What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Mrs Webmuppet]

At the moment we have a wooden coop & run but it's not very child friendly ( or me friendly either for that matter) but I am considering splashing out and getting and Eglu or Cube but I have few questions. The chickens are housed in the corner of the garden and you can only get at one side of the coop as a result ( there is only about a foot between the coop and the fence) and theres about two foot between the back of the coop and the fence. The space is quite restricted due to the pear tree being stuck at the other end of the run.

 

Just to give you an idea of the space

 

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg311/Mrswebmuppet/Insitu_s.jpg

 

( the coop doesn't look so good anymore and there are a few more plants around that bit of garden)

 

So which one would be the most practical? Size wise they would probably just about fit, but it's things like doors and poo trays that I'm not sure about.

 

We have two bantams and one hybrid at the moment.

 

Opinions please

[tom123]

Honestly I would say an eglu . I don't have 1 myself but if I remember rightly you only need to get to one side and the back so that wouldn't be a problem. You could very easily keep 1 Hybrid and 2 bantams in their as it is designed for 4 medium hens (hybrid size)

 

Good luck on whatever you choose

Tom

[Madbird]

Hi, we could only put our cube up against a fence (about a foot away) and it's fine.

 

 

We put the side with the door mechanism agains the fence, leaving the egg hatch on the easy access side. You can easily reach round from the back of the cube to operate the door mechanism.

 

We recently added the 1m extension but before that just had the cube and the standard run it came with.

 

The cube measurements/floorplan are given on the website - why not measure it out using string and pegs, so you can see how much of your garden it would take up.

 

I think you'd be fine with a cube and of course this means you could get more chooks

[Madbird]

The wooden structure you can just see on the right of the picture is a walk in run extension my lovely other half has just built.. its not finished yet, but we will have to turn the cube around, so that the cube run leads into the new run extension - this will mean that the egg port side will be against the fence and whilst this may mean a little bit less easy access to the egg port, not a significant issue at all - will still be able to get in at the eggs, and obviously for cleaning out we will remove the back of the cube....

 

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Thank you Madbird..........don't tempt LMW with buying more chooks, she has plans to fill one with bantams ( or mini chickens as she calls them )

[Madbird]

Would I?

 

 

[chelsea]

if there is a compromise on space I would definitely recommend the eglu.

 

The cube is cumbersome, big and quite heavy to move so if you have a small area to move the cube around in (i.e. - for washing/cleaning) it will be quite difficult to manouvre in a tight space.

 

I have both versions but prefer my eglu. Its so easy to dismantle and move.

[RichardandFamily]

Having both an eglu and a cube i totally agree with Chelsea. The cube is very big and an awkward shape but the eglu is perfect, it's small, easy to use and funky looking.

 

Richard

[Gallina]

If you don't plan to move the run around, the Cube is a much better use of space than the Eglu.

 

Beware however of the space needed each side of the Cube to open the eggport and door lever. That may be the deciding factor for you.

 

I very much prefer the Cube to the Eglu. Hens who are shut up all day do too, I am sure: there is so much more headroom.

[Plum]

Definately go for the cube if you have limited space. You have a wider area and they have the height so you can put perches etc in. Unless of course you intend to have a walk in run. Lilac is good.

 

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Head room is a factor for Bumble as she appears to be quite a tall chicken/ spends a lot of time craning her neck to see whats going on.

[Plum]

Don't they all. Mine only have to see a slight movement in the house and they are craning

[AbigailGrace]

Well we just got our eglu and it's fab..

It was a little bigger than i thought.. And the lady we got it from had 4 hens.. We have the run extender too.. (1m) You can buy these from omlet too.!

But it does look rather cool..

Now all i need is the chickens!

But you could always try it out.. See if anyone near you has one for hire.. Or borrow for a little while..

I suppose you will get whatever suits you..

 

Not really a help but hey.

 

Abigail

[Janty]

I would say to go for a cube. I find them much easier to clean than the eglus and as others have said, you can add perches, etc. My mini chickens have chosen to move in with the big girls in the cube and you can't argue with that.

 

 

You will be able to see for yourself and have a measure up on the 15th.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Little Miss Webmuppet & I are really looking forward to the 15th and we just have to convince the OH that the Cube won't fill our little garden. Although I think he would like some more chooks too...........but only if they look pretty or wierd ( he had his beady eye on some Silkies before)

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Woohoo..........Mr Webmuppet has agreed to a Cube ( in lilac to match the flowers in the garden) subject to checking out Jantys Cube on the 15th .

 

 

I think the final straw was the door falling off the wooden coop and the thought he might have to do some woodwork...........he would have to undo my bodge jobs first to fix it!

[ClaireG]

Woohoo lucky you

[Ygerna]

Woo hoo, lucky you.

 

I am not in the least bit envious though

[Mrs Webmuppet]

I haven't told LMW yet otherwise she will be working out just how many mini chooks would fit in a cube.

 

That is a point how many bantams ( and one hybrid chook) could you fit in a Cube with a two meter run?

[tom123]

Yeyy!!!

 

Well claret has 12 in a cube with 2 extensions i think???

 

I would have thought with just the normal run i would say 2 more bantams = 1 hybrid and 4 bantams

 

 

Good luck

Tom

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Thanks Tom,

 

That's what I thought, 2 more bantams would be about right. Though getting LMW to select only two might be tricky............

[Janty]

A lilac cube would look lovely in your garden...congratulations.

 

[Mrs Webmuppet]

It is all subject to measuring up and checking out various bits and bobs on a Cube.........like can LMW reach to do the food and water & how much room do we need to get the poo trays out etc. I reckon it would probably fit with a bit of re-arranging of the paving slabs.

 

I have done a temporary fix on the wooden coop so it should last a bit longer, to give me time to save up/ visit Jantys on the 15th to have a good look at her Cube.( You would have been proud of my woodwork today Janty )