Does anyone keep chickens in an EGLU?

chunkymunky_3

Hi All

have never kept chickens before but have a huge garden (well huge for a new build anyway).....anyway was on omlet today and fell in love with the new eglu cube, much bigger than the old eglu as it can hold upto ten ladies.
Anyone got one of these? are they any good? i know they are very expensive but i dont have the time to build my own and besides anything i could build wouldn't be any where near as good looking, easy to look after or as comfy for the chicks.

Pink.

Hi chunkymunky,

Welcome to MSE :hello:

There's a thread about the omlet cube here that might interest you:

Anyone selling eglu to get cube?


Pink

Poet_2

furball wrote: »

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gorgeous-CHICKEN-COOP-HEN-HOUSE-ideal-for-2-chickens_W0QQitemZ150165935475QQihZ005QQcategoryZ46292QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
This is only 30inch square and i am going to fence of an area the side of my house so they can free range. Glad so many of you love the omlet link but this is more my price range just too far to collect

if you do get this one I think it might be an idea to secure that flap at the back somehow or something might get in and eat your chickens and/or the eggs, doesn't look very secure. Also, it might be an idea to raise it up on breeze blocks or something, so you don't get anything trying to live/hide underneath.

furball

Was thinking of using 2 bolts for the back flap and one for the front pop hole but i think it is too far away to collect and courier would cost a fortune. Is spider mite a big problem for everyone and does it get worse in sun or shade.

Lizbetty

I know this might sound a mad idea, but I've been looking at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sideboard-dark-solid-wood_W0QQitemZ280158459095QQihZ018QQcategoryZ20483QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and thinking it might be good weatherproofed and tinkered with (doorways cut into it where drawers are so they can run through and one door meshed, etc)as a coop, then a basic run built around it? Is that a bad idea?

We've been offered 3 chickens from freecycle by someone who's moving away :j so we're desperately trying to make a nice home for them even if it's just a temporary one til dh can make a more sturdy and pretty place for them. What do you think?

vivaladiva

Lucyeff wrote: »

I know this might sound a mad idea, but I've been looking at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sideboard-dark-solid-wood_W0QQitemZ280158459095QQihZ018QQcategoryZ20483QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and thinking it might be good weatherproofed and tinkered with (doorways cut into it where drawers are so they can run through and one door meshed, etc)as a coop, then a basic run built around it? Is that a bad idea?

We've been offered 3 chickens from freecycle by someone who's moving away :j so we're desperately trying to make a nice home for them even if it's just a temporary one til dh can make a more sturdy and pretty place for them. What do you think?

You wouldn't believe it, but I was just going to post to say that my neighbour, who is totally old style, converted an old sideboard for some of his chickens last year:D.

Lizbetty

Great! Sideboards are much easier to come across on freecycle than rabbit hutches, etc, and I bet the 70's ones are cheap on ebay as they take up space and aren't very bonny, mostly. Hmmm..I'm definitely wondering if sideboards are the new chicken coop, as it were! :T

Yategirl

sideboard chicken hutch sounds a great idea to me! I have a blanket box in the garage that dh uses to store bits of wood in... I am currently trying to persuade dh that it could be put to better use!

Poet_2

Poet wrote: »

well. it's just arrived!!!! Haven't unpacked all the bits yet but had a quick look, it looks really good. Doesn't look like it's treated/stained but we can do that ourselves. Once we've put it together and checked all the bits are there, we'll let you know! That was super fast delivery!

DH is just outside building it now, will update you soon

Poet_2

Lucyeff wrote: »

I know this might sound a mad idea, but I've been looking at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sideboard-dark-solid-wood_W0QQitemZ280158459095QQihZ018QQcategoryZ20483QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and thinking it might be good weatherproofed and tinkered with (doorways cut into it where drawers are so they can run through and one door meshed, etc)as a coop, then a basic run built around it? Is that a bad idea?

We've been offered 3 chickens from freecycle by someone who's moving away :j so we're desperately trying to make a nice home for them even if it's just a temporary one til dh can make a more sturdy and pretty place for them. What do you think?

damn, wish I'd thought of that, well done you! post some pics when it's converted, would be great to see it.