[jacnal]

Hi peeps,

I'm so feeling ready to get some hens going, and having looked at a variety of coops and runs, I'm now totally confused.

I plan to keep the chooks on the allotment when I get the other half of my half plot - hopefully end of Sept/early October as I renew my rent. Fingers crossed, it comes through!

Anyway, does anyone here have an eglu? They seem so secure and sturdy, but the prices are quite steep, and I'm willing to weigh pros and cons of different types of coops, then I'll decide from there.

Both sides of the debate will be considered (if this gets going, lol), and you'll all have helped me greatly in choosing the best for my future battery rescue chooks. So, please fire away!

It'd be nice to hear from anyone who has had a traditional coop and an eglu - differences in experiences etc.

DIY is out of the question - Mr Jac is no good, and neither am I, and don't know anyone who is who wouldn't charge!

[muntjac]

coop wins hands down in my book .2 chickens in an eglu is enough ........ buy a ready made coop and run or have a pal who can make one do it for ya .and the eglu may get took by thief but they would have more of a job taking a coop etc

[si-mate]

A friend of mine who breeds bantams says he wouldn't touch an eglu as being plastic they are cold in the winter and warm in the summer.

[Celtic Eagle]

Funny enough I'm looking at this at the mo' So very interested to see the outcome.  I can see an Eglu might get pinched off the lottie more secure at home which is where i'm thinkin about.  Why would a coop be harder to move if it were equivalent size to an eglu weight ? or just to akward to pick up

Must say eglu are expensive I could probably build a coop for 6 chooks for less than £40

[GrannieAnnie]

Aunt Sally loves Eglu's so she'll be here soon to extoll their virtues.  Must say, we prefer wood, cheaper if you can do your own as OH does, but even if you aren't very good at DIY, get a 6x4 shed, if you don't want to knock holes in it for external nestboxes, put them inside.  I have seen a row of nest boxes made from old plastic trays next to each other  on a little shelf at the far end, they are better covered in, as the chooks like it dark to lay, but you'll learn as you go along, and keep reading the chook info on here!!!! lol  You may find one on Freecycle?

But I think Munty means eglu's are easy to pinch off  site as they must be lighter than a wooden one and I don't think they are very big, especially if you do decide to get 10 Jac???  Are you allowed chooks on your allotments?  I know some people are not allowed livestock at all.

[ChickenAnn]

I was really set on getting an eglu cube, but am now veering toward getting a wooden coop.
It's going in the garden, and a wooden coop can be repainted, where faded plastic can't;
the cost difference is immense;
wood can be repaired more easily than plastic clips (e.g. doors etc);
 I want something off the ground so the chickies can get underneath (maximise space) but a cube is going to be huge for 4 chooks (and a normal eglu too small);
 wooden ones can have wheels as well as eglu cubes, therefore easy to move; a mesh skirt can be fitted to any run, not just an eglu....
Basically I can't see the advantages with an eglu/cube other than red mite, which everyone with a wooden coop for the last however-many-hundred years has been able to manage.
I too would love to hear of peoples' experiences/thought though.

[muntjac]

ask sally about egpoos .she is soooo knowledgeable about them

[jacnal]

Thanks so much for your input guys, I'm moving towards a wooden coop! I just like the look of the eglu, though!  :?

Come on Aunty Sally, tell us the advantages of having an eglu, so I can make an informed choice, lol!

We are allowed livestock at the allotment Grannie - there's a plot holder who keeps chickens, pidgeons and rabbits!

The shed idea sounds fab Grannie, as I've been looking to replace my existing shed for a smaller one and a greenhouse as it just takes so much space, so it seems I may a chicken house already! If I do get the other half of the plot, I may well just alter it and place a partition so half of it is a chicken house and the other half does shed duty - if that is a sensible thing to do  :? .

More suggestions please!!!!!  

Oooh, so much to think about and get planning for!

[Aunt Sally]

Aunty Eglu here  

An eglu will hold 2-4 medium sized hens
A Cube will hold up to 10 medium sized hens

Cons:[list=1]

• Expensive
• High second hand value so very nickable, therefore, NOT for the lottie ![/list:o]
  
  Pros:[list=1]
• Double skinned so - warm in winter and cool in summer !!!!!!
• Very hygienic (therefore no red mite)! Take apart pressure wash and reassemble 20 mins ! Required once per month !
• Clean out poo tray 20 seconds ! Required twice per week !!
• Colour does NOT fade !!!!  
• Needs no annual maintenance unlike wood.
• FOX PROOF.  I only know of one instance where a fox has got into the run - it was situated on very soft freshly dug earth and a fox did manage to dig in.  No fox has ever dug in to one situated on firm ground.
  
• Light enough to be moved by one person (Even Aunty), but heavy enough not to be moved even by the worst of winter gales.
• Omlet has a very supportive and friendly forum[/list:o]
  
  Have a look at their web site http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/products_services.php
  
  I know very little about wooden coops and hen houses so would not comment about them.  Conversely people who have not had an eglu should not comment about them.  If any one want to visit someone who owns an eglu to see how they work in real life you can contact:
  
  barbara@omlet.co.uk   She will be very happy to arrange for you to visit an eglu owner near to you, and you'll probably get tea and cake too.  
  
  I would never recommend an eglu to people who are concerned about producing eggs or meat at the minimum cost.  They are essentially for PET hens who happen also to produce fantastic eggs.  They are the Rolls Royce of coops, and provide the pet hen with a perfect environment for health and happiness  :D
  
  I'd be happy to make tea and cake for any of you who find yourself down in Kent  :D  :D  :D  :D

[ChickenAnn]

Ooh! Now I'm confused again! I was so pleased that I'd decided on wood. Now I don't know.... again.  :roll:

[jacnal]

Ooh! Now I'm confused again! I was so pleased that I'd decided on wood. Now I don't know.... again.  :roll:

Same here  :? .

Thanks Aunty for the eglu info.

Now, if I had a garden at home, I'd go for an eglu cube for my 7 - 10 laying hens, and at the lottie, I'd convert half my shed to a chicken house and get a run for a few birds for meat. I know I'm being too ambitious, but it's all about aiming high, and doing 1/3 of what I aimed for, lol!

So, as it's not smart to get an eglu for the lottie, I'll start with wood. I love the fact that there are no mites, they are fox proof and giving the eglu a thorough clean is so easy.

I might email omlet for a visit to see an eglu at work and tea and cakes, lol!

Speaking of chickens for meat - can cockerels be happily kept on their own - ie no hens? The can be randy so and sos, and the last thing I'd want is to deprive them, making them suffer, lol! Any ideas? oooh, I could also keep a turkey or a goose every year for x-mas. I know, I know...........calm down Jac!

[Aunt Sally]

I've done a couple "visit an eglu"  for Omlet and I ALWAYS provide tea and home made cake made with my girls eggs, and a box of eggs for them to take home  

[Bodger]

£210 a piece from my local agricultural merchants.



I made my own runs to go with them out of some  spare timber.



I put a tin sheet roof on the runs and used some black woven plastic on one side of the run to provide protection from wind and rain.

[Aunt Sally]

O M G  ....  I can see the red mite from here    

[Aunt Sally]

Seriously Bodger they look great  :!: ( But Aunty is staying with plastic )

I think weld mesh is safer though if you have foxes.  I think that if chicken wire is used it should be used double for the bottom 3 ft of the run (how say you Bodger).  Run mesh must either be burried 18" deep or have a 10" skirt to prevent foxes digging in too.

What a lovely view you have  :!:  :mrgreen: