Shelley Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I'm about to embark on this here chicken raising and the first of no doubt many questions arises. For reasons of hygiene and pragmatism I'm definitely investing in a cube, but what about the (extended) 3m run that can be bought with it? is is substantial enough for four of them to roam around in on a day to day basis or should I look at building something that's dimensionally bigger. Is the entrance to the run really big enough for a grown adult to access? And once in there do you have to crawl around on hands and knees to do a bit of housekeeping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CluckyBucks Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Hello there and welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of chickens Your supposed to allow 1m per chicken if that helps. Persoanlly, i own an eglu classic and i have to crawl in there to s"Ooops, word censored!"e and clean the contents of the run, you just need an old pair of trousers and the freedom to get mucky Im sure somebody with a cube will be on soon and hopefull answer you better than i have. Bestest luck with it, and happy new year xx xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Four would be ok in a 3m run but three would be far happier Omlet recently changed the front door of the cube run to a bigger size which has made a big difference to housekeeping apparently, some people with the old small doors have cleverly adjusted their cube runs so that a bigger section opens on the front - I think the details are on a sticky topic in the Eglu/Cube section of the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Welcome to the forum . You could always go straight for a walk in run . Lots of lovely photos to drool over here . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 With the new size door, which we got on our cube, you can get in and walk around provided you are happy to stoop a bit - it obviously helps if you are short like me. I don't have to do hands and knees. I can rake out all the base material from the run (I use Hemcore) and put it in the compost bin and replace it without kneeling. If you want to put material such as Hemcore in the run you need to cover the run with a clear tarpaulin to stop it getting wet in there. It is a very good system, but I would like a WIR when I can persuade DH. We have three chickens in there. You house four at a pinch but no more than that really. We let ours FR whenever we are at home (which is most of the time) so they are actually not confined very often. My cube is on a base that I built contained within one of the Link-a-Bord kits that Omlet do. This base is 2 x 3.5 metres. A WIR of that size could cope with more chickens and not really take any more space out of the garden. Given what I know now, I'd have a WIR and use the cube as the hen house, but I didn't know at the time whether I'd take to chicken-keeping, so the cube plus run is a good starting point. I just need to persuade DH that I a) need a WIR and b) need more chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Hi, and welcome to the forum I started with a cube then got the extension, I had 5 birds in there and with a bit of freeranging they were happy. The door of the run is big enough now for an adult to get into and clean with just a little stooping. However, knowing what I know now, I would save the extra £100 on the extension, and put that extra money towards a WIR. A WIR neednt take up much more space in your garden but makes everything (from cleaning, filling feeders, drinkers etc) sooooo much easier. Beware, chickens are very very addictive but so much fun and each one has its own adorable little character. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, let us know how you get on and any more questions (of which if your anything like me, there will be hundreds ) just give us a shout, there is always someone on here who will be able to answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Welcome to the forum . You could always go straight for a walk in run . Lots of lovely photos to drool over here . I agree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 That's all really helpful advice. Thanks for such prompt and fulsome replies. It kinda confirms what I'd imagined. I do have the space for a bigger run - just not the inclination or skill to construct one myself. Now to checkatrade to find a friendly and adaptable man with a drill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 My OH built ours but a lot of people on here go for Tony at Avairies4you, if thats wrong Im sure someone will be on here to correct me. I do know that everyone raves about how good Tony is though! If you can go for a WIR straight away I know you wont regret it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I think Tony is the king of WIR's I'm getting mine from West Hagley Aviaries, should be delivered next Thursday morning Where abouts are you? Someone near you may know someone local that builds them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 Thanks for that. We live near Kingston in Surrey. Any local knowledge out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbier Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I'd second the rec for Tony: his panels are very solid, though you would need a modicum of diy skills (and tools) to assemble it yourself. Anyone half competent can do it though (I did!). I'd have saved money by getting an eglu without a run at all, and just putting it straight in a wir, knowing what I do now. It's much easier to clean than an eglu+run, not sure about a cube though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Take a look at Raina's post of today just below yours, there is a link to a good bargain WIR, looks decent, not as good as Tony's but we cant have it all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emchook Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 West Hagley Aviaries only deliver within 100 miles according to their website... and I am in Surrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I'd second the rec for Tony: his panels are very solid, though you would need a modicum of diy skills (and tools) to assemble it yourself. Anyone half competent can do it though (I did!). I'd have saved money by getting an eglu without a run at all, and just putting it straight in a wir, knowing what I do now. It's much easier to clean than an eglu+run, not sure about a cube though. I would echo this. Rokers near Guildford will make panels to your specs. NO idea how much though, you could ring them. I have a Tony WIR. (did not know about Rokers before so did not research it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
