Tiggy Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I leave the eglu door open unless its really freezing & windy, but never the door of the run - why buy a fox proof run & leave the door open It'll only be a matter of time before foxy finds your girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariononslow20 Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Door Open ? I just did something very silly. My 3 hens are in a foxproof run and I normally leave the Eglu door open for them to go to bed and later on push it partly closed so they are out of the draught but still able to get out themselves in the morning. Stupidly I was entertaining this evening and distracted by my guests I LEFT THE DOOR CLOSED SO THEY COULDNT GET IN - hens that is! Luckily some sixth sense told me to check them before my bedtime and I found the 3 of them all huddled on the 'doorstep' as it were and half asleep. Opened the door and bundled them in all woozy and grumpy. All quite safe though Felt very guilty as its a cold night, nearly freezing and windy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewels Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Hi, I normally shut my Cube door but we went away over Christmas for a couple of days and so I half left the sliding door of the Cube open, my girls were absolutely fine when we got home today and they had got in and out with no problem. I will certainly leave their door open in the hot ( ) summer evenings next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Sorry - but if you leave the run door open and go to work........it's only a matter of time before you lose your girls! I would never take that risk! Louise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I used to leave my eglu door open 24/7 until last Summer when 3 mornings we had 4am wake up calls with all the girls going ballistic. For my sanity and the neighbours, I now shut the door at night and open it at 7am. But when I'm away on holiday for the week I leave it open. Soooo....when you go on holiday - what do you do about food and water? Do you ask someone to top it up? Just wondering as I hope to go away and am exploring my options!! Louise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 The Eglu/Cube run is not automatically fox-proof. I get quite upset when people say it is, because I lost a hen through thinking it was. As for the house itself, the Cube and Eglu are both fox-proof when closed, but obviously not the slightest bit fox-proof when open. I find it a no-brainer: if you buy a fox-proof hen-house, you have to shut it at night. Even if you don't actually lose a hen, they are likely to be terrorized by foxes in the summer between the hours of 4am and 7am when they are up but humans are still in bed. The other problem is that if rats burrow into the run (which is quite common) and find the door open, they can walk straight into the Eglu and gnaw very fresh chicken. Some people, however, do seem to get away with leaving the henhouse door open, so everyone must make up their own mind. But you do need to be aware that the run is not fox- or rat-proof unless the skirt is on slabs and properly weighed down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 This debate will run and run. The Eglu is no longer rated fox proof, but fox resistant. I leave both my cube and Eglus open at night. I have them both on slabs, to prevent tunneling and make every effort with other aspects of security. It is a question of balance. We weigh up all the considerations, taking our own circumstances and environment into account and base our decision on that. Whilst I appreciate that you had a traumatic and unpleasant experience Gallina, I don't feel that expressions like "no brainer" help the debate. I personally never let my girls free range when I am not at home, but wouldn't dream of criticising those who do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I am the one who had no brain, because I believed that the eglu/cube run was fox-proof just because Omlet used to say it was, even though my eyes should have told me that it obviously wasn't. Someone has just stated on this thread that the run is fox-proof, and it worries me that there are people who still believe this, even though Omlet themselves no longer make this claim. I am however probably generalizing too much from my own circumstances. What I should have said is that if you have foxes prowling in your garden as I do, you should always shut your hens away at night. Otherwise you are probably all right if you have the skirt on slabs and weighed down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I am often asked this question at my hen parties, and take care to reiterate that the run isn't totally fox-proof and that in certain cases/circumstances, foxes have been able to burrow into the run. One instance of this (which I use as an example) was a few years ago when someone moved their eglu and run onto freshly dug soil at their allotment - the fox was able to dig through the soft soil base and into the run. I give a few examples and am always say that it is up to each individual to weigh up the odds (as has been said above) and to make up their own minds. In London, I didn't have hens, but the garden was plagued by urban foxes and rats. My grandparents had a small holding and were always bothered by rats from the stream. In Banbury, we have urban foxes but I haven't *touches wood* had any bothering my girls. Having said that, I am always careful to make sure that they are in the run well before dusk falls, but the run is situated on slabs around the edges and I leave the cube door open at night. My feeling is that they are really happy scratching around the garden and I'm prepared to take what I feel is a minimal risk... my decision. I would recommend that anyone who is bothered by vermin to consider putting their housing in a walk-in run, for their own peace of mind. It's a personal decision and I think that we'll all always be at differences on this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hi I do not own yet and am only thinking about buying. I have a question, on the cube, can you shut the door from the outside, or o you have to get inside to close the door? I KNOW I have fox's, I know because I feed them most of the rabbits I shoot in my garden, don't really want to get rid of the fox's because of the problems cause by the rabbits. So I guess I would have to shut the door every night! Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggienator Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I'm sure a cube owner wil be along shortly, but I'm pretty sure it shuts from outside the run. I know our eglu one does and I wouldn't want to crawl into the cube run to shut them in ever night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Clucks-minusOne Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Can you get an automatic door opener for an Eglu ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidygirlsuk Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I always shut mine in. I Just wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I always shut our eglu door except when we're on holiday. It's easy to do as it's so close to the house and we go out anyway to bring the grub/glug in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlo Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hi I do not own yet and am only thinking about buying. I have a question, on the cube, can you shut the door from the outside, or o you have to get inside to close the door? I KNOW I have fox's, I know because I feed them most of the rabbits I shoot in my garden, don't really want to get rid of the fox's because of the problems cause by the rabbits. So I guess I would have to shut the door every night! Robin The cube door is open and shut from the outside. I don't have one but I demonstrated it quite a lot at the ideal Home!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Yup, very easy to close from the outside and very secure once it is locked and the run is secured too. It is important to note that while the run is 'fox resistant', the housing is secure so long as the door is closed. It's up to each individual to decide whether they feel the risk in their area is enough to warrant closing up the housign at night. Personally, from what you say about your circumstances, I'd lock the housing up too. I leave the cube door open at night unless it's well below freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stovinclark Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I'm not really worried about foxes but I feel a bit like I'm leaving them open to the elements, won't they get cold? It would definitely make my life easier if I could leave the door open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I think we worry way to much about them getting cold, this time of year i'm sure they would be perfectly fine outside but obviously we have houses for them. i have left my cube open for the first time this week and my girls seem quieter. Their cube is butted up to a WIR so i have no worries about their safety just the noise, if they continue to be quiet i will leave it open if not closed it will be! it will be alot easier to find chicken sitters to pop in during day rather than morn and night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Chickens have a higher temperature than us (105deg compared to our 97) and they have big feather duvets too. They are OK except for the coldest nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
