Warm boot recommendations please

[nursechick]

My girls arrived today and although the weather was awful,the chap from Omlet was cheerful and really helpful.They soon settled and are now nicely suggled down for the night.

Thinking about when we go on holidays;is it ok to leave them without shutting the eglu door at night, has anyone had a fox get into the run.? Ivy Mavis

[Egluntyne]

Hello and welcome aboard.

 

I usually leave my Eglu doors open.

 

My Eglu's are on paving slabs so a fox couldn't dig it's way in.

 

The "skirt" on the run is intended to prevent this happening too.

 

If you go away just make sure that the have plenty of food and water, and if away for longer than a couple of days, arrange for someone to collect the eggs , top up their supplies and check that they are OK.

[Olly]

You need to be sure a fox couldn't dig under the side of the run or lift it up. If you have heavy soil (not sandy, which is easy to dig) it should be ok, but you can weight it down with bricks, slabs or pin it with tent-pegs.

 

I leave the Eglu door open almost all the time (unless it's very cold) - opinions vary on this, but if you're going away for a weekend, they will be fine.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum .

 

I don't think I've heard of anyone having a fox get into the actual run (it is supposed to be "fox resistant"). I agree with the others, weight the skirt down just to be safe.

 

I close my eglu door every night at the moment, but we went away for 10 days in October and left it open. They were fine. (You could try wedging it open with a stick or something just enough for them to squeeze in and out to keep the draughts down for them!)

[BeckyBoo]

Hi there and welcome, weathers awful isn't it? It's fine to leave the door open, after a while if you were to leave the eglu in one place the grass grows through the skirt then you can't move it for toffee (I now know this ) And echoing what's already been said, it's fine to leave them when you go away with the door open.

Hope you have hours of fun with your girls,

Mrs Bertie

[chelsea]

just thought id pop along and say welcome to the forum!

[nursechick]

Thanks for such a warm welcome,and all your useful advise. I feel happier now to leave them for a few days with someone popping in every so often but will probably take them to my sisters for our 2 week holiday.How easy is it to move , lock stock and barrell?Does it take long to reattach the run ?

Edited January 16, 2008 by Guest

[Goosey Lucy]

Hello and welcome.

 

Whenever we go away a neighbour comes and opens the door in the morning then closes it again at night, taking any eggs with her as payment for her services. I try to hang things from the roof of the run to keep them occupied if they can't free range at all, so far I've hung apples up (hilarious) and nettles (upside down - don't know why, just doing as the chicken vet told me). Some people hang pecka blocks up too, look at the Flyte So Fancy website for these.

 

Hope this helps, soon you won't want to go away at all!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

How easy is it to move , lock stock and barrell?Does it take long to reattach the run ?

 

I've never done it yet (will have to in July this year ). It would certainly be a 2 man job. Depending on how far away you're transporting them, I would take the eglu on one trip then the run, dismantling the run as little as possible. It would be good to hear from someone who's done it .