4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[LJ's Chooks]

Oh its happened.... I couldnt keep my li'l green eglu empty, so i've got the orpy bug!!!!

 

How many orpys can I keep in an eglu????

 

I've found some chicks, so my plan is to keep them in the eglu til they are old enough and then i will let them choose if they want to sleep with my other brutes or sleep in the tranquility of their eglu....

 

They will spend most of daylight in our large pen and only go in in the evening??

 

In our cube we have 7 girls, with 2 extensions, but they do not get on, so i dont want to rely on them sleeping in there when they are older..... of course if i had a large Averies 4U WIR is OH reading this on his travels?????

 

Do we think 2 would be the max.... or could I go 3 as they will be out all day when they are old enough???????

 

[Gallina]

I would say none, but someone will soon disagree with me.

 

My Orpington would not be able to stand up straight in the Eglu -- she is too tall. It is not recommended for large birds.

 

(I am ultra-sensitive about this, being 5' 11" and not having been able to stand up straight on a bus since I was 12.)

[LJ's Chooks]

MMMm good point Gallina....

 

I guess when they are old enough they will free range with the other girls and make their choice.... whilst they are chicks they should be ok in the eglu????

 

When ever we have the cube and the eglu open our other daft girls always squeeze in the eglu together, so I wouldn't be surprised if they end up with the cube to themselves!!!

 

I just dont want them to mix until they are big enough to be let loose with the rest of the girls..... and hopefully that wont be too long as they are such a big breed.

 

Thanks though Gallina!

[Valkyrie]

Before I got our girls I asked Barbara at Omlet, so here is her reply:

 

You could fit 2 Orpingtons or similarly sized birds into an Eglu. I'd not recommend having any more than that as they are so big. The run is going to be the most restricting part though as it was only designed to accommodate 2 medium breed hens for long periods so unless you're able to let them free range safely in the garden all day, I think you might need to extend the run a bit to give them more room. We are now stocking run extension panels in the Omlet shop which increase the length of the run by one metre with each panel used if you want to give 2 hens more run space or allow enough room to keep up to 4. You need to start off with the run converter which is one metre long. The run slopes upwards towards the end and the converter takes away this slope and allows for further extension panels to be fitted to it if you want to increase the length further. You can find details of the converter and extension panels in the Omlet shop - http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php?cat=Chicken%20Extras

 

I hope this helps but if you have any further queries, please don't hesitate to contact us again.

 

They do indeed get really huge, so we have 3 in a cube (then you can get a few more ). We have the extension on our run aswell. They are much happier ranging around the garden (mainly because they are manipulative and I'm a sucker). They are put back in the run around an hour before bedtime with their tea. But then an Eglu would come in handy for a broody.

[muzzie]

When I first placed my order for the eglu I was told by Barbara that the Orpingtons would not fit. Having my heart set on orpingtons I was soooooooooooo thrilled when the cube was made available here in the USA then I could have my much desired Orpingtons. I have 3 BO chicks in the brooder waiting for their new and extension to arrive. We will then have the Omlet Village USA with 2 & a I hope to move one of my Gingernuts in with the Orpys so I can use the eglu for a broody.

[Valkyrie]

This was Barbara's reply to my next question:

Hello Kerry,

 

Don't worry, you're not being a pain at all so please do ask any questions you have.

 

I think a Cube would be better for larger birds as it has more space inside and also more height in the run which is much more suitable for large birds such as Orpingtons. It also gives you the option to add more if you want at a later date as the Cube is probably large enough for 6-8 Orpingtons or up to 10 slightly smaller breeds with the 3m run.

 

Yes, you can mix breeds successfully but the thing to avoid would be keeping very different sized birds together such as big Orpingtons and tiny bantams as the smaller birds tend to get picked on. Keeping all large or medium fowl is absolutely fine.

 

I very much doubt that your neighbours will hear the hens clucking. It's not a loud noise at all. They talk to each other in a gentle way and it's hardly noticeable at all. There is the odd louder cluck when they lay an egg sometimes - it's almost an "ooo" of surprise! They do an alarm call if they are startled by a loud noise or a bird of prey flying overhead but it is no way near as loud as a dog barking or a car alarm going off. We generally take no notice of those, so I really don't think that the odd noise from the chickens will disturb anyone. Any initial noise they make will settle very quickly as they get used to their surroundings and it is nothing compared to dogs barking! You will occasionally get a hen who likes the sound of her own voice but these aren't very common and even a noisy hen is quieter than a barking dog.

 

Legbars should mix very well with other birds and aren't any noisier than other breeds so should be ideal, in fact.

 

If you're unable to supervise them while they are out free ranging, they'd definitely be safest inside the Cube run if you have foxes in the area. It's amazing how quickly they realise there are hens arond so keeping them securely shut in the run when you're not able to keep an eye on them is the best idea.

 

Good luck! Buying the hens is the most exciting part so have fun. If you have any other questions, just ask and I'll do my best to answer them.

 

Best wishes,

 

Barbara

 

Er, mine like being gobby at the moment! But I love the cube - and you can reach it easier when cleaning.

[LJ's Chooks]

thanks so much for this... as i am rapidly sinking into paranoia!!!

 

I have both the cube and eglu set up, so I'll put the chicks in the eglu as they are only 7 weeks old (2 gold laced orpingtons) and then see how i go with introductions when they are old/big enough, though they are set up in the chook free range pen so they will be able to see each other all the time, so i hope introductions will be ok when they are ready....

 

When they are all together, they will get the choice of where they want to go at bed time...

 

I've just been out to clean the eglu and once again all 7 ended up in the eglu via the back door!!! they are so cheeky!!!

[Daphne]

We had 2 L/F orps in an eglu with a standard run for a year. They were perfectly OK, but spent 95% of their time in a pen or free ranging. I now use wooden housing for my L/F because they are bigger - just like a cube.

 

I have raised 3 L/F orp growers in an eglu minus the perches before putting them a larger wooden house and mixing them with others at around 3-4 months. I plan to raise my next lot of chicks in one. I have also temporarily housed a Sussex cockeral in an eglu - he is taller than an orp but less wide!

[Valkyrie]

i am rapidly sinking into paranoia!!!

I think that sums me up anyway!

Love the goldie lacies. Hope you enjoy them more than worry (hah, easy to write). Mine are getting used to week old chicks and are happy digging in the same hole, although we have to watch Apache just in case. Other than that they all seem fine together. I'm sure it'll all be fine. Good luck and enjoy those chickies - they don't half grow quickly!