[Porffor]

     

[blulagoo]

They are VERY clever chickens Foxy - wanna borrow them when you get an eglu?!!

[violet]

Hmmmmm They did not offer a    put together service, but it was a carrier company that delivered, not omlet.....I now feel a bit of a whimp that we are not risking doing it ourselves...hey ho!  

Will post pictures when all complete!

[Foxy]

They are VERY clever chickens Foxy - wanna borrow them when you get an eglu?!!

That'll be the day!!!!   If I gave Bigfoot one he'd end up stuck he's so big dont think he would be impressed! :shock:  :shock:

[compostqueen]

it'll be easy to do I'm sure. Just easier with two people cos it takes half the time

I hate waiting for my old man to do things as he's so tardy and has more unfinished jobs than a little so I've taught myself to do most things. I went on a home maintenance course and I really enjoyed it. Rod for me own back though  :roll:  

I felt pleased with myself though when I'd put up the Eglu, I know it's not difficult, but it was satisfying.  I got the chooks and all their gear and the whole thing was set up before he got home. I was running about like a headless chicken to get everything done in time for his return  

He has fenced a corner of the garden off since as he wanted them off his grass  :roll:  

[violet]

Sooooo glad I did not try to put the cube together myself!  I just know I would have got in a mess (pathetic I know)....So, the local handywoman who loves flatpack spent the morning here and we put it together between us.... in the pouring rain....the kind that once you are totally wet you can not get any wetter so why go indoors!

She then rewired (not electricaly you understand) a spare rabbit run that I have been given.  Fixed a towel rail and toilet roll holder in the bathroom and a notice on the garden gate, we had a laugh, drank coffee, ate cake and did not mind being drenched.... she earned a days wage and I have a lovely cube which as I speak my girls are exploring.

Have moved the old hut and run and the poor hens are realy quite distressed...they are more than pleased with their new house, but keep looking at the space where the other one wasand making sad noises.

One complaint about Omlet...2 scews missing...fortunately we were still able to put together the house and they can be added later. :roll:

[peggyprice]

Your handywoman sounds like a Treasure with a capital T   ...and you're not very far away ... do you think she would like to extend her catchment area a little ? ?

Congrats on the cube success - sure the girls will get over their homesickness soon when they realise just how superior the new accommodation is  

[CouthyQuine]

presumably Omlet themselves deliver if you are within their catchment area, otherwise they use a national carrier. I doubt the DHL guy is going to help me assemble my cube :shock: (and I don't think Aberdeenshire is in the omlet catchment area ). So it will be up to me (with maybe a little help from my DIY-disadvantaged DH :roll: ).

I still have another month to wait though :cry:  :cry:

[too many girls]

hate to be the odd one out here but i bought my shed from B@Q and adapted it for hens,  for the perches i used spare wood that came with the shed by mistake, the nest boxes are 2 old  double kitchen cupboards ( upper cupboards with a shelf so not too tall) left over from when we did up the kitchen ( one on top of the other) i put straw in the cupboards and shut one door leaving the other one propped open ( with a brick) with  shavings on the floor (new shavings smell lovely) my 27 hens love it, managed to prevent my 12 yr old daughter from putting red gingham curtains in the window tho..................

[violet]

The main reason it is easier with two people is holding bits together when clipping stuff together or screwing stuff together.  Plus the fact that I have no patience whatsoever!!!!

And yes the "Handywoman" is a find...she decorates, gardens, small plumbing jobs etc.

[Porffor]

my goodness handywoman is a SUPER woman!
really pleased you braved the rain and got it sorted I know exactly the type of rain you are talking about.. have pitched a tent a few times in that sort of weather!

Too many girls - you are not the only one that uses a shed.   there are a few on here, and I looked at one myself but decided to recycle for a time until we know how many and what we 'want/need' in a house! I still haven't ruled out a shed.  

[Chooken]

Hello everyone  
I've been interested in keeping chickens for ages now, and been following this forum with interest (you'll be glad to know   ). As my 14th birthday is coming up in August, I've decided to scrape all of my savings together and buy a second-hand Eglu.
I think they're around £250 on EBay? Anyway, I have around £80 at the moment, and I've asked everyone to just give me money for my birthday. There is nothing I want more than my own pet chickens!
The one thing is, my parents want a bit more info on keeping chickens, and about the Eglu in general.
Here are their main concerns;
- We live in a town, so we have neighbours. How loud would 2 chickens be?
- Would 2 chickens make a lot of smell?
- Is the Eglu TOTALLY fox-proof?
- Is the Eglu and run (free-range when I'm at home, from 4:30pm+ weekdays) large enough for 2 light sussex hens?

My answer so far to these queries has been;
- I can imagine a flock of chickens would make a lot of noise and would be unsuitable for a town environment, but I can't think 2 hens would make that much of a noise.
- The Eglu is very easy to clean, looking at pictures, and I easily have the time, if needs be, to even clean them out everyday. I know I don't need to, but I would.
- The Eglu's run has a skirt, stopping foxes from digging in, and the Eglu itself is, reading reviews, exremely sturdy. They want to know this because last year our Guinea Pigs were taken by a fox, but they were left in their flimsy wooden run and the top could come off easily, but I know the Eglu isn't like that. I made the mistake of leaving them in their run at night, but we learn from our mistakes, eh?
- And finally, I think that the Eglu and run is large enough for up to 3 medium-sized hens? So I would think that 2 hens would be fine in it, aswell as being allowed around the garden when I'm home.

Also, we have a nutty/mental Boxer dog. Would she need keeping inside when they're out of the run? (She likes chasing squirrels / cats.)

I would love some responses. I am a future Zoologist-to-be, so I naturally love all animals, and my parents think I want a menagerie (they're not far off   ) but I think, more than anything, they want some reassurance.
I've persuaded them to let us to go a farm to 'see chickens in action' - as my Dad says - but I don't think it's a fair representation, as they'll have a lot more than 2 hens so it'll be louder / noiser and I doubt they have Eglus.

Anyway, I'm going on a bit :!:
Looking forward to responses  


EDIT: Oh, and I know I'd need an Eglu due to garden size, maintenence whilst we're on holiday (neighbours can clear a plastic tray out, but I wouldn't trust them with keeping mites at bay) and I think the Eglu would look better in our garden.

[Chooken]

Oh yes, and Bird Flu was recently found in Oxfordshire. I'm not in Oxfordshire - quite a way from, I'd say - but are there any real risks from keeping 2 hens in the garden, as opposed to what looks like a 'Chicken Factory'.

[Kate and her Ducks]

I don't have chickens (obviously from the name, I went for ducks) but I do live in a city in a semidetached house so have lots of neighbours nearby. Ducks are much noisier than chickens (cockerels are a different matter) and despite the noise my neighbours really like them and the noise they make - "like living in the country", so think a couple of chooks (or ducks ) would be fine. I don't have too much problem with smell and I don't know if chickens would be different.

Can't help much with the rest of your chicken questions but sure someone will be along soon.

Welcome to the forum

[Kate and her Ducks]

Risks of avian flu to you and those about you in the environment you describe (much like mine) would be low even if the much talked about pandemic ever occured, especially as with a covered run they would be separated from wild birds.