Mrs Marmalade Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hello there, I have been researching omlet for a while and I am so impressed with it all! I am moving house this spring and I will have a city garden with the perfect area for either an eglu or even a cube I so want to have chickens so I can have eggs from happy hens and fabulous pets. I have been reading the blurb and the forums, but I haven't seen a topic that deals with novices like me. I would like someone to give me the initial advice I need. Questions too.... Do I have an eglu or a cube? If I have an eglu with two hens...will I want more hens later? probably! I also have a french bulldog, toot. he is gorgeous and stupid and thinks he is human. im supposing i will have to slowly introduce him to chickens? I have a slabbed area which I can prepare with a base of wood chippings. How deep should it be? does this prevent rats? The garden is entirely slabbed with shrub borders. Is it ok to let my chickens roam on slabs as I will not have any grass for them? Any advice for an absolute beginner most appreciated!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hello Mrs Marmalade, welcome to the forum . You will find topics dealing with advice for newbies but they do tend to get lost in the pages of posts. You can find most of what you need by a bit of patient searching. I'll try to find some useful posts for you but here's some answers to your initial questions: Do I have an eglu or a cube? If I have an eglu with two hens...will I want more hens later? The main things to consider are money and space. If you have both, a cube would seem a better plan (especially if, as you obviously think already, you'll be getting more hens!) I also have a french bulldog, toot. he is gorgeous and stupid and thinks he is human. im supposing i will have to slowly introduce him to chickens? Introduce him on the lead initially. If he's eventually let off the lead the chickens will probably soon show him who's boss. A quick peck on the nose sees most dogs off . Some people have used a water pistol thingy to train them. I have a slabbed area which I can prepare with a base of wood chippings. How deep should it be? A couple of inches should be fine. Have you looked into hemcore? Lots of us use it and swear by it. does this prevent rats? Yes, as far as I know. The garden is entirely slabbed with shrub borders. Is it ok to let my chickens roam on slabs as I will not have any grass for them? Should be OK but be warned, if your shrubs are in a soil border, your slabs will soon be covered in soil as they kick it about with gay abandon . Any advice for an absolute beginner most appreciated!!!! I'll see if I can track down any useful posts for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Here's proof of their soil kicking abilities . Before: After: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hello there, I have been researching omlet for a while and I am so impressed with it all!I am moving house this spring and I will have a city garden with the perfect area for either an eglu or even a cube I so want to have chickens so I can have eggs from happy hens and fabulous pets. I have been reading the blurb and the forums, but I haven't seen a topic that deals with novices like me. I would like someone to give me the initial advice I need. Questions too.... Do I have an eglu or a cube? If I have an eglu with two hens...will I want more hens later? Almost certainly!! Whether you go for the eglu or cube will depends on the size of the area available, and realisitcally how many hens you think you will ultimately need/want! I also have a french bulldog, toot. he is gorgeous and stupid and thinks he is human. im supposing i will have to slowly introduce him to chickens? Yes, slowly introduce him, and never leave him unsupervised unless you can be absolutely sure that he can be trusted. I have a slabbed area which I can prepare with a base of wood chippings. How deep should it be? does this prevent rats? The garden is entirely slabbed with shrub borders. Is it ok to let my chickens roam on slabs as I will not have any grass for them? The chippings should be a couple of inches deep, If the Eglu is on slabs it will prevent rats burrowing into the run, the chickens will be fine roaming on the slabs......it will keep their nails short! Any advice for an absolute beginner most appreciated!!!! Read the stickies at the top of each section, and the frequently asked questions section Mrs Marmalade, there is masses of info there for the beginner. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Here's a few posts you might find useful. I would just have a quick scan through the topic headings - you should spot the ones that might be helpful. http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18621&highlight=essential http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16168&highlight=essential http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11533&highlight=essential Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 The great thing about this forum is that although we were all in your position once, the support and advice that we have here is wonderful. The wealth of experience on this forum outweighs any books that could be bought. By the way, if you have the space, I would recommend a cube. You will become addicted to chickens....we were only getting 3 or 4 at first. Now we have two cubes, an eglu and 15 hens with two more on order for later this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara.F Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 please don't buy just two chickens....buy at least three. Chickens hate to be alone. If (heaven forbid) one should die and you can't immediately get another (there can be quite a wait, especially at certain times of the year) you could lose the other through sheer loneliness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Mrs Marmalade - firstly, welcome to the forum, you will get answers to all your questions here. In fact, they've been dealt with so thoroughly already I don't have much to add except to suggest that you look for a Hen Party in your area (look at the Courses button on the Omlet site). That might help you get some idea of what you want to know. Alternatively, ask to visit an Eglu or a Cube - you'll have a much better idea once you've seen one in the flesh, so to speak. Chickens are fab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
