Ammonia smell in coop-first time owner

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Hmmmmm !!!!

Does anyone think the grips/clips that come with the cube

could be

1) much better quality

2) much better quality & useable

3) much better quality, useable & long lasting

4) much better quality, useable, long lasting & practical

 

Does anyone also think the much better designed, much more practical, sturdy, suitably created useable clips should be expected within the price of the cube.

 

Does anyone think if when we purchase the extra run bit it should also come complete included in price, the required reinforcing supporting bar to support opening door nto run.

1) when purchasing extra run order should be efficiently supported, practical & complete

2) when purchasing extra run roof shouldn't collapse a little - reinforcement bar should be part of package so door can be used easily with proper clips to suit purpose.

3) when purchasing extra run door , roof clips & supporting pole should be of equal design , equal ease of use & practicallity for access, cleaning & useage.

 

Does anyone think the roosting bars could be sronger & easier to clean

1) could they too be plastic

2) could they be stainproof, or easier to wash

3) could they please be stonger & please much easier to wash!!

 

Ms Tilylovesherchooksandcubebutwishestherewerevastimprovementsappliedtotheeasyneedsforeasyuse

[Olly]

Blimey Ms Tilylotsofdifferentquestionsthere! I don't have a Cube for another 24 hours (fingers crossed!) but assuming the clips are like the ones on the Eglu -

 

Does anyone think the grips/clips that come with the cube

could be much better quality, useable, long lasting & practical

 

I hate those green clips with a vengeance - they hurt my fingers, are hard to open and close, and generally very awkward. That said - it has to be something you can re-use a few times, and I wouldn't want to put the price of the Eglu or Cube up any more than it already is. I don't know what else would do the job effectively, and I have only had to dismantle my run because I was adding/removing the converter. Most of the time it just stays in position so I don't need to fiddle with the clips.

 

 

Does anyone think if when we purchase the extra run bit it should also come complete included in price, the required reinforcing supporting bar to support opening door into run.

 

Er ... is your question 'should they supply the extra arch so you can unhinge the whole front of the run'? Again, I don't have a Cube yet, but having seen the modification someone made using this, I might try doing this to make raking the run out a bit easier.

 

I can't see why they would do this for free, though - echo my response above about keeping the price down! After all, it does work without this, it's a personal thing about it being easier to access the run - some people don't seem bothered.

 

I may review my response once the Cube is here and I've tried it out.

[Christian]

Try using cable ties from B&Q/local market. They work well, don't hurt your fingers and can be cut when you need to move things around.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Hello Olly

Yes the front of the run has a little door which the chooks can easily come out of . . however me & my rather er . .bigger vent than the chooks' .. doesn't fit easily through the little door . . so i like to unfasten . .grrrrrrr . . . all of the clips & use the end of extension as a gateway which makes cleaning hemcore, raking hemcore, changing water & food sooooooo much easier.

The end of the normal extension has a support pole which is fab but this is definitely needed for the end of the second extension to a) give adequate support to all of run roof . . b) make life much easier when fastening grips... yes those horrendous little green ones which don't last two minutes

HUH . ..The prices we paid for the cube & what is charged for the extension bit should cover absolutely inclusive the minsicule costs of a few good quality grips & a support pole!!!!!!!! Hubby is still in recovery when looking at cube then looking at the withdrawn bit to omlet on our bank balance !!!!

 

Thanks Christian .. .. will keep that in mind, at the moment we're trying out our home made - hubby designed velcro fasteners

 

Ms Tilygoingtomakeporridgeofpoultryspicemixedcornpelletsandbokashibranasitsstillsnowinghereuponthehill

[Egluntyne]

I have broken more fingernails than enough with the green clips. I hate them.

 

When they give up the ghost now....I use cable ties.

 

Many of my green clips have been going for nearly two years now though, to be fair.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Good afternoon Egluntine,

Hmmmmm to be fair . .. . . fair . ..extortinate costs of plastic cube, green clips, poles . ..roosting bars . .fair . .teee heee oooh don't get my feathers all softly gently ruffled again Its a fab design but boy do we pay for it ..so adequate grips poles & roosting bars should be perfect keeping all moanie old hens like me happy . .I M H O ahem ..

tee hee you obviously have much more patience then i have & i thought i had zillions , more than ya average oldish hen , huh four of my clips have already turned white, where if you bend them one more time they will break . .. i open the run every day so girlies can free range but i do find the clips toooooo fiddly piddly & diddly

 

Girlies loved their porridge although i think i may have made it too sticky as they kept having to clean their beaks on the lawn . .ooh too thick porridge remember it well - sorry Mum !!!!

 

 

Still no eggs . .but rather those girlies be the right age & er .size

egg bound chooks give me nightmares

[Egluntyne]

Why not email Omlet with your concerns MsTily......they need to have customer feedback.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

.. i open the run every day so girlies can free range but i do find the clips toooooo fiddly piddly & diddly

 

Are you actually removing and replacing clips every day? I don't have a cube so maybe it's different to an eglu, but I haven't touched any of my clips since I put it together in October . The only ones that have "perished" and broken are ones on the skirt that we sometimes walk on.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Good idea Egluntine . . but who is the top TOP guy/gal

the person with any authority, whose spoken word would infiltrate

& make a difference . .i assumed the top guy would be too busy or jet lagged

trying to break the American market to care about little gripes of the likes of my wee fiddly piddly groans

 

Yes A.N.H. i open the end of the run, using it as if its a gateway so i can rake & muck out , change water, feed etc . .. gateway which is all secured by fiddly piddly diddly clips when i open it .. .then the roof drops a little as it has no secure support

(not troublesome but would be better design if more sturdy with supporting pole reinforcing roof weight)

 

Ms Tilycan'twaitttotakephotiesoflovelychooks

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Aaah, I see . Perhaps you could use cable ties on the part you can leave attached and bulldog clips or similar on the bits you need to open? (I think I read that someone on the forum does something like that .)

[Olly]

I don't think those clips are designed for repeated use, so it's not surprising they are wearing down quickly - I would hate to open/close them every day. I took the converter off on Friday and had to use a garden knife to open some of them.

 

Someone on here used some sort of snap fastener, I'm sure - cable ties wouldn't be any better if you are going to open it on a daily basis.

 

I am assuming that I'll be able to reach through the tiny door to put the feeders and drinkers in, like I do with the Eglu. When I rake the run out (not that frequently, I'm sorry to say ) I plan to move the Cube and run to one side to do it.

 

Obviously all of this may turn out to be fantasy when I see the actual Cube!

[Egluntyne]

Good idea Egluntine . . but who is the top TOP guy/gal

the person with any authority, whose spoken word would infiltrate

Johannes or James.

 

Personally I have always found that Barbara always responds and sorts things out.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Thank you, It's not exactly a complaint for Barbara to sort out, more a modification & addition to the design & what you get as the complete package . . .ie clips would need to be used daily if many want to use the end of extended run as a gateway rather than struggling through the little doorway to empty grub & glugs & rake .. as with extension added the rake isn't long enough to get to the back of run, beneath cube . ..

 

 

Olly - Good luck if you're going to move cube regularly i wouldnt like to move mine around as our lawn is uneven & all the hemcore which fls out the double run .. oooh not to sure!!!

 

Yes cable ties, velcro etc are great but what i was saying is why should they be something to go & purchase separately , why should we have to buy extra; when clips , extra supporting pole when purchasing an extension bit which obviously needs more useable practicalities .. all should be designed & completed to suit what you're purchasing. I mean that little extension bit was £100.00, surely that could include a few clips & a pole.. .. the whole bill for cube etc is nearer £800

you cant tell me a few clips made to be opened daily ( dog clip style ) & a pole can't be included in the price.

 

So Joannes & James ????? where is their contact info - i doubt its encouraged

but of course i'd love to share feedback as for such a good product its the little things which really let it down but make a huge difference to how you feel about the whole package, value for money, service , attention to detail, practicalities & usability etc

 

Ms Tilyatlonglasthasawindowtoblueskiesoverheadchckenswillbepleasedandmayventureout

Edited March 24, 2008 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

Barbara will make sure that your concerns are seen by the right person.

[Christian]

 

So Joannes & James ????? where is their contact info -

 

james@omlet.co.uk

 

johannes@omlet.co.uk

 

Good luck!

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Thanks Christian,

I have written my wee observations, concerns & thoughts

to those who may care or who may not care.

 

Ms Tilyneedsastiffbentpoletosupporthersaggingendbits

Ms Tilyneedsapowerhosetocleanwoodenroostingbars

Ms Tilyhassomevelcrotieswhicharesoomucheasier

[Egluntyne]

I found myself wondering for a few moments about "Velcroties" I thought is was a breed of hen!

[Olly]

ooh, where do you get the Velcro ties (very funny btw Christian)?

 

I have been searching the internet for suitable clips without any joy.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Goood Morning Olly,

My dearest hubby sat down with two velcro rolls & got his industrial sewing machine out, cut both rolls to fit then stitched together some idea . .making me some 'velcro ties' . .. as opposed to the the velcroties which are a kind of chook breed .. bit more rough & sticky though then soft & feathery .. not good layers

 

Ms Tilygladitsnotsnowingbutthefrostisstilltoocold

Edited March 25, 2008 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

as opposed to the the velcroties which are a kind of chook breed .. bit more rough & sticky though then soft & feathery .. not good layers

 

I'll not bother *googling* them to see if I can find a breeder then.

[Olly]

Gosh, your OH is really dedicated! Won't bother googling for them either.

 

I do like the idea of the Velcrotie Chicken though. I wonder what colour egg it lays.

( we could add a spoof entry to the chicken breeds section and see who guesses!)

 

My Cube arrives some time in the next couple of hours, so I may have to retract all my comments above.

[Olly]

Nope - Cube is here, and I'm thrilled with it. I can't see that I am going to need to open the front of it - I will move it to one side when I want to rake the run out, I only do that every six weeks or so. I've already had a go at moving it, not easy I agree but not impossible.

 

I should be able to reach in to hang the Grub and Glug, like I do with the Eglu - and I usually refill the Glug with a watering-can during the week anyway.

 

I've already oiled the roosting bars, and I'm planning to put some lawn edging round the bottom of the Cube, as I have done with the Eglus, to stop the hemcore being kicked out everywhere. After that, the girls can move in

 

However - the lovely Roy who assembled it for me said Omlet are producing some new clips, with Omlet stamped on them, because a lot of people find them difficult. (I watched with awe as he fitted them on one-handed and without any apparent pain or discomfort!) Maybe I will check the shop to see if there are any new ones, and whether they'd be any easier to use.

[Christian]

Congratulations on your new cube Olly!

[Olly]

Well in fairness to MsTilylotsofworries, I can see that the whole thing would be easier if the front panel just hinged off. I think that is a modification I might consider in future, just can't afford any extra bits and bobs at the moment!

 

The new Glug is a lot heavier than the old one, so it's harder to hang inside - I had to hang it empty and then fill with a watering-can. Overall, I am very chuffed with it though - looks wonderful

[Egluntyne]

That is good to hear Olly.