hayhatch Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Okay so I love the eglu cube and eglu. But I have also been browsing at the wooden coops such as flytes of fancy. Can anyone tell me the advantages/disadvantages of both. Ta muchly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Lesley's your girl to ask - I know she's had both! Personally, I loved the look of the wooden ones but thought that the eglu would be a lot easier to keep clean - no awkward corners to get too. Also red mite love wood and I decided there would be less of a problem as the eglu is plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 I am new to chicken keeping and made my choice of an eglu for the red mite reduction, and also the eglu/cube is so much more child friendly in my opinon. They can easily help clean it, egg collect, remove poop tray, it's all very easy and non fiddly. Plus it's awesome as my 12 year old told me.. (and mines orange so that's another bonus!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Eglus are very easy to clean and there is no maintenance to speak of, just a bit of attention to the roosting bars now and then. The eglu is fox resistant. The Eglu is warm in winter and cool in summer because of the double wall insulation. The incidence of redmite in the Eglu is massively reduced. The Eglu is modern and stylish.....and holds its price well, for when you upgrade to the cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omletina Kyckling Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 .....and holds its price well, for when you upgrade to the cube. That made me smile...it's so true, you start with an Eglu and you're hooked and need more chickens and a Cube! A year ago I would never have seen myself as a chicken keeper, but the Eglu really is so easy to look after/clean as others have said, I'd definitely recommend it. They should last a long long time (if not forever) with no maintenance, whereas a wooden one would need more maintenance and need to be replaced in time, so financially it makes sense long term too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egg Lou Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Eglus are very easy to clean and there is no maintenance to speak of, just a bit of attention to the roosting bars now and then. The eglu is fox resistant. The Eglu is warm in winter and cool in summer because of the double wall insulation. The incidence of redmite in the Eglu is massively reduced. The Eglu is modern and stylish.....and holds its price well, for when you upgrade to the cube. Totally agree I ordered my cube after researching for about 3 months! went to see wooden coops but all seemed a bit damp as I was looking during winter.. after reading all the first hand expereince on here I decided the cube was for me for all the reasons Egluntine mentions.. although took some work as OH wanted a wooden one.. green cube is a compromise as would have loved purple! But know its going to be so fab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surferdog Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 I agree. We originally ordered a wooden house as thought the eglu wouldn't be big enough for three hens. I agonized over whether I'd done the right thing so when the man called to say the coop was delayed by 4 weeks it seemed like fate. I cancelled and ordered the eglu and OH built a fab walk-in run. The eglu is huge inside and even with three hens there is bags of room and so easy to clean. No scrubbing - just a quick hose down once a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAJ Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 I would not consider a wooden house - it just wouldn't fit with how I wanted to keep chickens. The eglu's keep their price on resale, unlike wooden houses. Also when you do a 'like-for-like' comparison please remember the prive of a wooden house is just that - the house. The Eglu/Cube price includes the water & fod containers, shade & notes on keeping chickens, egg boxes, etc. - add these to the cost on a wooden one and you will find they are normally not that much cheaper (if at all). Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I agree with all the above. We did have a couple of wooden houses and had terrible problems with red mite last summer. We've replaced those with second-hand Eglus now. We still have wooden housing for the table birds as they are only used for a relatively short time. They are a pain to clean, compared to Eglus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 When I decided to get hens, my first thought was to get one of those gorgeous triangular arks. They had one by the shop at Wernlas, and I thought it was so pretty (I still do). Then I tried to move it. That's when I decided that an Eglu or Cube would be the right decision for me. (Then I went to see Gallina who had both, and we decided on a Cube). I haven't regretted my decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I started off with a wooden coop that me and my Dad made together. However I really wanted an eglu after many frozen scrub out sessions when the temperature was close to freezing and so that made up my mind about saving for an eglu. In day to day terms the coop we made is about level pegging for ease of clean as I lined the floor with newspaper. Often it just needed a quick sweep out at the weekend, but when it got on the the big cleaning jobs it was a really annoying task as it was really heavy and I couldn't move the bits into the drive to scrub. During the winter the joints of the wood would swell up too when it had been raining and then you couldn't shut the doors properly without finding the mallet! The eglu is also light enough for me to move around and so I don't have to wait for other people to be around to do a full clean out of their run either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 there's no question that you can get some lovely looking wooden hen houses. For me the clincher was cleanliness - no matter how much you try you probably couldnt get a wooden house cleaner and more pristine than an eglu on clean out day....5 minutes with a pressure washer and a quick dry off with an old towel and the eglu is like new. I would worry how I would dry a wooden house and wetting it all the time cant do it any good. I LOVE my eglu, and would never part with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 When we last had chickens I built a wooden henhouse but they are unhygienic and difficult to clean properly. If you hose them out they stay wet for days in the winter which is not good for the birds. The cube can be pressure washed and dried with a cloth easily and quickly. Also a well made decent sized wooden hen house is heavy and a pain to move. I can assure you that the Cube is far more user friendly and hygienic but that's just my opinion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
