from falling through?
Why did you use plywood on the sides? Could the chicks fit through the slots of the sides otherwise?
Can the chicks get out through the door? I would think they would be small enough to fit through the wholes in the chicken wire.
I like that you made this into a family project! I also like that you made ledges to try to keep the shavings out of the food and water. You might have been able to rig up something so that you could hang them from the top and adjust the height as the chicks get bigger and still keep the wood shavings out of them.
Another thing I liked is that you added perches/roosts for the chicks as they got bigger.

Nice, short and sweet article about building your brooder box. I would suggest maybe putting linoleum or something like that on the floor to make clean up easier. Chicks are pretty messy. The brooder is pretty small, the chicks will grow very FAST!
I would also suggest that you put some kind of window or view port in the side so the chickens can see what is going on. Perhaps use the hardware cloth like you did for the top.
I really like the top that you made and I also like that you tried to put toys in for the chicks to enrich their environment.

I actually read this article before and incorporated several of the ideas and they work fabulously!!
I built a brooder box with the sides covered with field fence. Field fence has larger rectangular openings, the chicks could easily go through the spaces, but adult chickens can not.
I used a heat lamp, because I could not find a heating pad that did not have an automatic shut off. The chicks thrived and had no problems integrating with the flock.
I have been brooding all of my chicks out in the coop since then. It's the next best thing to broody raised chicks!!
Your article is very well thought out and written. It makes me wonder if you were an English teacher
Thank you very much for such an informative article!

I like your tips about using a brace and a 2x4 to help guide so that you get straight cuts. I also like the tip about drilling holes around the door and windows so when you flip it over you know right where to cut!
It looks like you used some chicken wire on your run and it also looks (but I could be wrong) like the wire does not go all the way to the top on the run. How has that worked out for you? Have you had any day time predators scale the wire wall and get into the run?

Thanks for sharing your coop and ideas with us.

I like your sense of humor! Neat idea on the poop containment and removal system. I couldn't exactly see how it works because I couldn't enlarge the picture, but I think I get the basic idea from the description.
How are the nest boxes that are accessible (to the birds) on the outside working out? Are they getting messy from the weather?

If you were to build this again, would you do anything differently?

Did you post your build for your additional 35 birds coming in May??
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas.

Nice set up. I am concerned that you used chicken wire to enclose the run. Chicken wire keeps chickens in , but does NOT keep predators out!!
I am also surprised that the chickens don't fly into the house through that open cat window! LOL.
Your chicken coop needs some more ventilation. Perhaps cut out an opening and the cover it in hardware cloth ( to keep predators out and chickens in). You could use the cut out part to attach to a hinge or two and use it as a shutter if it gets cold where you are.

Thanks for sharing your coop and ideas.

I love the color scheme and the birds on the shutters!
I would have liked to see pictures of the inside.

Nice start, but we need more details about what you did, what did you put inside the coop, about how much did you spend, what features do you especially like? Are there things that you would do differently if you were to build this coop again?
Thanks for sharing your coop with us.