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

[poppycat]

Hi There

 

I am about to order a cube from omlet and will be keeping chickens for the first time.

 

Is it a good idea to order an extra water and food trough now as I have to pay for delivery of cube anyway (or should I buy a normal round chicken one with a lip).

 

I am sure I read somewhere that if you have an extra grub and glug you can go away for the weekend and the chickens will be fine - is this correct!!

 

If it is longer than a couple of days I would be able to get someone in to top up food and water etc.

 

I will have 3 chickens (to begin with )

 

Thanks

 

Lou

[cockadoodle1]

The glug holds about 4 litres of water so if it is hot they may run it dry so it may be a good idea to supplement this. I have a gravity feeder which goes on the 'lawn' when they free range that holds another 5 litres I have 6 chooks and they never empty the glug completely You may find that they can't work out how to use the glug as mine couldn't work it out hence the gravity feeder POL won't eat as much pellets as hens that are in full pruductionso the grub will probably be ok overnight.

Remember if you leave food out overnight you can attract vermin. Hope this answer your queries

[poppycat]

Great Thanks Cockadoodle!

 

I saw another thread that mentioned the super chicken feeder hoppers through flytes of fancy and they look quite a good option.

 

I imagine this type of feeder will also be less likely to attract vermin if it is out overnight.

 

Also does anyone know if I need to buy a second set of roosting bars - I saw somewhere it was recommended but not really sure if necessary

 

Finally anyone got any opinons on whether I should get 2 pepperpot and one gingernut or the other way round. Both breeds look good and I cant decide.

 

My main concern is them being tame and friendly as my two young children want to be involved.

 

So much to think about. Thanks so much for reading.

 

Lou x

[Olly]

It used to be recommended to buy two sets when the roosting bars were wooden, however now they are plastic and so there's no need - you can scrub them down and dry them in minutes.

 

If you're getting three chickens, I'd say the Grub and Glub would be ok for a weekend, I leave mine for this long and it holds enough, but if you're thinking about increasing numbers in future then an extra feeder of some sort is useful becasue you may need to have more than one food station when introducing new chickens.

 

I've never owned a Pepperpot, but I believe they are just as friendly as the Gingernuts, I can certainly recommend those as mine have been reliable egg-layers and very easy to handle.

[laurmurf]

hello and congrats on ordering your cube! What colour??

 

I've got six in one of my cubes and for that I've got 3 grubs, 2 glugs and a superglug in there. I think having spare grubs and glugs is an excellent idea - when we're at home I've got a spare while one's in the dishwasher (yes, I really mean that ) and when we're away and they're shut in the cube run, there's plenty of food and feeding options.

 

One of my girls doesn't let the others near her grub when she's eating (which is always), so if i only had one the other chooks would rarely get a look in!

 

The superglug isn't at all popular, but useful when on holiday as it holds so much. I ordered extra glugs to make sure water was always around. If you can do it and save postage, then I would recommend that.

 

Oh and I never bring my food in overnight... too lazy. Have never seen signs of vermin though.

 

As for gingernuts and pepperpots - i've got a couple of each and the generalisations I'd make are: gingernuts are the greediest creatures on the planet so cupboard love is very big on their agenda; pepperpots seem to be more curious and somewhat gentler, although both of mine go broody so keep that in mind too.

 

If you are thinking of having more than 3 (and chook-keeping is addictive) then I would heartily recommend you get them at the same time as this first lot: introducing new hens takes a long time, lots of patience, and spare housing for a good few weeks.

 

If I could do it all over again I would still start in a cube with 6 (or maybe 8? ) but i would have a mix of hybrids and pure breeds for eggs and longevity.

 

welcome to the forum!

[poppycat]

Oh, thanks guys - lots to think about there.

 

I do want to get more than 3 eventually but we are renting our house at the moment and the landlord will only allow 3 (with a dog and a cat already she thinks I am turning into the mad animal woman .)

 

When we move we hope to have more land so I can get more and do a proper dedicated free range area - but for now I must stick to only 3. Thanks for warning me about the integration issues though.

 

Interesting observations about the breeds. To be honest they both sound nice breeds and good layers so I dont think I can go far wrong either way.

 

With two boistrous young children (2 and 4 years) greedy rather than gentle may be the way to go

 

What colour cube? Now theres a question. Me and OH cant decide. At first I liked the green then thought maybe blue or red now I am thinking green again.

[Hen Watch]

I have 2 grubs and 2 glugs which I use all the time (even when not on holiday) as my bottom chook doesn't get a look in at food when the others push her away, so 2 grubs is great for me. And yes, filled to the brim, very handy for going away. Also if you are away for a week, it's less topping up for a chicken sitter who might not be so able to catch any escapees whilst topping up food.

 

I have 2 Gingernuts (really friendly, greedy, inquisitive) and 1 Pepperpot (originally 2 but one died on me after 2 wks). My Pepperpot is a little more reserved than the Gingers in that she comes over for a look-see and eats from my hand but runs off when finished. Howver as she crouches a lot she is quite easy to catch. But do get at least 1 Pepperpot as she has the most beautiful colouring and is by far my prettiest chook (it's her in my avatar photo). They ALL get on well with my children and also my 3 and 2 year old nephews. The Gingers are marginally less likely to run from my terrorising nephews.

 

Love my as it blends in with my garden.

[poppycat]

Thanks Hen Watch - 2 ginger and 1 pepperpot I think it is then.

 

I think we are also going for the green - I keep looking at the other colours thinking they are lovely but I think the green will blend into the garden well.