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

[rufusrooster]

my new eglu ?

 

just received delivery today and i'm impressed, i intend getting 3 hens but is it big enough ? there doesnt seem to be a lot of roosting room for 3, woud it encourage bullying ? would i be better with 2 hens and a bantam ?

ive really set my heart on having 3,

what experiences does anyone else have of keeping 3 in an eglu

[Patricia W]

The roosting room isn't an issue - they all pile in on top of each other. Its the run size which limits you.

 

Best not to mix Large Fowl and Bantams as the bantam may get bullied. Three large fowl would be OK in the run with an extension if you intend to leave them in there most of the time. If you let them out to free range for a decent time each day, then you may get away with the standard run.

 

I have 3 bantams and a standard run wasn't big enough for them and I had bullying so they free range all day now.

 

Tricia

[Chunky_Monkey]

I have three hens in an eglu and they're fine. At night when they roost, they only take up about a quarter of the house because they all squash up together! The run is usually ok for 3 hens, but I suppose it depends on how much free range time they have as well.

 

3 is usually a good number to start off with. If you get 2, and one dies, you'll be left with a lonely hen, and then you would have to find some more, and introducing can be hard.

 

I'm not sure about hybrids and bantams. I was going to get 2 hybrids and 2 bantams and got mixed ideas from lots of people. 3 Hybrids should be fine together.

[Falkor]

I agree with Patricia.....there is LOADS of room inside the eglu...when my three orps were in there they only used to take up about a quarter of the space. If they weren`t such big buxom lasses they would still be in there but had to move them to cube as they were getting too tall for the Eglu. Also gave me an excuse to get more hens

 

It is def the run size that is the issue.....I have added a converter (cheers Tina C) to my run for the two newbies.....it makes SO much difference!

[Egluntyne]

Loads of room....they all scrunch up in the corner.

[rufusrooster]

thanks for your advice everyone. after reading previous posts i intend to keep them in the eglu & run during the day and free range them as soon as i get home from work or mid afternoon on weekends,

if im not home early my wife can let them out at 3.45/4.00 but its getting dark by that time in winter anyway, are they ok in the eglu & run for several days in winter,

the run to me seems ok for 3, its not freee range i know, but its a lot better than stuck in a cage 24/7.

what do you think ?

[rufusrooster]

dont know why, but i thought they might all want there own bit of space in the eglu !