Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: cejx on May 22, 2011, 15:39
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Has anyone any recommendations for plastic coops - aside from Eglu? Or should I say, cheaper than Eglu!
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Has anyone any recommendations for plastic coops - aside from Eglu? Or should I say, cheaper less good than Eglu!
:lol: :lol: :lol: Couldn't resist that ;)
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Fair enough!! I guess you get what you pay for eh!! The Eco Chicken coop that is championed on this site - obviously cheaper than an Eglu - is it at all comparable?
If I see another red mite, I will scream!
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Nothing is comparable with the eglu's design. :lol:
- Moulded so very few joints for the small creature you mentioned to hide in.
- Double skinned so gives excellent thermal insulation - cool in summer, warm in winter.
- Brilliant quality build makes the initial outlay spread over MANY years making very cost effective.
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and they're very pretty! OK, I shall do some 'Cube' investigation. Thanks v much.
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How many hens do you have ?
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I've 6.
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And do you keep them in your garden or somewhere larger ?
What I mean does it need to look gardeny or farmy ?
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I've seen a childs plastic wendy house...rigid plastic Little Tykes type, not poles and flimsy plastic type!....converted into a coop, looked really good and was really weather proof. Might look into doing it for my girls when they are due an upgrade. You can get them 2nd hand off ebay for £20-£50, few quid to convert it and you're sorted...for a fraction of the price of an eglu!
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for a fraction of the price of an eglu!
And a fox could chew into it in a fraction of time.
Would look good though :D
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THe one I saw had the walls chicken wired, and the wire dug into the floor. I did wonder how safe it would be, but the lady had had chickens in it for 3 years with no problems, so either she's been very lucky with Mr Fox not visiting, or the house was secure enough?? Eglus are just ridiculously priced, I couldnt afford one if I saved hard for the rest of my life (and I'm only 34!!!), they even keep their price as second hand...sign of good quality I know. But for some, it's just not a viable option to spend £400 on a chicken coop. There's got to be cheaper alternatives that offer the same plus points?
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And do you keep them in your garden or somewhere larger ?
What I mean does it need to look gardeny or farmy ?
They are in the coop at night and then have a big area in the garden. TBH, I like the look of both Eglu and Wooden - they're ex batts so tend to be a bit spoilt!
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If I see another red mite, I will scream!
I've never seen one in the 6 years I've kept chooks.
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My dad lives on a boat in cornwall, and it was a lady who lived on the boat yard just across from him. It was bright pink with a purple roof and had flowers painted on it. It even had white shutters on the windows with hearts cut out :D She'd chicken wired all the way round it, drilled through the walls and used metal rods to anchor it to the floor and dug chicken wire down. It had 4 big chickens in it, you could have fitted loads more in it. She jet washed it down and all the mess ran away into the estuary they live on. Genius :D Its her fault I have chickens now!!
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Have a look at this....OMG!
http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=50719&sid=86a9f89507413daf83d452a39918e58a
Orchardlady
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You sound as if you speak from experience tomshooter.
Have you had a bad infestation or water ingress with an eglu ?
No - I thought not ::)
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OMG
I have just looked at the link orchardlady put on :ohmy:
I thought the whole point of investing sooo much money on a plastic coop was because they were mite proof or at least resistant :nowink:
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That topic is 18 months old and the other side of the problem has been given. They do try to sort out problems and had redesigned the cube to improve it.
It's like all news topics people love to shout about bad news but good news is never reported.
http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=50719&start=60#p764426
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:ohmy:
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I've got the Eglu Go.
I'm a little bit disappointed to be honest, the outer side panels should be held on by 2 screws each, I was missing two screws, so they're held on by 1 screw each.
The second screw holder snapped on both sides as well.
But apart from that minor niggle, does exactly what it says on the tin, awesome for £220
"But for some, it's just not a viable option to spend £400 on a chicken coop. There's got to be cheaper alternatives that offer the same plus points?"
The eglus arent that expensive, its the run thats the killer.
find a nearby woodyard, order eighteen 2x2 inch pieces of pressure treated timber that are 1m long, another twelve that are 2.4m and some weldmesh, you can make a 12sqm run for £100-£120, plus £200-220 for eglu.
I was constantly asking myself, is it really worth it.
For me, it is, cleaning it involves the jet setting on the hosepipe, and thats it.
No painting it, no worry about rot, no worry about cleaning it and it not drying in time.
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I've seen a childs plastic wendy house...rigid plastic Little Tykes type, not poles and flimsy plastic type!....converted into a coop, looked really good and was really weather proof. Might look into doing it for my girls when they are due an upgrade. You can get them 2nd hand off ebay for £20-£50, few quid to convert it and you're sorted...for a fraction of the price of an eglu!
you don't happen to have a piccy of this do you? would love to see it (and possibly steal the idea!) :tongue2:
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I have two eglu classics - one is a blue chicken version and one is a red rabbit version (not for rabbits but to use as a broody coop - cheaper second hand on ebay than the chicken version) and also two solway arks and can't fault either. The eglus suit a garden situation and the big solway ark are more for a rural setting :)
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I've seen a childs plastic wendy house...rigid plastic Little Tykes type, not poles and flimsy plastic type!....converted into a coop, looked really good and was really weather proof. Might look into doing it for my girls when they are due an upgrade. You can get them 2nd hand off ebay for £20-£50, few quid to convert it and you're sorted...for a fraction of the price of an eglu!
you don't happen to have a piccy of this do you? would love to see it (and possibly steal the idea!) :tongue2:
I'll ask my dad to get a photo and send it to me :)
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I have to say I was really keen on an eglu, until I went on a poultry course, compared to other plastic coops I thought it was the lesser in quality though some aspects were quite good. I like the Solway ark but have started with a traditional wooden coop - with the possibility of upgrading in the future
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Eglus were a definite no no to me until I borrowed Joyfull's blue one. If I only had 3 chickens, I'd invest in an eglu.
I hate red mite and I hate having to paint the blooming henhouses with preservative every couple of years! and I hate cleaning them out and I hate...... won't go into that bit! :lol:
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I have a go, and there are a couple of things I don't like about it, but there are many I do. And more importantly my chickens are very happy in it.
There is £50 off at the moment if you show a picture of your old wooden one your cbanging from and so I only paid £290. If I didn't have the run it would have been under £200.
Can't complain.
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Ok. Have parted with the best part of 700 english pounds and invested in a shiny purple Eglu Cube! The things we do for our girls eh!
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:D They are very lucky. I'll get a cube next and keep the Go for chicks and things.