Eglu Cube Coop For Sale

[Bettiboo]

Been to look at chicken houses today and liked the look of an arc with the accommodation above the run. Can anyone tell me of any pros and cons to this type of accommodation.

 

Many thanks

[jnb]

Just got one of these and based on my limited experience the only downside is that the birds kick a lot of material from the floor of the hen house out so it you're using straw to catch the overnight chicken "Ooops, word censored!" you'll be constantly topping it up. Someone suggested attaching a few strips of timber around the pop hole to form a lip which could reduce the problem but obviously needs to be low enough to not obstruct anything so probably wouldn't eliminate it altogether.

 

I would also like to have seen an extra pop hole size door into the top of the ark so I could put birds in with less risk of the ones in there jumping our but otherwise seems very good (if not the cheapest)

 

I'm using one of the boughton arks where the house runs the full length of the run below

Edited April 26, 2010 by Guest

[ValerieR]

I am told by friends who have them that they are quite heavy and hard to move around the garden.

[jnb]

... if you're using straw to catch the overnight chicken "Ooops, word censored!" ...

 

Not on topic but why on Earth is a normal word for chicken droppings being censored in a forum where people might reasonably and justifiably talk about chicken "Ooops, word censored!"?

[Cooks]

I guess the word may be misused otherwise?? Its a family forum so the filter is in place to keep it a nice and friendly place

[jnb]

I am told by friends who have them that they are quite heavy and hard to move around the garden.

 

Fair point. Using the handles it's a two man job to lift them. Not so much because of weight but because they're relatively large and cumbersome (about 1.9 m x 1.2m). Wouldn't that be true for any reasonable size chicken house and run though? I'm thinking of adding a pair of wheels to one end so I can move it single handed and not have to call on the Mrs each time a move is needed.

Edited April 26, 2010 by Guest

[jnb]

I guess the word may be misused otherwise?? Its a family forum so the filter is in place to keep it a nice and friendly place

 

Fair enough but it looks like someone left it on it's default settings which in that case are just plain wrong.

[Egluntyne]

As this is a family forum , the word censor has a reasonably robust default setting. The word you used is one that is filtered out deliberately.

[Redwing]

I dont like the fact that the arks with living above tends to have the living as a tunnel, I dont personally believe its all that healthy for all but the smallest bantams due to head room restrictions also heat needs to rise away from the chickens and airflow is a bit restricted

 

In saying that I like the idea that they go up to bed - its more natural, I also like the way the top bit shelters the run in bad weather

[jnb]

I dont like the fact that the arks with living above tends to have the living as a tunnel, I dont personally believe its all that healthy for all but the smallest bantams due to head room restrictions also heat needs to rise away from the chickens and airflow is a bit restricted

 

In saying that I like the idea that they go up to bed - its more natural, I also like the way the top bit shelters the run in bad weather

 

Though in looking at how to transport chickens it seemed that allowing 10 inches from floor to ceiling was sufficient and there's certainly that much space. I have to admit I looked at it and thought 'is that enough space' but with the birds in it it's larger than I expected. Although that may vary according to which model and make you have, certainly I've seen some which looked very small. The one thought I had was would there be enough space to move past one another if one was getting pickked on because of the tunnel arrangement.

[chicken bark]

I like the idea of hens going up to roost and then having the shelter beneath from the elements. My only worry is that the run underneath is usually too small to keep hens in all the time. So if you are having to add run extensions then that might make the arc even harder to move.

 

Having said that there are some really nice one's out there.