Annie Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Hello, I am new to the forum and wanted to say hello to you all. I collected my Eglu from a man in London last Saturday who was selling it because Mr Fox has eaten his hens twice. I am a novice where hens are concerned and cannot wait to get them. I am hoping to get 3 so they are all brought home together, will I need a small breed of hen to get 3 in, or will it accommodate any breed x 3? Have been reading the posts on this forum and have gained some great tips, I was going to have my lawn levelled and turfed but it seems the lawn would last about 5 days, lol. So I will have it levelled and barked instead. Look forward to chatting with everyone Annie currently with 3 vacancies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Hi Annie, welcome. Well that explains one of the recent eglus for sale we were wondering why as we all seem to get on great. Do you know if the foxes managed to get into the run I hope you will find us natives friendly and you will join in the chat. There are a few eglus with 3 in and the medium breeds seem okay one of them will be along soon to let you know. Anyway welcome again and keep posting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Hey Annie just checked your profile and you are Northumberland which part I am in the Borders near Galashiels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Hi Annie welcome to the forum, I have 3 chooks in 1 Eglu and they are Bovans Nera, Ginger nut ranger and a Cream Legbar, not small chickens about medium sized I suppose I don't think you would fit 3 very large chooks in it with comfort but mine seem quite happy............. Good luck and let us now what you pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted April 13, 2005 Author Share Posted April 13, 2005 Thanks for the welcome, Louise - he told me they were not in the run when Mr Fox took them he did say they were plauged by foxes where they lived though so he didn't want to risk getting anymore and I live beside Hexham. Nicola - its good to hear about your experience with 3 hens, I will check out those breeds. Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Hello Annie, Welcome to the forum! Sorry I didn't welcome you earlier - I was having trouble with the computer - again! The good thing about the Eglu is that it is fox proof when the hens are inside the run - we just need to be vigilant when they are out of it too. It's a shame the previous owner had such bad experiences. I'm sure you'll have better luck. We are very friendly natives so long as you go to the questionnaire topic and tell us a little about yourself! We won't nag you if you do ! Have fun and I hope you enjoy taking part in the forum . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanne Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Hi and welcome Annie, we are all friendly and theres a wealth of information on here, make a cuppa and have a good read! and if you come up with a question thats not already been covered, someone will have the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyReckless Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Nice to meet you, Annie! I only joined myself a couple of days ago, and everyone has been really friendly. I chose 2 medium hens rather than 3 so that they would have plenty of room in the eglu and run. With a very large garden with unsecure borders, I cannot let them run free in the garden. I didn't want the chooks to feel crowded, so managed to restrict my urge for as many as possible. My two chooks are a cheeky and chatty pair - I'm delighted with them. Hope you have as much fun with yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Have been reading the posts on this forum and have gained some great tips, I was going to have my lawn levelled and turfed but it seems the lawn would last about 5 days, lol. So I will have it levelled and barked instead. Annie - I wouldn't even bother levelling it unless it is very uneven!. I levelled and turfed our run area and now it looks like the surface of the moon! Welcome to the forum - I missed this yesterday and I'm sure I haven't said 'Hi' to a couple of other Newbies - apologies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Hi Annie Can't wait to find out what chooks you get, and what you name them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Hello Annie. I'm a newbie too(got my hens on the 31st march). They have changed my life!! I could so happily give up work and stay at home with my girls-Hetty and Matilde . As the others on the forum will tell you I have asked no end of questions and have loads more to learn. You'll enjoy the forum I'm sure. Good luck with choosing your chooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Hi Annie, sorry not to greet you earlier, been off work poorly and going thropugh things very slowly, poor old brain just won't take it in. If you're serious about bark I wouldn't be bothered with levelling, unless your ground is really bad. Just pile the bark in and rake, your grils we reagrange it constantly I can assure you form experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted April 14, 2005 Author Share Posted April 14, 2005 Thanks for such a lovely welcome everyone Its good to hear about your experiences with your girls, I have spoken to my local Meadowsweet agent, hubby wants a hen that lays white eggs so it looks like a White Star for him and maybe a Bluebelle and a Starlight for a bit of variety? But who knows I may change my mind when I see them! I have a new build house with a terraced garden, full of builders rubble, sloping downhill, so I need to get it levelled as the soil is slipping down into the dene behind the fence The gardener can start sometime in the next 2 weeks so I should be able to go and get my girls within the next month or so And then they can set to work doing their excavations and make it look like the surface of the moon! The look on my neighbours faces when I discussed my plans for getting chickens wth them was priceless! But I showed them the Omlet information leaflet and they think the eglu looks cool One neighbour is worried how his cat will react to them though. I will fill in a questionnaire soon Kate. Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Welcome Annie! Lots to look forward to there, so do keep us posted with your progress. I've found that lots of people, when I mention my chickens, wrongly assume that I have a cockerel too...most people are fine if its just chickens. The only problems seem to arise with neighbours who are a pain anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Hi Annie Lovely to see you on this forum and I'm glad you have tracked down your local meadowsweet agent. Did you really drive to London to collect your eglu - now that is dedication. When having your slope levelled/terraced, make sure you have enough level ground behind the eglu where you slide out the droppings tray. I think someone constructed a superb frame to contain their bark chippings and then found they had to lift up the eglu a bit to slide out the tray Hope you enjoy reading the forum while waiting for your girls. Re numbers of hens - if keeping them in the eglu run most or all of the time, I would strongly recommend sticking to 2 medium hens (most of the meadowsweet ones) or 3 bantams (delightful characters but small eggs and some go broody at the drop of a hat). We have the bovans nera and bluebelle and get 12 or 13 eggs a week. The size is just going up from 65ish g to 75ish g now the days are longer. If free ranging then you have probably realised from reading the forum that some people have 3, 4 or even 5 girls, although the latter do have 2 eglus to use - who sleeps where at the moment Lesley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Hi Lesley, Yes me, hubby and the dog drove to London to collect the Eglu last Saturday, so that either makes me dedicated or mad lol! We had a great drive down, me and hubby took turns driving and had a few toilet stops for the dog, when we got there the eglu was twice the size we imagined, and we all had a stuggle to get the eglu to fit into the car (we have a saloon car so the hatch does not lift up) it went in eventually but my seat was pulled forward and the dog had to sit on my knee for 5 hours, the dog went off to sleep and I got cramp in my legs but we all got home with the mission completed and our lovely Thank you for the hint about ensuring the ground is fairly level, it is too bad a slope at the moment to consider getting the girls until the gardener works his magic. I am undecided as to get 2 or 3 hens , I wanted 3 as they would all be introduced together, but should I start off with 2 then add to them later? Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Annie from experience I would get 3 all together then the pecking order can be sorted in one go............... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Hi Annie Last post was actually from me - Jane, motherhen, citychicken lady - prob confused you with tacking on question to Lesley at the end - check out her 'eglu towers' in the photoalbum. It is of course of vital interest to know who is roosting where in Lesley's flock If you think you might want/need eggs from 3 hens then much easier to get them all together at once. They will sort out a pecking order when you first get them and then it will all be over. When you introduce a new hen they have to fight it out and many people have had to make an adjoining run to help the new hen settle in without being beaten up. As long as they will be out of the run some of the time, 3 hens should be fine in the eglu. For those who are used to me posting once a day late at night - the change in habits is due to dodgy computer and sudoku. Have to turn computer off at night to avoid waking up to blue screen and incomprehensible message from windows. Problem might be failing fan and /or windows needing reinstalling and /or I've downloaded something that needs more than windows 98 and/or it's raining up here Of course need to check forum at that point. Then do sudoku puzzle from Times (to prevent premature senility) and, after emailing in solution in faint hope of winning bottle of bubbly, need to check forum is still up and running - onerous mod duties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Jane did you manage yesterdays fiendish su doku I failed right at the last........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Annie .. I would get 3 at once .. then they will prob be best of buddies from the start . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Nicola - I'm so relieved I wasn't the only one. I've never been stumped like that before. I checked and rechecked and couldn't find anyway to progress that didn't involve a guess with a pair of 4 and 8s. In the end I dubbed what I'd got into the sudoku computer programme (warning very addictive) and made the guess and was able to get to the end from there. Was very torn at that point and decided since I'd used the programme it wouldn't be ethical to email it in. I'd love to know if it was possible to do without that critical guess! Today's was fine though. Let me know if you get the daily bubbly one day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Jane - couldn't you just buy the bubbly - it must be easier I wondered why you weren't on late at night anymore! Annie - I would definitely buy all three at once. If you read the topic 'New Baby - a Diary' you will read of the problems some of us have had when introducing new chickens. It isn't too hard but best avoided if you have a choice. Also, I don't think the Eglu run is big enough for three chickens so three is OK if you are going to make a run for them to live in. We have two Eglus, on a platform, within a large run which is as fox-proof as we can make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Sorry Jane and Lesley I typed up the reply just before rushing out of the house. And I was logged in as a guest so I can't even change it now. So it looks as if 3 is they way to go for me then so they get their pecking order sorted quickly? They should be able to get out of the run for most of the day. Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Don't worry Annie - no problem We look forward to hearing about your three when you get them. With getting three at one time I would just be prepared in case something goes wrong. Provide more than one feed station and water as well. Try to have some mesh or netting to hand so that if the pecking is too severe you could isolate the culprit - preferably still near the others. Let us know how it goes won't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
