Reviews by karenerwin

I am concerned that you used chicken wire on the run. Raccoons can tear through chicken wire very easily. Hardware cloth/welded wire would be more secure. Did you put roosts inside the coop part? Do you have a nest box or do they just lay their eggs on the ground. How do you access the inside of the coop to get the eggs, food or water? What are the dimensions of the coop and run?

Thank you for sharing your coop with us.

I like that you included blue prints. Plus the location of the coop that you got inspiration from.
I am guessing that the run has a floor in it because one corner in one of the pictures seems to be above ground level to where a chicken could escape or a predator could get in.

Is there anything that you would do differently now that you have been using it?

Thanks for sharing your coop with us.

What a lovely looking coop! I wish you had provided a materials list and a sketch of the blue prints.
How many roosts did you put inside? Is there anything you would change now that you have been using it for a while?

It looks like you used chicken wire on the run. Raccoons can tear through chicken wire with no problems. Hardware cloth would have been more secure.

Thanks for sharing your ideas and your coop.

Cute little coop. Good use of recycled materials. No information provided about how you built it, what you would do differently if you were to build it again, how many chickens it houses and that type of thing.

Is it a mobile coop? I see wheels on it. Does the run separate easily from the coop to make moving it easy?

What a good use for the treehouse!
How is the wood floor holding up in the run? Why did you decide that roosts weren't needed in the run? I would have liked to see inside the actual treehouse part, are there roosts in there?

Overall, I think you did a good job, there just aren't any details about how you built it. However, since you basically just added the windows, nest boxes and run, I guess the pictures do a fairly good job of showing that.

Great use of recycled materials. Thanks for sharing your coop with us.

This looks like a very nice mobile coop, it just lacks information about materials needed and how to build it. Some details can be gleaned from the pictures. I like that you told your cost for building it. I like how the ramp pulls up and closes off the coop part.
Does the 5 gallon bucket make it nearly impossible to move the coop when it is filled with water?
What would you change if you were to build it again? How do you access the hanging food container? Does the top of the run part open?

Thank you for sharing your coop and your ideas!

I like your idea of using a storage tote. I am concerned that you used chicken wire, raccoons can tear through that like nothing. A better choice would have been to use welded wire/hardware cloth.
I can see that you have the coop part tucked under palm fronds, however I am still concerned that it might get too hot inside because the coop is black which absorbs heat. Have you considered painting the outside a lighter color?
Did you put a roost inside the coop? The chickens would like one even if it is just a few inches off the floor.
Do you open the pop door by opening the top of the coop and then pushing the pop door out?

I also like your idea of using PVC pipes as the support for the run. I would imagine that makes the whole structure lighter and easier to move around. Make sure you check the zip ties. They deteriorate over time especially with a lot of exposure to sun! Also animals (mice and such) can easily chew through them.
I hope you are enjoying your chickens! Thanks for sharing your ideas.

What a nice looking coop and run!
I could not get to the coop 2009 page that you referred to in order to see how it was made. If I could have gotten there and seen your plans, materials, and other details, I would have rated this higher.

Not much detail about how to build the coop or materials needed, or what you would do differently.

However, I do like that you told people they could contact you if they had questions or wanted more information.

The coop and run look very nice, however there are no details about how you made it or what materials were needed. Or what you would do differently if you were to build it again.

I'm glad you and your sons got the chance to build something together!

Floor plans would be nice. This sounds like a nice small coop. A great idea for broody hen/chicks or as a hospital.
I would like to see inside the top box.

Thanks for sharing your idea!

What an awesome job you did giving very detailed descriptions of what to do to make this chicken coop! Plus you have pictures as to support what you were saying.
Thanks for sharing!!

I like that you have your "blueprints". What a good idea to re-use your old swing set!

I enjoyed all of the pictures.

I am concerned that you used chicken wire to cover the run. Raccoons can make short work of chicken wire. You really need hardware cloth/welded mesh wire. It has smaller openings and is stronger by far than chicken wire.

I would have liked to see what you would have done differently if you were to rebuild it.

Nice coop. Could use a few more instructions about how it was built. Started off good, but then the instructions stopped. Liked how you reflected on what you would do differently.

I enjoyed your pictures and descriptions. I clicked on the link for the plans and saw that they were there and reasonably priced if anyone wanted to purchase them.

Cute coop! I did not try to follow the link to the plans, so, I hope they are still there!
What would you change if you had it to do over again?
Did the plans link include costs and a supply list?

Nice coop, enjoyed the pictures. We need more details about what you did when you expanded your coop. What materials did you use? How did it turn out? Is there anything you would do differently besides the change in nest boxes?
What is the purpose of the trap door?

Nice story, but none of the other pages could be found, so I have no idea how you ended up putting together all of your found/reclaimed/recycled items.

You did a good job explaining how you made the run, but no such a good job explaining how you made the coop.

I know you found the crate box that you used for the coop, but I'm not sure what all else you did to it or put in it.

Your coop looks very nice and well constructed.

However, we have no idea how exactly it was made. I do like that you included your cost, but again, we don't know what that $ was spent on, or how to put it all together.