Storms and chickens

[CorkyCl]

Hi all, my wife and I have decided to get some chickens and have decided on an Eglu Cube with the smaller run attached. I was going to start with 3 or 4, no more than that as I want them to have plenty of room and don't want to be totally swamped with eggs. I have quite a few questions and did not want to post them all over the forum so have bundled them all together. So, in no particular order and when they come into my head:

 

1. Would the cube give the girls plenty of room or would it be too big for four girls? Would an eglu be better?

 

2. I see a lot of people have trouble with foxes. I live in a rural village in Bucks, and have to say have not seen any foxes. Plenty of badgers but no foxes! Does the mesh and fox skirt of the Eglu run need to be pegged to the ground or is it ok unsecured. Can foxes get through this?

 

3. Do the girls need to be locked away in the cube every night even if they are secured in the run?

 

4. Although I have a big garden, I dont want my lawn devastated so was thinking of putting wood chips down on the ground and fencing off the run with log roll (as per the omlet site). What sort of bark is best to use, how often does it need to be changed, and can it be composted?

 

5. How often do you need to clean/wash the interior of the cube?

 

6. I understand that you can put straw or shredded paper in the nest box - but do you put anything else in the cube. Do the girls need some sort of bedding or do they just sleep on the slats?

 

7. How often does the droppings tray need to be emptied? Does this make good compost.

 

8. Can anyone put me in touch with some chicken breeders in the North Bucks area? I was thinking of getting 2 chicks from Omlet then 2 Sussex. So breeders breeding Sussexes would be great. Do the different breeds generally get on?

 

9. Does keeping chickens attract rats? If so what can I do to keep them away?

 

10. Anyone having a hen party for beginners near Milton Keynes? There was someone in Lavendon, but they are not listed anymore. Anywhere within an hours drive of MK would be great.

 

Thanks for reading and hope you can help.

 

Corky.

[Rachel F]

Hi Corky.

I can't reply to all of your questions, but I will answer the ones I can...

I have an eglu (not a cube) but some answers are general to both...

2. Foxes. I am not sure we have a problem with foxes, but I personally do secure the run down with 5 surplus tent pegs. Our garden is a little uneven in places, and so I put the tent pegs where I think full contact isnt being made with the ground. I understand that if the man of the house urinates regularly around the borders of the garden, this deters the foxes.

3. I keep the door of the eglu always open, even at night. I do make sure that the run is properly closed, but it means that I dont need to get up extra early to let them out.

5. I clean the roosting bars every week, but the rest of the eglu once a month. I clean out the poo tray about twice a week for 3 hens.

6. The girls sleep on the slats. I put a bit of hemcore or aubios in the poo tray, only because it makes it easier to clean out. I found that mine just ate the shredded paper, which is a bit of a pain.

7. Yes, it makes very good compost, but apparently for some plants (eg raspberries / azaleas, it can't be used directly onto soil because it is too rich, so has to be composted first.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Rachel F.

[ajm200]

Hi all, my wife and I have decided to get some chickens and have decided on an Eglu Cube with the smaller run attached. I was going to start with 3 or 4, no more than that as I want them to have plenty of room and don't want to be totally swamped with eggs. I have quite a few questions and did not want to post them all over the forum so have bundled them all together. So, in no particular order and when they come into my head:

 

1. Would the cube give the girls plenty of room or would it be too big for four girls? Would an eglu be better?

 

We've got 5 in a cube with one extension. They have loads of room at night and free range during the day

 

2. I see a lot of people have trouble with foxes. I live in a rural village in Bucks, and have to say have not seen any foxes. Plenty of badgers but no foxes! Does the mesh and fox skirt of the Eglu run need to be pegged to the ground or is it ok unsecured. Can foxes get through this?

 

It's best to secure it with slabs or pegs. The pegs that omlet sell are good as they are red and can been seen before you run one over with the mower. The run is fox-resistant but some people have had chickens attacked in the runs. The birds have stuck a foot or wing through the bars and a fox got it.

 

3. Do the girls need to be locked away in the cube every night even if they are secured in the run?

 

Some people do lock the hens away at night others only secure the run. We close the eglu if the weathers cold but leave the door open if we are going away or if the weather is good.

 

4. Although I have a big garden, I dont want my lawn devastated so was thinking of putting wood chips down on the ground and fencing off the run with log roll (as per the omlet site). What sort of bark is best to use, how often does it need to be changed, and can it be composted?

 

I don't think people use bark as it can contain mould spores and parasites that are bad for the chickens. The current preference is for hemcore or aubroise which is the core of hemp.

 

5. How often do you need to clean/wash the interior of the cube?

 

Every 7-10 days with hot soapy water. I also clean the roosting bars every 3-4 days and soak them in poultry shield every as it kills red mite. I only use it because I got some free from a friend.

 

6. I understand that you can put straw or shredded paper in the nest box - but do you put anything else in the cube. Do the girls need some sort of bedding or do they just sleep on the slats?

 

It's a good idea to line the poo trays with newspaper or hemcore as it makes it much easier to empty them. You don't need to put anything in the rest of the cube. You can put stuff in the nesting box to make it comfy but again, not essential.

 

7. How often does the droppings tray need to be emptied? Does this make good compost.

 

I do ours every couple of days but some people do leave it longer. It does make good compost but has to be left for 6 months before use or it will burn the plants.

 

8. Can anyone put me in touch with some chicken breeders in the North Bucks area? I was thinking of getting 2 chicks from Omlet then 2 Sussex. So breeders breeding Sussexes would be great. Do the different breeds generally get on?

 

Can't help on this one but some one will be along shortly with a recommendation.

 

9. Does keeping chickens attract rats? If so what can I do to keep them away?

 

Keep the food in a metal bin. Take the food trays in a night. Put a tray under the grub to catch what they scatter so you can remove it easily. Don't give them there treats too late so that they have plenty of time to scratch around and eat everything.

 

10. Anyone having a hen party for beginners near Milton Keynes? There was someone in Lavendon, but they are not listed anymore. Anywhere within an hours drive of MK would be great.

 

Thanks for reading and hope you can help.

 

 

Corky.

 

 

Other tips : get some bokashi bran and garlic powder to put in their food as it reduces the smell and number of droppings. It really does work

Edited April 16, 2008 by Guest

[WitchHazel]

Hi Corky, welcome to the forum.

 

 

1. Would the cube give the girls plenty of room or would it be too big for four girls? Would an eglu be better?.

I have 3 girls in a Cube and it's fine. I like the fact that the girls can shelter under it if its raining, and I find it really easy to work with.

 

2. I see a lot of people have trouble with foxes. I live in a rural village in Bucks, and have to say have not seen any foxes. Plenty of badgers but no foxes! Does the mesh and fox skirt of the Eglu run need to be pegged to the ground or is it ok unsecured. Can foxes get through this?

It should be OK unsecured, unless your ground is uneven in which case you might want to peg it. I have bricks on mine with flower troughs on top. You might also want to invest in a Foxwatch, which is an excellent deterrent. Plus, urinate around the Cube etc - but this must be male urine to work. My DH uses a special watering can!

 

 

3. Do the girls need to be locked away in the cube every night even if they are secured in the run?

There is a lot of difference of opinion on this. Many people close the pop hole, others leave it open.

 

 

4. Although I have a big garden, I dont want my lawn devastated so was thinking of putting wood chips down on the ground and fencing off the run with log roll (as per the omlet site). What sort of bark is best to use, how often does it need to be changed, and can it be composted?

I would recommend Aubiose or Hemcore, both of which are hemp horse bedding. It absorbs the poo, and helps to prevent smells. I generally rake mine up every week, sprinkle the ground with Stalosan (powder disinfectant) then put the old Aubiose back. I change it completely every 4 - 6 weeks.

 

5. How often do you need to clean/wash the interior of the cube?

I clean mine thoroughly every 4 weeks or so. SOmetimes I do the roosting bars a bit more often, I have two sets so one can be in the shed drying.

 

6. I understand that you can put straw or shredded paper in the nest box - but do you put anything else in the cube. Do the girls need some sort of bedding or do they just sleep on the slats?

They slepp on th ebars. I use Aubiose in the nest box, and I use Aubiose on the lined poop trays

 

7. How often does the droppings tray need to be emptied? Does this make good compost.

I have 3 girls and I empty mine every two days straight into the compost. I could probably get away with every three days.

 

9. Does keeping chickens attract rats? If so what can I do to keep them away?

We were concerned that the food would attreact rats so we bring the Grubs in each evening. Not sure if its necessary,

[Egluntyne]

 

1. Would the cube give the girls plenty of room or would it be too big for four girls? Would an eglu be better? It would give them ample room. A standard Eglu would not be big enough with regard to the run. I have 4 in each of my green Eglus, which both have a converter and an extension. Anything less would not really give them enough room and bullying problems could start.

 

2. I see a lot of people have trouble with foxes. I live in a rural village in Bucks, and have to say have not seen any foxes. Plenty of badgers but no foxes! Does the mesh and fox skirt of the Eglu run need to be pegged to the ground or is it ok unsecured. Can foxes get through this? It doesn't have to be pegged down, but it is a sensible precaution to fasten it in some way as a determined fox might attempt to tunnel under it and could dislodge the Eglu if he was so minded. Once you have chickens, foxes may find your garden attractive. I weigh my Eglu runs down with boulders.

 

3. Do the girls need to be locked away in the cube every night even if they are secured in the run? A matter of personal choice. The cube is only gurranteed "Fox resistant" if the door is closed at night. Someone recently had a hen bitten by a fox through the run mesh.

 

4. Although I have a big garden, I dont want my lawn devastated so was thinking of putting wood chips down on the ground and fencing off the run with log roll (as per the omlet site). What sort of bark is best to use, how often does it need to be changed, and can it be composted? Bark becomes slimy and smelly and can harbour spores and parasites. You would be better off with wood chippings, which would need changing on average every 6 weeks and can be composted.

 

5. How often do you need to clean/wash the interior of the cube? Once, maybe twice a week.

 

6. I understand that you can put straw or shredded paper in the nest box - but do you put anything else in the cube. Do the girls need some sort of bedding or do they just sleep on the slats? Personally I don t like either straw or shredded paper, they become manky and compacted too quickly and straw can harbour parasites. I prefer to use **Aubiose**. It is super absorbant, soft and compostable ...and a bale lasts for ages.

7. How often does the droppings tray need to be emptied? Does this make good compost. A couple of times a week....and yes it does.

 

8. Can anyone put me in touch with some chicken breeders in the North Bucks area? I was thinking of getting 2 chicks from Omlet then 2 Sussex. So breeders breeding Sussexes would be great. Do the different breeds generally get on? Sorry....can't help with this one.

 

9. Does keeping chickens attract rats? If so what can I do to keep them away? You may become aware of rats once you have chickens. There is a thread **here** that might help.

 

10. Anyone having a hen party for beginners near Milton Keynes? There was someone in Lavendon, but they are not listed anymore. Anywhere within an hours drive of MK would be great. [b]Can't help here.[/b]

 

I hope that helps. Welcome to the forum.

[Chicken Licken]

I don't have a cube but you are welcome to come and visit the chooks. I'm just outside Cambridge.

[meezers]

Just noted from your post - re the badgers - am I right in thinking that badgers are just as fatal to hens as foxes ? maybe you should take all precautions to prevent badger attacks even though you don't have foxes ?

Sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[CorkyCl]

Many thanks for your replies to my questions so far. I like the idea of using this Aubiose stuff in the run. One of my friends who does peoples gardens (and mine) was appalled when I told him I wanted to get some chickens (more from a gardeners point of view I think) - but he did suggest putting the run and cube on a concrete base. What do you think of this? Could I do that, then layer the base with Aubiose or wood chips. I will let the chickens free range when I am at home, but they would be in the Eglu cube run when we are not about.

 

Also what about bird flu - what precautions did you take when the Avian flu scare was prevelant. Did you cover the runs?

[ajm200]

Putting the run on a concrete base with bedding on top for the girls to scratch in would be a good idea as it will be easy to keep clean. It will also stop foxes and rats tunnelling into the run.

 

I've only had my chickens for a month but I believe that if you cover the run with omlet's shades, a shower curtain or perspex it will meet the requiremments for a sheltered run in case of avian flu

[Pudding hill]

I would shut the door at night. Has anyone had chickens attacked by a weasel? One could probably squeeze through the mesh of the run and they can kill a chicken.