4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[devon_guy]

Am thinking of getting an Eglu and having two chickens in it. They won't really get much chance to be out and about in the garden so is the run and eglu big enough for 2 chickens to be in most of the time?

 

Also, my dad had chickens when he was a boy and says they stink and make a lot of noise, is this the case?

 

What bedding should I put in the eglu for the chickens at night?

 

What do they need in terms of food apart from mash/pellets?

 

Thanks for any help received and sorry for all the questions!

[Tara.F]

yep, the eglu is plenty big enough, although I would suggest getting three chickens

no extra bedding is required in the eglu, but some of us put a little newspaper or aubiose in the droppings tray to make cleaning it even easier.

layers mash or pellets is all the food they need but you will also need to provide grit and crushed oyster shell for them.

most of us also 'treat' our chickens in the evening with a little mixed corn.

 

welcome, by the way

nice to meet you!

[Cooks]

I am new to keeping chickens, (nice to meet you ) but I personally feel that the eglu and run is too small for 2 chickens to be kept in the eglu and run permanently, I wouldn't have done this myself, I feel they would get bored. I think free ranging when supervised and you can manage it is a valuable thing for them. But that's just my opinion, many others on here have different opinions

 

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Egluntyne]

The Egu and standard run ill be fine for 2 chicken.

 

They only stink if you let them! If you have a good cleaning out regime, and give them garlic powder or bokashi bran in their feed, there is no reason why they should smell.

 

Aubiose is excellent for the nesting box. They don't need anything for night time specifically.

 

LAyer mash or pellets should provide them with everything they need, but you can supplement their diet with cooked veg, pasta, rice etc.

 

They need a pot of mixed poultry grit too.

[Stevie]

Can only echo what the others have said.They'll only smell if you dont clean their run regulary so getting yourself into a cleaning routine is essential.Adding garlic to their feed really does work.

 

I have an Eglu with two chickens.Everyday afterwork,i sweep out the poops from run,clean out the poop tray in Eglu,top up food/water and then let them freerange for a few hours in garden until bedtime.It really is that simple!

[jomaxsmith]

As the others have said - you'll be fine.

 

I was advised by my local poultry centre that 3 is the minimum size of flock as one chicken will always be boss and if there are two underlings they share the nastiness rather than one individual getting all the abuse.

 

Jo

[TheCoop]

Hi!

 

We've had our 3 for about 2 months now. Like you, we were pretty nervous about all this chicken keeping lark, but after lots of reading on this forum and reading a couple of books, everything seemed to click into place nicely!

 

We don't have an Eglu, but we keep our run covered with bark chippings, give them fresh water everyday and feed them on layers mash with a handful of poultry grit thrown in for good measure. We free range them when we can (the lighter evenings for a couple of hours and all day at the weekends).

 

The only bedding they have is a couple of handfuls of straw in the sleepiing area (on top of several sheetsof newspaper and a large piece of cardboard) with lots of straw in the nest box. Ours don't smell as we clean up regularly.

 

it's all good!!!!

 

 

[chelsea]

Welcome to the forum Devonguy.

 

Chickens do not smell if you keep them clean, which is very easy with the eglu.

 

We started off with 2 chickens in 1 eglu and they were fine, the trouble with chickens is that they are so addictive you will find yourself wanting more!!

 

Hemcore/Aubiose (horse type bedding) bought in bales from somewhere like Mole Valley is great in the eglu run and in the eglu nestbox.

[TheCoop]

the trouble with chickens is that they are so addictive you will find yourself wanting more!!

 

True. Very true.

 

[Olly]

Just to reinforce what others have said - an Eglu with standard run is perfect for two chickens, of course they enjoy freeranging if you can let them out but my first two chickens were in the run most of the day in summer and 24 hours in winter, and they were fine.

 

Three is nice, especially in case anything happens to one, but I found my two chickens were good friends, there was no overt domination or bullying. If they are going to be in there for long periods then 2 is probably better.

 

They are very, very easy to look after - if you follow the tips above then they need never smell, and they are very rewarding and entertaining pets. Go for it!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum, Devonguy . I agree with all the above . I've got 3 girls in an eglu with run plus converter. They get out for anything between 1 and 4 hours a day (more in the summer) but they seem happy enough when they're in the run (they have perches, seed bells, logs - and will soon be getting a mirror ).

 

I don't clean mine out every day like some but they still never smell .

 

Go for it, you won't regret it .

[redhotchick]

I wish I'd got three chickens and a converter from the start, personally I think it is good advice. My two chickens get on so well I don't want to risk upsetting the equilibrium now.

I hope to get a year of chicken keeping under my belt and then I'm going to try and get a breed that has a chance of laying a blue or green egg, and introduce it. I wish I'd been on this forum before I got my chickens.

 

Some people have reported noisy chickens and it can be a real problem for those people. I'd say the majority of people don't have a problem though. Cockerels on the other hand are not advised!

 

No bedding needed in the Eglu. Useful to line the droppings tray with something. If the run is going to be kept in one place you will probably need to put something down, like aubiose or hemcore, and if this is the case you will probably need to offer some protection from the rain. (corrugated plastic sheeting or a shower curtain maybe)

 

Apart from pellets they need chicken grit (a mixture that looks like shells and flint). I'd say a supply of greens too, the pellets probably are sufficient, it just feels right to give them something fresh on a daily basis.

[devon_guy]

Do I need to provide food and water in the eglu at night for them? Sorry for the really thick questions but I'm new to all this!

[Christian]

No need to apologise!

 

Nope, they will eat and drink all day and store food in their crops. They go to bed with a bulging crop and slowly digest it overnight.

 

 

[devon_guy]

Thank you so much for all your replies and help.

 

Just another quick question........am thinking of maybe putting them on a concrete base so obviously will need to cover it with bark or smthg. What do people recommend and how often will it need changing?

[moomin]

Hi Devonguy

 

You will need to give them something to scratch around in and to soak up the poo, I've used easibed and aubiose, available from horsey type shops although I think you can get easibed in most pet shops. Easibed is good but I prefer aubiose as it absorbs the poo better.

 

You will talk about poo a lot as a member of this forum.

 

It should last about 4 to 6 weeks although it's a good idea to pick out the poos every day or so to avoid any smells. (there I go, talking about poo again )

 

Good luck, you won't regret it.