dimidv Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 We haven't bought anything yet because we are still thinking how to organize the garden. We have about 200m2 of lawn. We would like to have a cube with a run. Our idea is to move the cube twice a week so that they don't have enough time to ruin the lawn. Is it easy enough to move the cube? (It has wheels on the pictures) What is the weigth of the cube? Is moving the cube twice a week enough to protect the lawn? Another problem is the swimming-pool or isn´t it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 The Cube is easy to move as the wheels click down into position using a foot pedal and you then just pull it along by the end of the run. According to Omlet, it weighs 75kg without the run and 100kg with the run. They'd usually recommend moving it every couple of days to minimise damage to the lawn as the hens can make bald patches quite quickly with a bit of overenthusiastic scratching! If you've got a swimming pool which is at ground level, you might need to use some netting or something similar to fence it off while the hens are free ranging as they will drown if they fall in and are unable to get out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minky Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I'd say resign one patch of lawn to chickendom and keep the rest for less frequent freeranging - I think moving the run is more likely to result in general rattyness, espesh with the weather wet and miserable - I have managed to wear a path in the lawn myself by walking up there a couple of times a day in this last week alone, so I dread to think what the girls woulda done to a fresh bit of grass in that time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickflick Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 i find the cube ok to move. it depends on how level your garden is as well as to how easy it is to move(uphill/dips etc).I have only had mine for a week so not much experience but i have moved it twice- more because of not wanting chickens to walk around in their own poo too much rather than because they have trashed the grass. Incidentally its the human traffic in and out to see the chickens that HAS started to mush the lawn up not the chickens themselves at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucky1 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I must admit we have tried it static and moving it around. We found that our lawn still got messed up. So ours is now in a permenent place. I agree with above re 'human traffic' and lawn. We are going to put stepping stones down. Re. Eglutines comment re. pool. Netting may well be good as we have a large pond and when we first got the chooks -2 fell in - fortunatly we saw and scooped them out in time. They are now used to the pond but it still maybe a good idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I've had no problems moving our cube complete with extension and I'm fairly unfit and pregnant. It is easy to put the wheels down and then lifting moving it from the run end is no worse than moving a full wheelbarrow as long as the surface is reasonably level We've moved ours after 3 days and found that the grass was ok but had yellowed due to lack of light as there's not been much sun and we have shades on both the run and extension but it is starting to green up again now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxanne Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Our garden is not completely level and it has been 'fun' moving the cube and run - especially with the chickens inside!! It is very easy with 2 people, not so easy for one - unless I got the one with the 'supermarket trolley' wheels?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trapper Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Had a Cube now for 8 weeks, with 5 chickens and thought, Oh this is easy to move, we can save our lovely grass from getting trashed by rotating it around. No is the answer. don't do it, find a permanent spot otherwise you will just be letting the birds pooh intensively on one spot for 1 - 2 weeks and no one can walk on it after even with racking for sometime by which time it will be time to move the run back onto that patch and you'll end up with no lawn. Find a good spot, bolt featheredge fencing aound the bottom of the run on all sides and fill wityh amboise (featheredge keeps it in the run and not over the rest of the garden. Problem solved easy to clean run and lawn not trashed or covered in Pooh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 We went to visit a cube owner the other weekend and found it very useful. I would suggest getting in touch with Barbara to visit someone near you with a cube. It does give you a much better idea of size, and a demonstration of how it all works is ideal. I found it easy to move around and the wheel adjustments are a clever little invention. Cleaning looked very straightforward - and quick. As a result we have just purchased a cube for ourselves but we have decided on a permanent/winter run because our garden has clay soil and gets quite soggy at this time of year, but we will let the girls range later in the day. In summer we will play it by ear, move it around the grass and we will see what happens, if needs must we will put it back on the permanent spot. We are getting 3 hens so that we can also find out how our garden works with them. If it is OK, we could add more at a later date. Good luck, Koojie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Does Omlet deliver to the Canary Islands where you are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 OOPs didn't see the address - visiting a local owner might be a bit difficult! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
