nippylou Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Hi Had my 4 chooks for around 2 weeks now. No eggs yet Have got them in a wooden coop and run but decided to go ahead and get a cube. I just wondered where the door is! I can see a very small one which I assume is only for the birds to get out. How do i get in to clean the run out? Is it easy to do? I am just wondering what to put on the ground. Is it better to have them on slabs with auboise/hemcore? How do people find bark chippings? How often do they need changing? Currently they are just on soil and the poo just seems to disappear but when it's raining it gets really muddy. If anyone has got a photo of the door to the cube, it would be great to see. I'm still having a few issues with my dog and unfortuately haven't risked letting them free range yet. I'm thinking of maybe letting them out for a while before bed and keeping the dog inside. Will they go back into the coop as normal do you think? They are not really tame yet but love the dried meal worms i've given them. Shall I just go for it and see how I get on?? I'm a bit scared! Also, I've clipped both wings. Does that mean they won't be able to get over the small fence into next door? It's only about 3 1/2 foot high. Sorry for all the questions, I've strayed a bit off topic! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bondinho Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 The cube door is tiny I'm afraid. I think the only option for me is to wheel it out of the way when I have to change the hemcore - not done it yet though as only had the cube a couple of weeks so need hasn't arisen. Bark chippings are not recomended on here - wood chippings are good, but hemcore/aubiose are the best options. They make poo vanish! I'm a recent convert from wood to hemcore and it is definitely worth finding a supplier if you can. Clipped wings will prevent some birds from flying over fences, kind of depends on the breed though - what do you have? Also, I think the some people say only one wing should be clipped so it unbalances them, but then others have clipped two wings so guess it's personal choice. The chooks will happily wander back into their coop when it is bedtime, especially as they have been their a little while so know exactly where their bed is. Mixing with dogs will just take time, my sister has not let hers free range with her 2 black labs yet, but the chooks are much braver when the dogs are standing by the eglu now - they come up to the mesh and just stare at the dogs clearly wanting to have a little peck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 The tiny door on the run is one of the main complaints people have about the cube... I remember a fellow omeleteer saying that she has to crawl in 'commando style'!!! Personally I send my 8 year old in, she is small and can go in and out easily... Obviously not everyone has one of those at end... One thing to consider is the way the back panel is built. It is actually two panels, a top and a bottom one, attached to each other in the middle. So in theory, if one could find a way to attach the top, curved half to the rest of the run without using all the devilish green clips provided, it would be possible to lower the top half onto the bottom half and climb in that way... the fixings would have to be strong enough to keep the run secure, but easy enough to undo without too much fiddling. As my 8 year old is the official chook owner I didn't bother trying this, but if I had to enter the run myself, I'd definitely try to sort something around those lines... wondering if I should write to Omlet to suggest a different way of attaching the top panel to allow easy access... Here is a pic of our cube when we'd just finished putting it together, to illustrate what I'm rambling on about... the joint between the top and bottom panel is right above the tiny door... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I'm fairly sure Fred or someone "hinged" the entire end panel so they could just open it when the thing needed cleaning. We now have a walk in run but before that cleaning the cube run was a nightmare - goodness only knows why Omlet haven't hinged the end. Anyway, the only way other than moving the darned thing (which needed two of us) was to either crawl in (YUK!) or lean as far in with a rake as I could and s"Ooops, word censored!"e the muck towards the door. And you. With 11 nosey hens standing on it, and s"Ooops, word censored!"ing it in bursts towards your face. Not recommended! It is a FAB hen house apart from that though, and really as well! As for letting your girls out, they should make their way back in fine now you've had them 2 weeks, go on, be brave, it's great fun watching them decimate the garden! Mrs B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nippylou Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 Thanks for the replies. I've just ordered a purple one!! Does the actual cube itself wheel away from the run then? Or is it fixed to it? I'm just wondering how on earth to clean the run as I don't fancy crawling in on my hands and knees, then stooping to clean it! i didn't realise that small door was the only one - seems a bit daft to me. Not sure what all my breeds are! I've got a sussex and then a sweetie, schwartz and crested from Merrydale Poultry, but not sure what breeds they are?! Am I being thick? Are they high flyers so to speak?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 (edited) Take a look on the cubes forum, I'm sure that there is a long discussion on how the run should be modified to make access easier. I would search for you but my toddler has decided to help me with the computer and is trying to type for me ok.... found the link now http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18723 Edited March 17, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 The cube and run are attached to each other quite solidly, but if you have it all on a 'mobile setting' rather than on a bordered permanent area, it's quite easy to move it, it has a good mechanism to allow it to be wheeled around. Ours is on woodchips though, with higher hedges all aroudn it to keep the woodchips in, so we'd have to lift it everytime, which is not feasable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
