Well written article on how to introduce new birds to an existing flock, good photos. I also liked that a period of isolation was encouraged prior to trying to add new birds.
Unless I overlooked the dimensions, this seems to be somewhat small for 6 hens. I can see where it would be helpful for temporary chick housing and I appreciate the idea of reusing the materials you already had on hand.
A well built brooder, a thoughtful design that allows the youngest family members to be able to "look but not touch" the chicks. The photos were helpful in illustrating the narrative. Good job!
It would be nice to have more information on how you built your coop (and more photos, please, including more of the inside). From what I see, it looks like you did a nice job!
I'm glad your son has his flock now! Spending time as a family on a project is great for everyone. The only thing I would change would be to add more ventilation (maybe there's more there than the windows and I just couldn't see it).
This is a nice coop for a few birds but would be interested in knowing what the dimensions are. Also, what the cost was to build (if you mentioned that sorry, I must have missed it). Now that you've had it for a few years, it would be nice to hear what changes (if any) you've made.
The article is easy to follow and the photos are helpful. One question, what does the calcium tablet do for the hen (I didn't see an explanation for it)?
Not sure where the buttons are attached and it would be helpful to see a photo of a chicken wearing the diaper...other than that, the how-to is easy enough and the cost to make is minor.
Overall, a good article on the pros/cons of housing chickens. A couple of areas I don't completely agree on are, 1) having an electrical outlet to heat a coop (it would be helpful for having a light though) and, 2) the cost of building a coop (cost can be significantly lowered using recycled/found materials). Other than that, the author presents some good food for thought on which type of housing would work best for the reader.
Love this article! It's spot on with describing what most ever poultry keeper will experience and describes it all with a wacky sense of humor. A "must read" for sure!
