Does anyone keep chickens in an EGLU?

Bogof_Babe

Oh, okay, it's a hen housing thing. Forgive me for being alert for spammers.

angchris

i really fancy getting some chooks and im in the process of trying to persuade the other half that it would be a good idea the eglu/cube looks fab but its quite pricey and it would probably take years to recoup your setup cost in eggs. a cube 2 chooks and a bag of feed comes to £650 inc del :eek: im undecided which to go for and have been looking at other coop`s for the last few hours but i still keep returning to either the eglu or the cube i only want 2 or 3 chooks as theres only 3 of us in the house so the eglu should be big enough but i can`t help thinking i`ll get the chook bug n want more so get the cube just in case ohh decisions decisions...helpppp:rotfl:

Poet_2

angchris wrote: »

i really fancy getting some chooks and im in the process of trying to persuade the other half that it would be a good idea the eglu/cube looks fab but its quite pricey and it would probably take years to recoup your setup cost in eggs. a cube 2 chooks and a bag of feed comes to £650 inc del :eek: im undecided which to go for and have been looking at other coop`s for the last few hours but i still keep returning to either the eglu or the cube i only want 2 or 3 chooks as theres only 3 of us in the house so the eglu should be big enough but i can`t help thinking i`ll get the chook bug n want more so get the cube just in case ohh decisions decisions...helpppp:rotfl:

I just bought this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220150562360&ssPageName=STRK:MEDW:IT&ih=012 from e-bay for £119 + £48 p&p, once we've got it, we're getting 2 or 3 ex battery hens, so excited!!!! The link isn't to the one I bought but it's exactly the same as it.

Poet_2

we figured, we spend approx £2 a week on eggs, so approx £110 a year, so we should re-coop (like the pun?) our costs in about 18 months or so. We might even be able to sell some eggs if we get too many. And the price of chicken feed is, well, chicken feed!

Poet_2

p.s. there's lots of chicken coops on e-bay, no need to spend a fortune on one of those space age eglu things. I wouldn't say no if someone gave me one or it was a lot cheaper!

One tip I have learned from googling about coops though is, don't get one with a felt roof as red mites like to hide in it and they can kill your hens if left untreated! Just get a wooden one and if it's not already treated, treat it with a weatherproof, non toxic stain- simple!

moanymoany

There are many designs for chicken houses on the internet. We have just made one entirely from re-cycled materials that cost nothing. We went and bought 3 chickens last Saturday. We bought the chickens, a 2nd hand water feeder and 2nd hand galvanised metal food feeder, also a large bag of organic food. The total cost for the whole outfit was £33.

When the hens begin to lay we should get 2 eggs a day through the winter. after 120 eggs we should be in profit. For the eglu at £650 you need to have 2599 eggs before being in profit. We should be over the 120 egg thing by Christmas. The eglu cost will take about three and a half years.

Poet_2

moanymoany wrote: »

There are many designs for chicken houses on the internet. We have just made one entirely from re-cycled materials that cost nothing. .

that's cool, well done! I can't make my own.

I've been scouring the net all day and the e-bay one was the best value I could find.

wendym

I was really hoping this was MI6 code, and that this site is a dead-letter drop.

The swans fly at midnight, Igor.

moanymoany

Poet wrote: »

that's cool, well done! I can't make my own.

I've been scouring the net all day and the e-bay one was the best value I could find.

Sorry Poet, I wasn't implying that everyone should make their own. It was a reaction to the thought that someone would pay £650 - if it is as a hobby then that's different, however, it is not very money saving old style.

However this is a site about using different things to house hens. Sorry, but the link will take you to the comments, just scroll up.

http://www.motherearthliving.com/issues/motherearthliving/livestock/easy-backyard-chicken-coops_596-1.html?show_comments=1#read

One thing. When we were buying our hens there was a chap buying 20. Dh asked the woman if he sold the eggs and it seems he sells 'free range' eggs from the end of his lane. Dh then asked what rules there are about doing that, she replied that there were no rules about selling a few 'ungraded' eggs. So, if you can get an extra hen in the coop - each hen only needs space the size of a sheet of A3 paper, it is six eggs a week to sell. Should pay for all the feed.

N9eav

moanymoany wrote: »

When the hens begin to lay we should get 2 eggs a day through the winter. after 120 eggs we should be in profit. For the eglu at £650 you need to have 2599 eggs before being in profit. We should be over the 120 egg thing by Christmas. The eglu cost will take about three and a half years.

Don't bank on getting too many eggs in the winter. chicken lay eggs based on the amount of light available. Winter time they slow up something awfull.