Trapper Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 or That is the question? I want to buy my wife a chicken house as she has always wanted to keep chickens. We have 4 kids who eat us out of house and home. So she thinks that 4 chooks would do us? Can anyone please give advise on what they think? Should we go for 2 or 3 chickens in a or 4 in a . Apart from how many eggs you get and we go through a lot, all i can find is that the cube is £200 more. All coments welcome. Trapper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hi & welcome Trapper, Well I have 3 boys and a husband and 10 chickens - we eat most of the eggs and sell a few, so the more the better from that point of view. Plus chickens are surprisingly addictive - if you only have the eglu you are always restricted (unless you know you will definitely never want more). Go for the cube and 4 chickens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 posted twice by accident Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Go for the cube and four chickens. Trust me....you will find chicken keeping so addictive that you are bound to want to get more chickens later.....the cube will accommodate the additions nicely. Friends and family will want eggs from you and you might want to give some to neighbours. In fact.....I'd go for six chooks from the outset. That way you can all name one too! Think of the arguments that will save! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 If money and space aren't a big issue, I would go for a cube. I have 3 hens in an eglu - only 2 laying - so only get 2 eggs a day with the odd day off. If you eat a lot of eggs you could probably do with more hens. And, if you have the space, you are bound to end up with more hens once you've become addicted . PS you might want to think about an extension for the cube to give your hens more space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 PS you might want to think about an extension for the cube to give your hens more space. Good point ANH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moochoo Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I had this problem too when deciding which to have. There's only my hubby and myself but we never seem to have a glut of eggs what with cake and mayonnaise making and the constant stream of friends and family who take a box away. I went for the cube option and I'm very pleased I did. The chooks have more head room, it's much nicer to clean out in the current muddy climate as the house is off the ground and there is enough room for more than one chook on the nest at the same time. Plus more room for more chickens!! If you can afford it go for a cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hiya - if you have plenty of room to move a cube about, then probably a cube would be great. But for first timers I would go for the eglu. It depends very much where you are putting it. The eglu is quicker to take apart for cleaning & to reassemble. It also depends on the sort of chickens you want. The bigger the breed, then the cube is best. Pros & Cons to both! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Go for the cube if you can. I have both, but find that the cube is much easier to clean out and move than the eglu. All my chickens prefer the cube too and they only use the eglu for laying purposes now! As others have said, you will probably want more chickens once you have fallen in love with your first ones, so you will need the cube eventually anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helly Welly Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I'd go for the cube if possible. We started off with three chickens in an eglu, got a second eglu and another three chickens five months later and within a year got a cube and now have 9 chickens. It is very addictive and if you find somewhere to sell the eggs that you don't eat then you'll need more than three anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonie Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Go for a cube, I started off with 3 girls and now i've got 2 ex batts on their way, you are a bit limited with the eglu if inevitably you end up expanding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire B Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Go for the cube, I brought my eglu and 3 chickens 6 months ago and now I have really caught the chicken bug so I getting cube next month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I'd go for the cube. I only started off with 3 girls in a cube at the beginning of October. Now I have 4 ex-battery girls on reserve And I'll probably want more after that too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 hello, we have 6 chickens in a cube with extention...today i built a bit on the front just so i can keep an eye during the day if i'm in my kitchen... we now want more and we will be converting something we have in the garden which is very old into a chicken house...it wont end with the cube!..trust me...you will adding and rebuilding all the time...i suggest you build one for yourself from the outset! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Can I go against the crowd? I'd go for four chickens in an eglu. They'll all fit inside at night and four chickens are enough to give you a good supply of eggs. Also you can be a bit more flexible too and move it around a bit without the grass getting to mashed up-this depends on how big your garden is of course. Also if you were to get more chickens you could just get another recon/2nd hand eglu and that way you have flexible housing solutions until your groups of hens decide to get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krysia Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 If you can afford it I would go for a cube too. We started with 1 eglu then a second and now a cube too. they are all in use and from a cleaning point of view the although the eglu's are easy the cube is easier. Another point if you go on holiday who would look after the chickens. If someone will come to house get a cube if you will have to transport them to someone else an Eglu may be better. BUT most neighbours/ friends / family will happily look after them for the eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lianne Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I would go for a cube! I have 3 chickens in a Eglu, it is OK at night, but during the day they need more space. My lot have my garden to muck around in! In hindsight I would have bought a cube! Am saving as we speak! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 we went straight for the cube and 6 chooks I wanted an eglu, but kev convinced me that I wouldnt be happy with a maximum of 4 chooks and that we should get a larger cube and more chooks, hoping to get some exbatts in the not too distant future (oh, I wish he had the same understanding about shoes ) good luck in deciding cathy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Welcome, Trapper - can I just say what a lucky woman your wife is! I'm inclined to say Cube - I don't have one, as you can see from my sig, but like others on here I started with one Eglu and two chooks, and now I have two Eglus and five ... I am going to trade up for a Cube in a month or so, as mine are shut in all day and I think a Cube + extension will give them more room. BUT - Ubereglu has a point. It depends a bit on how big your garden is/how big the area where you might put them is. An Eglu is a bit more flexible from that point of view. Why not arrange a surprise 'outing' for Mrs Trapper ... to visit an Eglu/Cube owner and see for yourselves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 i started off with one eglu then we bought another last september. We have 4 chooks (2 in each eglu). We like the eglu's because they are easily transportable - so when we go on holiday our chooks and their eglus are taken easily by car over to my sisters. We have just completed a big walk in run for the chooks, so the run isnt an issue anymore. I would weigh up the space you have in the garden, obviously budget aswell. Chickens are very addictive, so if you think you will expand your flock then maybe the cube is a good idea. Whatever you decide - chickens are fab - thats one thing you wont regret! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trapper Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Thanks everyone for the advice given. All we have talked about all day is how big, how many. Stephanie has just convinced our neighbour to get some so now we will have a whole street full of chickens. WE think that we will go for a Green Cube with 4 to start of with and put it on a permanant base with bark chippings, then give them the run of the garden during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Sounds like a plan. Don't use bark though.......use wood chippings. Bark can harbour mould spores. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Loads of people use hemcore in their runs. It stays dry and magically makes the poo disappear. We all swear by it. Have a look ~here~. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
