Reviews by Shadrach

This could make a great article but it needs a lot more detail. Making the point that domesticated does not mean tame is a very important point to be made particularly here on BYC.

I've tried this but the bottle broke open within a few hours so the type of plasic bottle is important.

Well written and detailed article on what to grow in your garden if you have chickens.

No pictures or details about how it was built, or about how it packs away.

Needs details about the build and possible some warning about the chemicals used as preservatives in many pallets.

A well presented and detailed article. Handy for when one sees those posts about what to feed chickens.

Pictures of say an electrolyte product that the auther had found effective and at least one reference to a science paper would have helped this article.

Detailed article on packing dead birds for postage to labs.

Informative article on a very vauable winter food source.

Well done your mum. This really needs some details about how it was built and at least one picture showing where it went in the coop.

Should one even rate an article like this? Oh yes, most definitely.
Three million views. Heading towards one hundred thousand posts. Real stories of real chickens from real people. There is a wealth of experience and knowledge in the thread from all over the world, from backyarders to free rangers hosted by the kindest person on BYC.
Read this article. Go and take some pictures of your chickens so you can pay the tax and join in.

I have given this article a four star rating mainly because of the pictures and the details of treating in the ear and around the eyes. But I do have some concerns.
The article seems to deal with one type of mite; the so called Red Mite. But, the Red Mite does not live on the chicken! The Red Mite lives in the coop, or environment. It tends to feed at night and return to its place of hiding in daylight, or when exposed to light. It is easy to mistake lice for red mite because the Red Mite has a similar colour to a Louse until it has fed. It is the blood the mite sucks from the chicken that turns it's body red.
There are many other mites that live on the chicken. The number of different types of mites on the planet has yet to be established. My point here is that the most common mites that live on the chicken are not red and some are very difficult to see with the naked eye. I doubt that many people have seen the Scaly Leg Mite, or The Straw Itch Mite. You can see The Northern Fowl Mite and The Feather or Depluming Mite with the naked eye.
While it is true that an accurate application of coconut oil wil kill a mite and such a method may be suitable for dealing with mites one can see in sensitive areas such as the ear and eyes (The mite drowns or is suffocated by the oil) this isn't a practical method of treating a large scale infestation.
I liked the mention of alternative chemical treatments to the standard most commonly recommended. This is helpful for people who live in regions where Permethrin and Ivermectin may be difficult to source. I have no idea of their efficacy but any insecticide should do the job. The concern is allergic skin reactions to some common insecticides.
I also need to point out the very common mistake in the belief that dust bathing will erradicate mites. Chickens dust bath primarily to absorb the waste oils that condition their feathers. While it may be true that some mites, and moreso lice, may be dislodged during dust bathing, a major infestation will not be addressed by dust bathing.

I enjoyed this article. It raises an interesting issue with regard to assisted hatching. My view in the past has been if a chick doesn't hatch or if a chick does hatch but the mother abandons the chick then I accept nature, or the mothers decision and don't interfere.
This article demonstrates the risk the keeper takes in interfering with what would seem to be natures way of ensuring that the overall health of the species is preserved.
I have read a number of threads where hatching has been assisted, sometimes the chick is reported to be healthy directly after the hatch but rarely does one get to read whether genetic problems became apparent at a later time.
Should one do it? I believe not and this article demonstrates why. However, in the end there is a human moral judgement underlying many assisted hatchings and those chicks that do lead a normal life afterwards are I dare say pleased to be alive.

There is a general reluctance to use such remedies as this to treat serious debilitating health problems. An article that is trying to promote such treatments really does need some evidence based text, preferably with pictures of progress through treatment and any research into the efficacy of such treaments.

I have to admit I didn't know how to rate this article. The behavioural observations are good and I agree with many of them. The problem I have with the article is the politics and the references to the auther's own family. It's a bit of an emotional melting pot.

I enjoyed reading this. I have two reservations.
The title. One might read this as no knowledge prior to getting chickens required.
Pictures! Every article is better with pictures but you know I'm likely to write this given the number of pictures I post.

You can thank By Bob for the rating. I would not have come accross the article without Bob pointing it out.
I don't know how, or why you got three and half stars. It's a lovely article. It could do with more pictures of the build and the finished product, but this artcle is primarily about the story of the build and I really enjoyed the style of writing.

This is a very well presented article.
My only issue with it is fertile eggs shouldn't be handled any more than is absoultley necessary and people should be discouraged from candling eggs altogether.

The article itself is a decent account of a persons experience with trying to hatch chicks with a broody hen.

It's the chop bit that's important; and what you chop of course. I chop everything I feed to chickens. I found they eat a wider range of foods if they are chopped into very small bits.
I've never frozen veg for them. I've always cooked it, let it cool and then chopped. Most of the chickens I've known won't touch raw carrot but serve it cooked and chopped and they'll eat it.
Good call on the limitations of commercial feed.
I've only cared for free range chickens and the nutrients they'll get from your feeding method they've got from a wide range of forage in the past.
I'm glad someone has written an article in improving the variety of a chickens diet. I think it's a very important topic which tend to get snowed under in the promotion of commercial feeds.
For the backyard keeper your mass production may just be an answer for providing a varied and balanced diet with minmum fuss.