Older hens

[jomaxsmith]

I really don't get it, it's usually for first comment people make about Eglus - 'but they're too expensive for me' BUT I've just been to a local tropical fish centre where they sell rabbit hutches etc and not only are the rabbit hutches between £100-£200 but they have now started selling wooden chicken coops with attached runs.

 

The cheapest of these was £199 and it would arrive flatpacked. It was a red mite haven with a felt roof, and didn't look particularly fox safe either with flimsy bolts and no lock at all on the nest box. The attached run was tiny.

 

My Eglu cost only slightly more than that secondhand and is just so much better and came with loads of extras.

 

No real point to this post, sorry!

 

Jo

[jess]

I think it's just a general lazy way to dismiss an idea like when my boyfriend says he cant afford something then buys an xbox

[moochoo]

I think it's everyone's initial reaction. I know some of my work collegues were shocked when I told them how much my cube was costing. I think a lot of the well built wooden coops, plus run and feeders are pretty much on par, price wise with their equivalent eglu. As you say as least we don't have to worry about massive red mite infestations or having to treat the timber to prolong it's life.

I think eglus are seen as a fad and are ofen described by those I've met that don't know better as for people with more money than sense

Everyone has a different taste for what they find appropriate and what they're willing to pay for it. I think my cube was excellent value for money and will keep me chicken keeping for many years to come.

[little chickadee]

Also, wooden coops have a huge depreciation if people don't find that chicken keeping is for them, or want to upgrade to a bigger coop. I know that 2nd hand eglus hold on to their value so much that a lot of people just buy a new one as there isn't much difference. They won't rot and I should imagine are a lot easier to clean (never had a wooden one!)

[Guest]

I shopped around because the eglu was too expensive for me, as were a lot of the wooden coops.

 

I eventually found something we both liked on e-bay.

 

The coop and the small attached run was £120 + about £40 postage. Then hubby built the large run. We're very happy with our set up.

 

You have to shop around to get a good deal, as with anything.

[Flo]

Perhaps people also don't consider all of the costs of keeping a chicken or any pet for that matter. The Eglu price is for a lot of stuff (coop, run, feeders, drinkers, chickens) too, but keeping any pet can be expensive!

 

Our old cat was a stray who came to live with us, and cat food alone was pretty pricey!

[hilda-and-evadne]

I really don't get it, it's usually for first comment people make about Eglus - 'but they're too expensive for me' ... My Eglu cost only slightly more than that secondhand and is just so much better and came with loads of extras.

 

That puzzled me, too. I think it's possible that people don't realise how big an eglu is - it has struck me that, in all the photos of it that I have seen, an eglu always looks much smaller than it is - and is quite a feat of engineering.

 

Also, people who haven't kept hens might not appreciate yet how strong the "defences" have to be to protect the birds from the common predators. The time I have read a comment that went something like: "you can build your own henhouse with bits of plywood, glue and chickenwire" ...

[Guest]

I think it's possible that people don't realise how big an eglu is - it has struck me that, in all the photos of it that I have seen, an eglu always looks much smaller than it is

 

I completely agree with everything said on this thread...

 

It is expensive for some people with rather limited budgets, but it's all relative!

 

It looks much prettier than a wooden coop and there is no need to stain or paint it, so you save on cleaning time and future maintenance costs.

 

Plus it looks really easy to clean with it's wipe clean plastic surfaces and it is not a red mite haven like the felt roofed wooden coops.

 

How big is an Eglu (roughly)?

[Egluntyne]

How big is an Eglu (roughly)?

 

This big:

 

[Guest]

Eglutine to the rescue!

 

The standard run is definitely much longer than I thought from the pictures, it's almost twice the size I expected!

 

But the eglu itself still seems quite small at 2ft 8ins. Considering there is a separate nesting area inside and roosting bars for 4 chickens (albeit bantams).

 

But I still love the design of the Eglu (I'm not keen on the Cube though)

 

Anyway will have to seriously downsize my flock to fit them in (which also gives me more time to save)...

[Ain't Nobody Here]

But the eglu itself still seems quite small at 2ft 8ins. Considering there is a separate nesting area inside and roosting bars for 4 chickens (albeit bantams).

 

You'd be surprised how big it seems in real life - it was bigger than I expected.

 

Do bear in mind too that the eglu is only used for sleeping and laying so they don't really need loads of space - it's the run space that is the important thing. Chickens tend to huddle together at night-time and don't really move about and the nesting box is only used to lay and is designed for 3 hens (or is it 4 ). Occasionally you'll get a queue but 2 hens can sit side by side if they're desperate .

[Clur]

I thought the eglu was expensive when I first saw it. If you are new to chicken-keeping, it's quite an expense and I think people think the eglus are bound to be more expensive than a traditional coop purely because of the design. There's an assumption that anything 'designer' is bound to be more costly.

 

Because we were so keen to keep chickens (well, at least me and DS were!), I really looked into everything in detail, and the clincher was that the eglu would need less maintenance overall and be easier to keep clean. It's also fox-proof which offered the reassurance I need.

 

The initial outlay of chicken-keeping IS expensive - whether wooden coop or eglu, but with the latter, when you work out how long they'll last etc. it made sense to me. I was lucky enough to be able to buy a second-hand eglu, if I couldn't have got that, I would have agonised about buying new!

Edited June 6, 2008 by Guest

[Seagazer]

My neighbours looked over the fence at the Cube yesterday and chatted about the chickens. They said they'd never seen anything like it and in their day (long time ago) you just bashed a couple of bits of wood together etc etc

 

Then went on to tell me that Mr foxy got all ten of the chickens.......

Hmm I know which one I prefer

[The Dogmother]

The first-timers who come on my chicken courses always comment on how the eglu is much bigger than they thought.

 

you'd be surprised how many birds fit in one too. If they are free-ranging most of the time, you're really only restriced by the size of the run if they need to to be shut in. I have a run + extension and have 10 little bantams in mine - they have ample room and always want to squash into a corner to fit sleep despite there being plenty of room.

[Egluntyne]

No real point to this post, sorry!

 

There's no real point to a lot of my posts either, but I don't let it stop me!

 

I don't think Eglus are expensive , but compared to something cleverly knocked together from recycled wood, maybe it would seem to be.

 

It is just that neither Him Indoors nor me have either the time, the inclination nor the ability to make something as clever as that.

 

I would have to spend £360 on tools to start the job anyway.

 

I chose Eglus for the whole package, having lurked on the website and forum for ages before I went ahead.

 

The info I gleaned about red mite etc made me realise that lovely though many wooden houses are, they weren't the route I wanted to take.

[Guest]

It looks much prettier than a wooden coop....:

 

I think that's a matter of opinion!

 

everyone's entitled to their opinion but let's not start knocking each other's choices. I didn't say my wooden coop was prettier than your eglu as that would be rude!

[Cinnamon]

I don't think anyone is knocking wooden coops Poet,despite this being a forum primarily used by Eglu owners

 

Its just Offsprings opinion that Eglus look nicer - no rudeness meant,I am sure.

[Guest]

No rudeness meant at all, it was just my opinion...

 

In fact, I don't even own an Eglu and I currently house them in a wooden shed/barn! So I'm currently with you poet, but I'm turning over to the dark side!

 

I am just looking to downsize a bit and I love the appearance of the self contained Eglu and the fact that it's so easy to clean and maintain, when compared to my old shed...

[Charlottechicken]

It looks much prettier than a wooden coop....:

 

I think that's a matter of opinion!

 

everyone's entitled to their opinion but let's not start knocking each other's choices. I didn't say my wooden coop was prettier than your eglu as that would be rude!

 

But this is a forum for Eglu owners We can't brag about our lovely coloured plastic chicken houses on other forums as there are usually lots of 'traditional' chicken keepers who think we have more money than sense, and are fly by night chicken keepers.

 

Anyway, the Eglu is not expensive, as someone has already said, the cost is relative. Mine cost me over 50% of my monthly household income, and was saved for in a month. I was prepared to live on fresh air for a month to get one, if you really want one it is possible . I grew up with chickens in large 'deep litter' and run arrangements, and the Eglu appealed in all the ways a wooden hut didn't. I think some of the designs are really pretty though, but they won't sell well on ebay in 10 years

[Egluntyne]

 

If we are made to feel awkward about extoling the virtues of the Eglu on this of all fora, then the world has gone mad.

[Guest]

A huge positive for wooden coops is that they are environmentally friendly and will biodegrade naturally...

 

...But on the other hand the Eglu should last longer, so you shouldn't need to keep using up renewable resources!

 

Living in these green times does anyone know if the plastics used for the Eglu are recyclable at their end of life?

[Egluntyne]

Yes they are

 

From the Omlet Website:

 

Made from energy efficient polymers using modern construction techninques the eglu will last for years and at the end of its life can be 100% recycled.

[Christian]

Living in these green times does anyone know if the plastics used for the Eglu are recyclable at their end of life?

 

Where do you think crocs come from?

 

 

[The Dogmother]

No rudeness meant at all, it was just my opinion...

 

In fact, I don't even own an Eglu and I currently house them in a wooden shed/barn! So I'm currently with you poet, but I'm turning over to the dark side!

 

I am just looking to downsize a bit and I love the appearance of the self contained Eglu and the fact that it's so easy to clean and maintain, when compared to my old shed...

 

I was very ant 'plastic chicken houses' before I seriously got to looking at eglus too. I knew my grandfolks' wooden chook houses and pens, and my friends had them too. This made me acutely aware of the maintenance involved in more traditional housing. I fell in love with the simplicity of the design of the eglu.. and that was it.

 

I understand that the eglu plastic can be recycled easily, in fact 'mis-moulds' can be ground back down the be re-moulded.

[Cinnamon]

I currently house them in a wooden shed/barn! So I'm currently with you poet, but I'm turning over to the dark side!

 

 

I prefer to think of it as going over to the bright side