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How about some weed membrane fabric over the grass and under the skirt? You are right about strimmers; there is a reason why users are advised to wear safety glasses and the chickens are much closer!

Anyone got any suggestions? my old classic skirt got overgrown and the earth grew round it, dont really want that happening to the new cube. I don't move it about the garden so it's staying put, but im a bit wary of using the lawnmower as ive caught the blade before on the wire skirt, also don't want to use a strimmer as worried it will kick up something into the eye of the chickens?

Unfortunately paint won't adhere to galvanised metal, so it has to be one or the other. Galvanising comes in varying degrees nowadays and the cheap shiny electroplating doesn't last very long at all; paint is far better. What does last is 'hot dip galvanising' where the components are dipped into a bath of molten zinc, but it is expensive to apply. We have some chicken wire here that came with the house prior to the previous owners, so must be thirty years old and shows no sign of corrosion at all. We have chicken wire treated the same and that has lasted, but we also have weld mesh electroplated and that rusted whilst stored in a dry garage!

We have exclusively used Omlet products for 4 years to house our rescues chickens. Sadly we now have to give up our rescue work and sell all the housing and runs. As we have dis-assembled everything I couldn’t help but notice how much rust has accumulated on the metal based items. Omlet really need to explore galvanising all metal parts before they get coated/sprayed. Anybody else got the same observation

That sounds great ChrisM, but perhaps your post needs some detail on how the auto door connects to Alexa and disregards its own program? A step-by-step starting with how to obtain Alexa and onwards.

Just wanted to share a little win in case it helps anyone else... We had been having trouble with the Smart Auto Door not opening and closing at the right times. The built-in light sensor wasn’t very reliable – it often opened too early or closed too late, when it rained, when I walked past with a head torch on.. We tried the fixed-time option but this wasn't ideal due to how much dawn and dusk are shifting this time of year. We get foxes doing their rounds most nights so our chickens were at risk. Thankfully, if you have Alexa there's a better way! The door can be connected to Alexa, and with Alexa Routines, you can trigger the door to open and close based on local sunrise and sunset times – plus you can add an offset. So, for example, we have ours set to open at sunrise and close 30 minutes after sunset. It’s been working brilliantly for 6 months now and is more aligned with what the birds' body clocks want to do. Hope that helps someone else out there trying to keep their hens safe and their mornings a little less stressful!

sorry for the delay, not planning on replacing the shed at all, hoping to put another greenhouse there instead. Since moving it to permanent shade it seems to have fixed the issue to be honest, but Im keeping an eye on it and aware IF we actually get some proper heat later in the year it could be an issue, if so I will likely follow your suggestions 👍

Selling our large walk in omlete run. Total run size 3x5x2 Bought new from omlete March 2022 as 3x4x2 with Pack G Used for approx 2 years for our 3 hens. We no longer keep chickens and the run has been down for around a year. We were going to re purpose as it cost around £900 and we only used for 2 years! but have now decided to sell it on. Please one of the upper panels has a slight bit of damage (we used a mini digger to move the run and a spoke caught on the wire - The hens lived safely in the run 6 months after this, but it means one of the panels has some cosmetic damage / bending of appearance.(of course a new panel could ordered new from the site at around £20-£28 if preffered) We also cut off the skirt part under the stable door to use a 60cm slab at the front instead. I would be happy to face time with the interested buyer so they can see all the panels / parts first. The run is now dismantled - again we can video ect to let you see all the parts. Buyer will need to purchase clips (most have snapped off to dismantle the run, these are cheap enough new from the omlete site) (I am selling a nesto coup too let me know if thats of interest) I dont use this forum anymore so hope this is going in the right place Olivia 07793127665 WR Olivia, South Devon

We keep ours in plastic tubs outside as well, but the difference is we put them in a plastic dustbin as well which is kept shaded and haven't ever had condensation. Problem you have is the heat of the day will evaporate the moisture from the pellets making the air inside very humid. Then at night when the temperature drops, condensation forms on the lid. As you say, if water drips onto the feed it will go rotten very quickly (hours) and will be wasted. Our plastic tubs are old tile adhesive containers and the lids don't fit tightly, so they breathe. They also have carrying handles. Our feed is kept in the garage in the original bag, but that bag is then put into a plastic dustbin to stop the mice getting to it. Can you keep the feed inside the house and bring a small tub out when you need to? Or perhaps buy a plastic dustbin for outside and put the whole bag in there? Will you be replacing the shed?

So, I've kept my pellets in a plastic tub for years, keeps the mice etc out. But I've always had a wooden shed to put said tub in. However, said shed is falling down and will be torn down later this year and is farther away from our new Cube and after seeing a vid online where someone just kept it by the coop thought Id do that. You can see it in the background below. But then today I note there's condensation in the tub! Well thats going to make it wet and eventually rot so any tips? Id ideally like to keep near the coop for my back and could move it so it's in shade all day I guess and see if that improves things?

I'm glad people are taking this seriously. My 6x6x9 walk in run collapsed at the centre roof struts as wind lifted Omlet covers upwards & separated the poles so it fell inwards! I have suggested to Omlet that their poles need to be 'nipple joints' (think patio brolly!). When the tarpaulins are lifted at least the poles would remain connected. Have paid for bespoke chicken run to be built with coop (Chez Poulet) as I live in Brecons in Wales UK so weather is temperamental. Omlets bungees split & broke apart at hook so no more tarps or plastic for my girls. I use the Omlet GoUp for fine weather only - their little Summer House!

Hello, first of apologies if this post is against any forum rules – aware this is the Omlette forum and non-Omlette posts might be restricted? Anyway, a couple of years ago I made our girls a run and house so that they could sleep soundly at night and be safe in the morning, with a bit of space, before being allowed out for the day. Sadly, all 3 have now passed and it would be great to get the structure a new owner rather than needing to take it apart to recycle. This is a very well constructed, durable and sturdy structure with a frame of 2”x4” and 2”x2” treated and painted timber. The structure was designed to be easily taken back apart in to sections, and also to be easily put back together. As such, it is heavy but manageable, requiring 3 relatively strong people (maybe even 4 for the house itself) to move the panels / sections comfortably. This structure will last many years. Despite being in easy to reconstruct sections it is still quite large and will need a very large vehicle to move. Attached photos show the dimensions of the structure as well as pictures of the structure erected and it’s separate parts. The structure is located in Brighton. If you are interested please get in touch and make an offer. All the parts of the structure will be cleaned prior to collection and all internal parts of the house will be repainted to ensure a "seal" that is pest proof. If you would like the structure but could only pay for the transport (or know someone / a charity in similar situation) then do get in touch also. Features: · Comes with installed automatic Omelette door and light with timer for opening / closing times · Comes with thick wire fencing installed that makes it completely predator proof. Fencing is also installed at the bottom of each panel ready to be dug in to the ground to prevent borrowing in to the enclosure. · Air vent in top of the house / coop protected by mesh. Air vent in door, which can be opened in warm whether (also protected by mesh) · Under house / coop hooks x 2 for hanging food and water and keeping food 100% dry · 100% red mite and other pest proof. There is no exposed wood in the coop for pests to live / breed · Extremely easy cleaning. Floor panels in the house / coop are removable. It takes a very short time to thoroughly clean the enclosure. · Please note there is no “attached” / external nesting box. A box is provided that sits inside the chicken hours, which operates as a nesting box for the girls. Ours seemed very satisfied with this. Please note – some minor repairs are needed, some of which I’ll carry out imminently: · Since taking the structure apart in to sections I’ve modified the house to be easy to “reinstall.” This means I need to repaint the interior to ensure it is pest proof. · Some of the corrugated plastic roofing is damaged. There is a chance of some water ingress through one roof panel. I don’t intend to replace this for the new owner, but this would be very easy to replace. · Some of the shed panelling that forms an external finish to the house is damaged. I do not intend to replace this, but again this is a very cheap and easy to acquire material. · A new owner might want to carry out some aesthetic touch ups (touching up paintwork). I could do this for someone if they are buying the structure (absolutely no money transfer beforehand!) I am not sure of the value of this structure, so please feel free to get in contact to make an offer. Please note that new owner will need to provide / pay for transport. I will very happily assist with loading etc. If local (Brighton and Hove area) I will be very happy to help to put the structure up in it’s new location! Please see attached pictures of the structure in situ and also deconstructed. Any questions please do ask!!!

The first thing to say is that rats shouldn't be able to get into the run. A rat proof run would be clad in 10mm weldmesh, with a door that closes tightly and sides that fit to the ground. Normally the edging would be slabs so anything has a long way to dig. Feeders should be removed at night. Ours can be hung on hooks from the roof of the runs in a place that can't be reached; rats are very agile and can climb then jump to reach a feeder. In our case we have mice at night so the feeders are lifted when the chickens are shut in the coop at night and snap traps are set where the feeder was. These are removed in the morning before replacing the feeder and letting the chickens out. We have caught nearly 20 mice over Winter and 36 the previous Summer. If you have rats during the day you have a very big problem because, in my experience, if you see one you have ten. Shooting them won't put much of a dent in the numbers and takes a lot of time, so you would need to look at a Grandpa's feeder and train your chickens to use it. Another type we have is a Trigger feeder, but all you buy is the 'trigger' and making a stand for a feed bucket and setting it up takes time and is a bit 'hit-and-miss' with the pellet control. Very effective once they have been trained to use it (we had a massive sparrow problem). Be careful with traps. Not only do you need to be sure that the chickens or wild birds can't reach them, but they can trap hedgehogs. To be safe you need to use a cage trap and then humainly despatch the rats. So good luck with your rat problem Luckyhen. Once you have them they will probably stay with you, so this may well become a continuous battle.

I am having trouble with rats getting into the run and eating the chickens food from their feeders. Anyone got any ideas how to dissuade them?

Hi, Sab. Sorry to hear she passed away but she had a lovely year with you.

Hi How much are you selling for? Thanks

Heartbreaking when they have lasted so long - you want them to go on forever at that age, more so when they are your first. Actually it isn't any easier with the follow on chickens. Big hugs.

Clara 1st April 2015 to 25th January 2025 Well this is bad, I seem to have three back to back posts on here. I've now lost my Clara, a lavender araucana having had to say goodbye to her on Saturday. She was so close to reaching 10 years old too. She laid the most perfect turquoise blue eggs and was the quirkiest chicken to have ever strutted upon this earth! She was the last of my original girls.

I lost my araucana Clara a few days ago. 2292 - 1 New total 2291

Hi If anyone is looking to sell a go up or cube please get in touch. I am located in Cheshire near Staffordshire border. Thanks very much Sue

I am selling my cube mk2 with auto door and 3x4m WIR with two full height doors. I have the clear Omlet roof cover and some other covers for the sides. near Stevenage in Hertfordshire. please ask for more photos/questions

I am selling my cube mk2 with auto door and 3x4m WIR with two full height doors. I have the clear Omlet roof cover and some covers for the sides. near Stevenage in Hertfordshire.

Hi Sparkysmum. Not been on here either for a few years, got a notification today from Hippy Chick so popped in. Seems a lot quieter on here now. I still keep in touch with a few of the old crew, sadly Plum and Docsquid passed on to pastures green and blue sky forever. But - I have Aigle wellies, mainly because of the buckle to increase calf width. They do one version that is insulated for cold weather - and they are snug and cosy. But the normal ones I felt were just as good with thicker socks. A bit pricey though. HRH just invested in a pair called Muckmaster from Mole Valley Farmers - he constantly goes on about how they are the best wellies ever - comfy and warm! His were £109. We've tested a few and ended up with corns, but these two have the thumbs up for comfort from us. Merry Christmas!

I lost Agatha today, my 9 year old Speckled Sussex. That just leaves me with 7 chickens and I will not be getting any more sadly. 2293 - 1 New total = 2292

Agatha 1st April 2015 to 19th December 2024 Agatha, my Speckled Sussex has passed peacefully at the age of 9 years. She was the flock leader and a great character. She was one of my original hens. Photo is from her first day with us.