My eco solution to rat problems

[Lara]

Our chickens sleep in their eglu but we don't use the run as we converted some outbuildings and part of the garden into their own super-duper large run!! We have 3 chickens but they are such fun that we wanted to add a couple more. Can I have some advice please on how you go about this? Obviously a few more chickens and life in the eglu at night would get a bit cramped. Our initial idea is to add another eglu into the run but does this cause confusion as they decide who sleeps in which eglu at night? What do people do who have more than 3/4 chickens? I don't want to go about buying a wooden chicken house as the eglu is so practical. All advice appreciated please!

[Martin B]

If you phone up Omlet they will sell you an eglu on its own without a run. If you have more than 4 chickens a second eglu is advisable. The chickens however will decide where they wish to sleep. Sometimes all the chickens will go into the same eglu.

[Egluntyne]

Ditto to what Martin says Lara...phone them up...they're very helpful.

[Lara]

Thank you! Will do. And is it true that you need to add any new chickens at night time to help stop them fighting?

[Egluntyne]

Hi again Lara....there is a sticky here which discusses all aspects of introducing new hens. I think the main points are accept that there will be a few skirmishes, make sure there are several food and drink "stations", put them together at night....and they'll establish a new pecking order in their own time.

[Cinnamon]

I bought 2 Eglus without runs, & I think they wre about £100 cheaper with no run

[Martin B]

I bought 2 Eglus without runs, & I think they wre about £100 cheaper with no run

That's good then. Lara if you have patience you could wait for a mk3!

[Lindy Loo]

I have also bought an eglu without a run. The girls decide where they want to sleep and although we have 3 eglu's they often choose to sleep in the same eglu - 9 chickens in one eglu is a bit of a tight squeeze but after lots of to-ing and fro-ing on my part to get a reasonable number of chickens in each eglu I gave up and let them get on with it. My eglu's are in a purpose built run/house so I don't need to close the eglu doors at night.