Sarah71 Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Hi all, may I ask your advice. My eglu and 2 chickens arrive on the 27th April. I have ordered 2 chickens with the eglu but now my hubby wants 3. I'm happy with just 2 for now, we only have a small garden and our neighbours are very close to us. So what are the pros and cons of having a 3rd chicken. Is the eglu big enough for 3? and which one do I have, I've had one of each you can buy from Omlet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 We have 2 chickens. But I long for another one, but its always harder to introduce a third chicken to an established pair. I would definitely go for 3 chickens if I were starting out. There is plenty of room in an eglu for 3, an extra chicken really isnt going to be anymore trouble than 2. Also if anything bad was to happen to 1 of your chickens and you lost one (touch wood it wont happen) then you will still have 2 chickens, as a lone chicken is never a good idea as they love company. Go for it, go for 3 !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 I'd say start with 3 too. I had 2 chickens delivered originally and added a third a year later and it wasn't particularly easy and she still gets picked on but to have 3 at the beginning would have been perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Go for 3....they are no more work than 2....The chances are that you'll become so besotted that you'll wish you'd gone for the 3 anyway....so you will avoid the traumas associated with introducing one at a later date. ....Also, on a gloomy note, if one becomes ill in the future, your others will have each other for company if the worst happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah71 Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 Ok, but which one Mrs pepperpot or Gingernut ranger, got one of each already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Go for 3 Sarah for the reasons peeps have already said Why don't you ask Omlet for the 3rd Chicken to be a surprise Chicken, then they could choose for you Maybe there are slight differences between individual Pepperpots and Rangers, subtle differences in feather colour that way you would be able to tell them apart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Three!!!!! Try phoning Omlet and asking if they have any other hens in - sometimes they do different types so they may have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 We are all pressing the same button here! I started with two, but lost one to a fox. The other one was so lonely, it was horrid. I'd definately get three if I were starting off again... if something awful happens to one of them, you haven't got to rush out to find a replacement straight away. The Eglu is big enough, but as I don't let mine free range, I bought the run converter which gives them an extra metre of run. They are all perfectly happy in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Hi Sarah, I would say to get 3! I only ordered two from Omlet and wish I had ordered three.....it would be more difficult to add a new one now than if they had all arrived together......plus if your husband is already happy to have 3 without you having to persuade him......(lucky you!) I have two Gingernut Rangers - I ordered one of each but they didn't have any Miss Pepperpots at the time. It is really easy to tell them apart and they have different personalities too! I like the idea of a surprise 3rd hen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Hi Sarah! Def go for 3, I did and im so glad! We went for 1 and 2 and the kind folks at Omlet gave us 2 that are differant. Shirley has more ginger feathers than Laverne so we can tell the difference! We originally got the standard run, which they were fine in, as well as a small corner of the garden in which they free range. As both of us will be away with work for 2-3 nights per week, we bought the converter as Annie says above. It really does give them more room when stuck in the run all day. They are fine in the run and only start pacing the door when they know we are on our way to let them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Definitely 3, for all the above reasons! Plus you can never have too many eggs - I'd like to have a few surplus to give or sell, but as a family of 5, even 4 chickens only just cover our needs! If you can find a local supplier, maybe you could get 2 omlet hens plus collect another on the same day from another supplier? That's what I did - 2 omlet plus 2 purebreeds for a bit of variety! But even the 2 gingernuts that I have (omlet had run out of Pepperpots when I ordered) are very different, to look at, in temperament and even egg colour! Whatever you decide, you'll love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 I would say go for three for all the above reasons, but add a run extension after they have settled down, as the run is a bit small for more than two hens. (Start off without the extension, as it is easier to deal with young chickens in a smaller run: you may have to poke them into bed, or fish out eggs laid in strange places.) If you are set on having Omlet hens, I would go for two Gingernuts and one Pepperpot, simply because the ginger ones show up so much better if you let them out in the garden; and they look more cheerful in the winter too. But they are all lovely really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 definitely go for three, for all the reasons given above. I have two, and wish I had a third but I can't face the stress of introducing a new one. If something happened to one of mine (god forbid) I would certainly get another two. I think I'd get the run converter then though, to give them a bit more space. Three are no more trouble than two (and they are remarkably little trouble anyway), but it's 50% more fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourfinches Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 We've got three - one Gingernut & two Pepperpots, we decided on three rather than two for similar reasons to those above. The Pepperpots are quite different in looks and personality from each other. I'm glad we decided to have three; problem is I'd like more! Morag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah71 Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 3 it is then....by the way, to the people who have lost chicken to foxes, have they got into the eglus to get them, I thought they were fox proof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsbates65 Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 I live in the states, and keeping chickens in town is quite unique. OK, my neighbors will probably think I really am wacko! Since I live in Kansas, most people don't see chickens as pets. . .they are food. I have been a vegetarian for over 10 years. . .so I don't think the same way. Actually I haven't even eaten eggs for that long because of how "factory farms" treat the animals. So keeping two chickens will allow me to once again enjoy eggs. But first & foremost they are my pets! And the Eglu is the only way I was able to do it. . .I don't even remember how I stumbled across the Eglu online. . .but it's already changed my life! (And Rosemary & Clarisse are still brooding inside while the Green Eglu lies in wait!) For me, although I did consider 3. . .I kept it at two initially. I wanted to make sure my neighbors saw that they are pets and that I wasn't starting up chicken farming next door. I guess I sort of thought 3 might seem different than 2? LOL Plus being totally new to chickens. . .I wanted to step lightly into it, so I do right by them. One day I will probably end up with a 3rd (would love a Silkie). . .and I will have to deal with the struggles of adding another bird. . .but for me, 3 just didn't seem right initially. OK. . .LOL. . .I'll shut up now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Hi, and welcome. I started with 2 from Omlet but had already decided I wanted a speckeldy hen so that came from a local breeder a day or so later and there were no problems introducing her. There's loads of room inside the eglu at night so I bought the run converter/extension which gave me room for another chook. So last week we got a bluebelle - she is gorgeous, so pretty and gentle. The problem start when the others are established and you introduce another - it isn't nice to see how they bully each other until they setttle down. Wishing you loads of luck with your final decision - but I'd say make it three and ask Omlet for a surprise hen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 I ordered 2 - one Gingernut, one Pepperpot - from Omlet but 2 days before the delivery we changed our minds and ordered a third. So I now have two Gingernuts and a Pepperpot. One of the gingernuts has a few black tail feathers and the other has a few white, so they are easy to distinguish. I would guess less opportunity for a bully with more than 2. One person had a fox dig its way into the run - he had very light soil. A couple of other people have had hens attacked through the run fencing. But generally, the eglu and run are fox-proof, so don't worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 It really depends on how much space you have and how much free-ranging they'll be able to do. We wanted 3 to begin with but knew that they'd have to spend a certain amount of time in the run with as much supervised free-ranging as possible after work/school and at weekends - we can't leave them unattended in the garden because of the ever-present fox danger. Our garden isn't quite big enough for an extender. I spoke to Omlet and was told that although the Eglu is easily big enough for 3 birds, the run in its basic form is definitely not suitable for more than 2 if they're to spend a fair amount of time in it, as ours are. So we have 2 and all is well - very well, in fact. When I look at Blanche and Stella in the run I do feel that 3 would definitely be too crowded for their comfort; they're not huge (a Sussex Star and a Speckled Star) but they do take up a fair amount of room in there! Good luck, whatever you decide - I'm sure you'll love chicken-keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debratugwell Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 so just to clarify, does everyone believe the standard run + convertor will be big enough for 3x Black Rocks to stay in most of the time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 It will be fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Yep....I reckon 1 piece of kit per chicken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
