[Hick]

Hi all, my mum recently bought a eglu omlet chicken house but has decided she isn't keen on it, she wants to pass it on for use on my allotment...but it just seems so small! even for bantams etc! Is this really enough room for two hens?

Any advice much appreciated!

-Katie (newb)

[joyfull]

yes they are big enough for 3 large fowl or 4 bantams, however I would be careful about leaving it at the allotment as they are highly desireable and have a high resale value.

[darkbrowneggs]

Why not put it on something like Preloved.  I looked and they are £425 to buy :blink:  With that you could buy yourself (or your Mum) something good 

All the best
Sue

[joyfull]

Eglus are good and last years without needing preservative or red mite treatments. However I would be wary about having one at an allotment - very steal-able 

[Anndee]

Ebay is a good place as well if you want to sell it.
They go for over half the price of new usually.

[Dominic]

I'd be wary, but it depends on your allotment, they are very stealable, and go for well over half the original sale price on ebay, they often go for mere pounds less than the new price.
I have 4 in the "Go", I could get 8 in there, at least.
The main problem is run space.

Ignore the shot about "buying something good", Eglus are awesome.  Until you can clean a wooden house in 90 seconds, plastic all the way.

[salt and pepper]

Don't they only sleep in it and there's room for them to lay eggs, chickens can't see owt when it's dark so don't move much, please correct me if i'm wrong.
   

[Casey76]

Hi Katie, as salt and pepper said, a coop is only for sleeping in (and layin in - though some people have their laying boxes separate from the coop).

One average sized chicken needs about 1sq foot of floor space in a coop, usually translated to 1 linear foot of roosting space.

When it comes to coops, sometimes smaller is better, as if they are cold the hens can huddle together, and their body temp will warm the air of a smaller space more quickly.  Obvioulsy the converse is true in summer, when more ventilation to prevent over heating will be required.

I echo the others, and would be wary about leaving an Eglu at an allotment.  I also would be tempted to sell it and buy something else with the proceeds, you have a LOT of choice in the Uk with various designs and materials (not that I'm jealous or anything!)

[Hick]

Wow! Thanks for all this information!! I talked to some of the chook owners on my plot and it seems that chickens (let alone the fancy coops) have been stolen recently from our plots so I had a re-think about the eglu and whether it's good idea for me to keep chooks on this set of plots at all!

I think my Mum's going to sell it to our neighbour now, but thanks for all the advice though guys, they seem like a neat bit of kit and I would definitely consider using one where it's less likely to be stolen!

Thanks!

-Katie

[Lindeggs]

Or you could put it on your plot then post your location here and I could come and steal it!  



JOKING! 



I'm just jealous because we don't even have something like the eglu in New Zealand and I would love to have one.  Maybe when I'm a billionnaire I will bring my private jet to the UK and fill it with all the wonderful chicken-keeping stuff I keep reading about.  

[Dominic]

You could always give them a ring about importing some, the Go's are made in China anyway....
An ISO box is probably only 40 of them.