What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[parmaviolet]

Thought I'd just mention to anyone in a hosepipe ban area, that it's worth getting in touch with your water provider if you want to hose down your Eglu.

 

I'm getting two new (rescue) hens at the weekend and have been advised that they might be bringing redmite with them .

 

I've been using buckets of water and a dedicated dish scrubbing brush to clean the eglu out with for the past few months, but I figure that two more chooks means more cleaning and I had heard that you are allowed to clean dog kennels/runs.

 

Anyway, I called Thames Water and spoke to a very helpful man, who says cleaning the eglu with the hose is allowable. He's taken a note of our details and given me a reference number. Just as well as I'm sure FOXY LADY will be reporting me

[buffie]

I only use buckets anyway now. used to hose but thought it was a waste of water really as the buckets do the job and we have a water meter. Nice of them to say yes to using it

 

BBx

[The Dogmother]

Yup, we are allowed (as keepers of livestock) to use a hose to clean their housing and to water them. But I wouldn't for the same reasons as Buffie gives above. I use a bucket of soapy water with tee trea oil to clean mine, if you're worried about infection use Milton instead and rinse well.

[parmaviolet]

We were evangelical about saving water as we're also on a meter and have saving devices in all our loos. We've had water meters in each of our homes since 2000, so have got used to being water wise.

 

We have two water butts. We re-use water that we've used in the shower, re-use cooled water used for cooking veggies on the flower beds and often follow a policy of 'if it's yellow let it mellow/if it's brown flush it down' In our house, you're not allowed to flush unless you ask anyone else here if they want to go!!.

 

But as I heard on Radio 4 a couple of weeks ago that Thames Water lose a third of our water before it reaches the tap dueto leaks, I've decided not to feel guilty about using a hose on the eglu. I'm also going to rinse it down on the lawn (might help the grass grow a bit for June and Audrey )

[The Dogmother]

We're on Thames Water here too, and their leakage record makes me so angry

[Chickabee]

I hose mine. I have a special rotary brush that goes in the end of the hose. Also use a filler knife, the wide type, for s"Ooops, word censored!"ing. Jet washer is great occasionally too. Gets in all the nooks and crannies.

[Egluntyne]

Blimey! This is an old thread. I was scratching my head about the hosepipe ban until I saw the date.

[Olly]

me too - there's been no ban here for a while!

[Patricia W]

Thames Water is still leaking though! We had a water van with LEAK DETECTION parked nearby for a week and a man wandering round with what looked like a dowsing rod in metal. As he was wandering along the path of an underground stream which is on all the local maps, I wondered if he knew what he was doing.... No large holes have appeared - yet.

[Chickabee]

Oh dear, how did I do that. Must have been those s few glasses of wine I had last night! Will check dates of threads in future

[KeithT]

On this subject has anyone found a way to REALLY clean the Eglu?

Mine is now several years old, it is cleaned every 2 weeks and whilst the most important part, the inside, is pretty good I find it impossible to thoroughly clean the exterior which is gradually getting dirt engrained into the rough surface. I have tried proprietary cleaners, non-ionic surfactants, stiff brushes the lot! All to v little avail. The Grub and Glug respond pretty well to the dishwasher but I would need an industrial sized one for the Eglu!

I don't understand why the outside was not made smooth in the same way that I don't understand why there is no drip groove on the lower lip of the top cover to throw run-off water away from the droppings tray. Small but significant design failures.

 

Any ideas welcomed.

[The Dogmother]

Jet wash!

[Margaret]

yep, I jet wash too.

Mine really as shiny as the day I brought it from Omlet.

Also that means no need to use and chemicals at all, just water.