Solitary chicken - need advice

[eggregiousness]

My youngest daughter is coming home from London tomorrow and is going to help me put the Chicube up on its stilt! I am very excited - don't know how the Fabulous girls are going to take it! The ladder is quite loooooooong!

Edited October 18, 2009 by Guest

[Karen & co.]

I saw them on the website they look fab don't they? Hope it goes well

 

Karen x

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Coo, we need pics of this once it's up....how do you post a cochin in a house on a pole if she chooses not to climb the ladder........best I go & have a look on the website to see just how tall the pole is

 

Is this it.....http://www.chicubes.co.uk/wooden-chicubes/raised-wooden-chicube/prod_28.html...I was worried about how you got into the nestbox too...presumably it's not as tall as I imagined ?

 

Sha x

[eggregiousness]

Coo, we need pics of this once it's up....how do you post a cochin in a house on a pole if she chooses not to climb the ladder........best I go & have a look on the website to see just how tall the pole is

 

Is this it.....http://www.chicubes.co.uk/wooden-chicubes/raised-wooden-chicube/prod_28.html...I was worried about how you got into the nestbox too...presumably it's not as tall as I imagined ?

 

Sha x

 

The pole is as tall as you make it! I concreted it into a hole which I dug so if it's too high it's kinda my fault! I could have had it made shorter too if I'd wanted. The ladder has plenty of rungs and is made of wood so the grip shouldn't be too bad. My ladder is actually broken and they are sending me a replacement but I've managed to make a temporary repair for now. The girls are only 13 weeks old - don't know whether that makes it easier or harder! They don't like roosting bars yet but they are enjoying snoozing in the sun on my slatted sun-lounger which they can hop onto OK.

 

They certainly love the house and are in and out all day long. I hope that doesn't change! I will post pics of the set-up - and also one of the first successful chick-on-a-stick! Mine is not wooden by the way - it's green plastic - the wooden ones look very pretty but too expensive for me, especially if you buy anything other than the tiniest one! Also I couldn't see (and din't ask) how to get into the nest-box without taking the whole liner out and I don't fancy that - too much effort!

Here's hoping!

[Plum]

So do you climb the pole too to get to them

[eggregiousness]

Hope not!

[abwsco]

Looking forward to seeing pics and hearing how you and your girls get on with it

[Lewis]

How did you get on?

I've been waiting for photos

[eggregiousness]

We haven't done it yet! Got distracted by a bottle of wine and a lot of gossip! I promise photos!

[Gamebird]

You must have finished your bottle of wine by now - so where are the photographs of your cube on a stick

[eggregiousness]

We had a go yesterday and couldn't lift it! It's "large" size. I'm going to have to wait until my husband comes home in a fortnight to help me do it - and that's a whole other story! So - sorry - no pictures yet! We very nearly got it up there but we were afraid of dropping it .The girls are still very happy with it on the ground, and Lilly the white cat (who has adopted the chickens) has taken to sleeping in there too ! I am jumping up and down in frustration though. The suppliers offer to put it up for you (for a fee) but I wanted it on the ground for a while with the run - so it's my own fault!

[Olly]

Grr - how annoying ! (for you, not us, I mean). Well, that changes the 'it's like this, sweetheart ... ' conversation a bit, doesn't it!

 

Can't you borrow some brute force to help you lift it up there? I find it (brute force) is usually easily bribed with offers of home-made cake.

[eggregiousness]

Well, that changes the 'it's like this, sweetheart ... ' conversation a bit, doesn't it!

 

More than just a bit! I'm too shy to ask anyone else, cake or no cake.....

[eggregiousness]

A quick update to let you know that the "chick stick" is up and running and working beautifully! The girls (cochins) have no trouble negotiating the ladder. Although it is a long, high ladder the rungs are quite close together and easily gripped by chicken feet. They sometimes flap a couple of times on the way up/down but seem happy enough to do it. They still go up and down the ladder during the day for food/to hide from the rain. My ladder was damaged and Chicubes have been very good - they sent me a lovely new one free of charge. I will post some pictures if you would like? I'll try to get some shots of the girls on the ladder.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I will post some pictures if you would like? I'll try to get some shots of the girls on the ladder.

 

If we would like ............comments about bears & woods & the religious leanings of the Pope spring to mind ...........of course we'd like to see pics

 

Sha x

[Redwing]

Thats brilliant! glad its all done, what a long wait for you

[eggregiousness]

Here you go! Took these this evening. I think I put them off a bit hanging around and flashing lights at them but they worked it out eventually!

 

 

Here's a daylight shot:

 

Is it time for bed asks Patsy?

 

Night Night!

 

And so to bed:

 

Wait for me! says Eddy

 

Are we going up or down?

 

Up! No! Down!

 

No! Up!

 

Budge up Patsy!

 

Whew! Made it!

[Plum]

Brilliant love the comments. Your girls are gorgeous

[Redwing]

That looks fab

 

Lovely chickens too

[Space Chick]

Fabulous What lovely girls too

[Patricia W]

How do you keep them so white???? And how is it for cleaning?

 

Tricia

[eggregiousness]

How do you keep them so white???? And how is it for cleaning?

 

Tricia

 

They keep themselves like that - I've done nothing to them. Sometimes they get wet, grey feet but they soon dry off.

The house is basically an empty cube with shiny walls so easy to clean. I poo pick daily then once a week I brush it out, spray with Poultry Shield, let it soak in then hose out. I have a brush which I use on any really mucky bits. The whole thing can come apart if you need to dismantle it but all the panels are very heavy and I haven't tried it yet - think I would need some muscles in as back-up before I try it!

[chick wiggle]

Brilliant pictures, really brought a smile to my face, the chickens seem to cope with the ladder very well indeed! Well done!

[Olly]

oh wow, great pictures - it looks really cool, and they are gorgeous chickens.

 

I still don't quite get the cleaning bit - I can see what you mean about it being easy, but do you have to stand on a step-ladder to do it?

[eggregiousness]

oh wow, great pictures - it looks really cool, and they are gorgeous chickens.

 

I still don't quite get the cleaning bit - I can see what you mean about it being easy, but do you have to stand on a step-ladder to do it?

 

No! I sank the post down quite deep (on attempt number 2) because we have very soft, sandy soil and my husband looked at attempt number 1 (he knows about these things) and passed it unsafe. The base of the house is now around mid-chest height. I had to chop 4 rungs off the bottom of the ladder to fit the new height - seems a lot but a little bit off the height means a lot more off the ladder length (not quite how Pythagoras worded it but... ) I can do all my cleaning standing on the ground. They will make the post any length you want actually. I got the standard length. I am in the middle of fitting a VSB door and I do stand on a steps to fiddle with that. I take the ladder down when I come home at night (do mostly back shifts) and feel very sure that no fox could get in there. I can't imagine any vermin managing either without the ladder. Hope that helps!

 

I should say that the panels are all enclosed in aluminium and bolted together. All joints are therefore aluminium to aluminium. There are rivets fixing the aluminium to the panels. These are my only concern for red mite. They do make wooden houses which have a liner with no joints (open at the top).