Smart Door Power Options

[Lesley]

Lesley is the forum tiling guru.

 

- I don't think so! I should think Stevie is, working with them all the time!

[Stevie]

You'd have chickens skittering everywhere!

 

lol-it'd look like 'Dancing on ice',but in a chooky kinda way..!

[Cyber Chook]

Hi Tiggerlady, let me say straight off that I'm certainly no expert, and very new to the wonderful world of chooks, haivng just got my cube in April, but just wanted to say that, so far, I'm glad I got it instead of the wooden one I was considering as well.

Cost-wise, I'm not sure by the time you add everything up, the run etc, whether there's much in it, and the convenience and great design swayed it for me. It's very easy to keep clean. I don't have a good back, and being fairly tall as well, I find everything that needs regular getting-to is at a good height for me.

Personally, I haven't found that the gaps someone mentioned earlier on in this thread have been a problem. Of course, I haven't been through all four seasons yet, so maybe there's an issue with rain or wind or snow that I haven't had to face yet, but in the awful rain recently my cube was fine, and the girls seemed snug and happy.

 

Good luck with your decision-making!

Caroline

[chickenanne]

I have a wooden coop and I love it....!

It's raised up so the chickes can get underneath it for shelter, and no bending for cleaning etc; it's smooth inside with minimal nooks for mite to lurk in; it has good ventilation, but is draft free, water-and-weather tight, it's very easy to clean out, it's really robust and sturdy so fox-and-vermin proof.... I think it's fab. Also, it's quite cottagey and pretty which goes with our house and garden much better than something more modern-looking would.

The only downside of wood is that you will need to treat it every couple of years, just as you would fences or sheds - although this is really not a big or time-consuming job, and you can get away with doing it less often.

Have a good look at the coop you're considering, and avoid if it has lots of hidey-holes for mite or a felt roof (these are awful for giving mite problems, rooves should be Onduline or similar). Of course there are some rubbish wooden coops on the market, but there are plenty of really good, well-designed ones too.