furball Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I was just wondering if anyone bought an eglu because of fox attacks in other chook set ups. Thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 No but we bought one rather than a wooden house because it would be easier to clean and less likely to harbour parasites. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I bought mine as I loved the design of it & the ease of looking after chickens in it. I don't think I could have got my hens & kept them in any other kind of chicken house. Have you had problems with foxes? edit -the helpfulness of the forum is what convinced me to go for an eglu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furball Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 Had an eglu last year and stupidly got rid of it due to a health scare miss my girls so much so have finally convinced DH to let me have some more. I am looking at bantams but my DS and DSinL are joiners so he thinks it will be more cost effective to build a coop. Trying to tell him about the fox and red mite problem so all help appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CockADoodleDoo Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 i bought mine because it is fox prof and it looks great aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 One reason that persuaded me was the ease of transportation - ie to a friend's garden for holiday hen sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I was persuaded by the ease of cleaning and the resistance to mites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 You could save a small amount by buying second hand. Maybe they could build an aviary style run around an eglu if they are on a new project? The eglu itself is very safe, the run is fine if there is no chance of digging/biting through the bars. It depends on the materials used how foxproof it is. The eglu run has particularly thick wire and skirts around the outside. You could spend a fortune on materials not to have it as fox proof as most wire is thinner/weaker and would have to stop digging from underneath, and be the right height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I was persuaded by the ease of cleaning and the resistance to mites. Ditto to this. I spent ages deliberating....but reading the posts on this forum persuaded me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Me too Egluntine - I had been put off wooden houses by the stories told by friends who have them... tellingly, most of them now have eglus or cubes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 As a kid my auntie kept chickens and they alwayse ended up being taken by the fox and they had a massive red lice problem. Tocuh wood the eglu setup is safer and easier to clean and treat against mites and lice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I was sold on the eglu from the start just reading the website. I have no experience of wooden houses. I find s"Ooops, word censored!"ing & cleaning the wooden roosting bars a pain (even though I have a spare set). But cleaning the plastic bits of the eglu is a doddle so I'm glad I got it. I'm sure wooden houses are lovely too and many well designed and lots of folk on this forum can tell you the best wooden designs. But for me personally there was no choice except eglu or cube? (And that just came down to money......) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 No but we bought one rather than a wooden house because it would be easier to clean and less likely to harbour parasites. Jo ditto, AND because its transportable - our chooks go to Auntie Helen's for their hols!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I wanted chickens but didn't go ahead because i was worried about foxes. So when I saw the advert for the virtually FOX-PROOF Eglu, I was overjoyed and ordered the next day. So Yes, it was because of the fox-proofing. I didn't know anything about mites and cleaning etc anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 It was one of the reasons I bought an eglu, but not the main one. However, have a read on the Pests and Predators topic of the practical poultry forum - you will get a good idea of how fox proof wooden coops are: http://kelseyinfo.co.uk/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=pests Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hi Furball, nice to see you back again....... We started with Eglus and then bought a couple of wooden coops to accommodate our growing flocks. It was the worst decision we ever made We had terrible problems with red mite and they are so difficult to get rid of. We've replaced the wooden ones with second-hand Eglus now and only the table birds have wooden housing - and they are temporary residents which gives us time to sort out any red mite problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I thought long and hard before deciding on an Eglu. For me, apart from the fact that they look fantastic my main points were: A) Fox resistant B) Moveable round the garden C) Ease of cleaning D) My sister has wooden coops with Bantams and has had real red mite troubles. The chances of red mite with an Eglu are minimal and so far, I have had no problems. Good luck persuading OH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannovitch Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Bonjour tout le monde! i'd try these arguments too: - easy to clean - no need to treat the wood every year for an egly has no wood - well thought up insulation for more comfort for the chooks and therefore better egg production and indeed... - no other hen house is as fox-proof as an eglu Hope it will help! maybe we should ask funding from "omlet" for advertising their product Bisous a tous, Yann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waders Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I agree with Ginette, I bought my eglu because it was easy to clean and move and it was fox-proof (although my OH is convinced that the local foxes can open a dustbin but wouldn't know what to do with a chicken). I never even thought of mites. Also we don't have a lot of room and I liked the idea that I could move it easily around the garden. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Initially I was concerned that an eglu cost more than a wooden chicken coop, but as I only have a fairly small area for my run, eventually went for it and have never regretted it. It is sooooo easy to keep clean and free of parasites. Also, since a fox got my lovely Mulder (whilst the girls were free-ranging), and now visits my garden regularly, it is reassuring to have the fox-proof run. Mr. Fox justs sits there gazing wistfully, until I spot him and chase him away. I also got the run converter for additional roaming room, and still let the girls out when I'm there to supervise. It only takes losing one chicken to a fox to make you appreciate the peace of mind that an eglu provides. All in all I feel that the eglu was a wise investment and I am so pleased I got it. *end of ramble* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Like most others mine was bought for a variety of reasons. Easy to keep clean Fox proof looks good advertised as being for the garden so dh was convinced less likely to get red mite etc I hate the feel of soggy wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wee chookie Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 We have a wooden coop and so far no problems with it. i just couldn't afford to buy from omlet. i think ours cost £85 and was made by a local guy who just makes chicken coops. it is lovely, small and simple and houses six birds. i could email you snaps if you wanted? no problems with bugs or beasties yet. Definately reccommend tough wire and a bolt for the door so that foxes don't help themselves to tasty meals. perhaps omlet could have a page where people could buy second hand ones? eglu's i mean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 There is a page Wee Chookie: http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=33 You will find, though, that Eglus tend to hold their price well - they are a very good product and as the body of the eglu doesn't degrade in any way, they fetch a good price at 2nd hand, and a real bargain for someone who is looking for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wee chookie Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 oops...must have missed that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NClaire Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 We have a home made wooden coop - you can see it on my blog. No problems at all - we spray it about once a fortnight with Poultry Guard I think it's called - that keeps the red mite at bay. I also dust the chickens about once every 2 months via their dust bath. The fox has visited lots, has looked longingly at the chooks through the roof of their run, but can't get in! We went for wood instead of an eglu simply because of the price - the eglu was just too expensive for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
