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[Old Hazel]

Hi - can anyone offer some advice, please?

 

We're hoping to get a home for chickens very soon. We're torn between an Eglu Cube for its ease of cleaning, the fox proof run, less likelihood to get mites etc and a Flyte So Fancy long-legged Maggie for its traditional look and for the self-opening door. I'm a bit worried about the run with the Maggie though - it doesn't seem to have a skirt and our garden isn't very even so I think a fox could easily burrow underneath.

 

What do you think? I don't want to ignite a whole plastic vs wood debate really but wondered if anyone had the same concerns? Is there anyone with a FSF run who can say whether it is foxproof or say what they did to make it so? Has anyone developed a self-opening device for an Eglu Cube?

 

Thanks very much for any help. I've been reading this forum a great deal and am getting a bit scared by all the awful problems some people are having with mystery beasts killing their hens and terrible diseases. We are still determined to go ahead and have chickens though because you all sound so devoted to them!

 

Hazel

[Olly]

I can't offer much advice on houses - it would be the Cube for me every time, but then I have never had a wooden house. I just wanted to say - please, don't worry too much! People tend to post on here when they have a problem and need advice, those whose hens are pottering happily about the garden without problems don't post on here as much. There are things that can go wrong, but they are mostly fairly rare and unlikely all to happen at once, so please don't be put off!

[ScottishMike]

Eglus are very very easy to clean - and they generally don't need treated in the way that wood does. I personally think they are a clear winner from that point of view alone, simply because the day-to-day care is the real time consuming business as it all stacks up

[Redwing]

The Eglu cube is excellent and easy to clean but the FSF houses are also a good choice, they are well designed and good quality so you have narrowed it down to two good choices

 

Some of my wooden runs are completely wired underneath but you could always add a skirt to a wooden run, weldmesh can be cut to anout 10 inches wide and stapled to the base of the run frame

 

Also I have laid a 2ft length of weldmesh on the ground then placed the run on top so that half of the mesh is inside the run and half outside (does that make sense?)

 

If any weldmesh is inside the run if you peg it or weigh it down when you lay it the hens wont catch their feet in it and before long its embedded in the ground anyway

 

If you want to move the run maybe the stapled on skirt option would be the one to go for

[crazy kc]

Hi hazel,

I've been down the wood vs plastic route and bought wood.

12 months later I had a bad outbreak of mites which I couldn't erradicate so finally bought a cube and burnt the wooden house.

I wish I had got the Cube in the first place (more expensive but well worth every penny)

I never close my cubes house door as the run is foxproof and the hens can come out into the run on there own. I then let them out to freerange when i get up.

I do have quite an uneven garden so have pegged the run skirt down. If you go for a run without a skirt I would place paving slabs around the outside to stop mr fox.

Hope this helps

[Mercedes55]

I love the Maggie's Hen House, I was on the point of buying one a couple of weeks ago. I was going to buy a big pen with it and a mating panel so that the hens would be able to just come out of the house and be in the run. I was also going to buy the set of sleepers and woodchips to put the whole thing on.

 

What changed my mind was a whole load of problems with red mite that people on another forum I go to have had. There seems in my mind no doubt that a wooden coop is going to be more difficult to keep free of disease as things like red mite can live in the crevices that you can't reach when cleaning. I've heard of people using blow torches in their hen houses to get into the corners. I just couldn't handle all of that stress.

 

I want hen keeping to be an enjoyable experience and not have to worry all the time about the time needed to keep a wooden coop nice and clean. I do agree that particular hen house looks absolutely gorgeous, not sure what they would look like after a couple of years. We bought a beautiful wooden Summer House a few years ago and at first that also was stunning to look at, but every year it needs a coat of paint to keep it nice and there are gaps here and there, despite it being tongue and groove.

 

I know the Eglu and Cube aren't the prettiest of things, but they are just so easy to keep clean and pest free

[ISCA]

No hen house and run is completely fox proof- foxes have got into eglu set ups in the past as well as wooden ones.

 

I have a wooden coop and run (from Woodenart) and it is very fox resistant as it is laid upon slabs with a 1 1/2 foot solid concrete circumference all around the run, so foxes, stoats, weasels etc can not dig in. You could do the same thing with a FSF set-up.

 

Alternatively FSF do offer a "No dig skirt" as an optional extra for their runs:

 

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Optional_Extras_for_Henhouses___Runs.html

 

The automatic opening/ closing pop hole (VSBi) is a fantastic invention. I have one and it makes life easier as I work unsocial hours and hate getting up early! My chooks pop hole currently opens at 7am and closes at 9.30 pm, so the chooks are secure when I am not there and can get out early (but not too early). It's probably the most useful piece of chicken equipment I have and I rate it 10/10. I do not think you can have one on a Eglu.

 

Finally, I recommend a coop that is higher than floor level as it is easier to clean and more rodent resistant.

[the bradley bunch]

we bought a beautiful blue & white painted wooden hen house a couple of months ago and as soon as it arrived i knew we'd be lucky if it lasted 12 months before it needed treating. i've found that every week i've had to scrub even harder at the poop & dirt stains on the legs & door of the house, and on the wooden frame of the run to keep it looking clean. after 6 weeks i've now accepted they aren't all going to come off completely and the paint is all scratched in places where i've scrubbed too hard

flyte so fancy look to produce excellent quality houses tho, and i'm certain even their painted ones would be a lot more resilient against a good scrub & clean evey week than our one - but i think the whole point is that with a plastic house you don't have to 'scrub' them clean. i love having a traditional hen house design, and everybody always comments on what a beautiful house it is and what lucky hens we have, but i know it's going to be hard work to keep it that way and i think in 12 months i will be forced to replace mine because it will just be too much effort to return it to the condition i bought it in, and re-painting the whole thing inside and out (wooden houses should be treated/painted inside as well to deter red mite) would just be a pain in the backside

i plan to purchase a cube next year as our brood increases in size... and am secretly saving up for one as hubby really doesn't like the look of them and for now it's easier to let him believe he's going to build us a bigger one when the time comes! (i'm clearly the one who does all the cleaning so he has no appreciation of the true benefit of plastic over wood!)

honestly go for a cube... you'll have a lot more time to spend enjoying and getting to know your girls rather than cleaning/maintaining their house!

 

ps. if you do give into their beauty as i did and purchase a wooden house, a sprinkle of diatom in all the cracks & crannys every week and directly onto the birds once a month should prevent any encounters with red mite

(i buy mine from flyte so fancy cuz they do a cool refillable puffer bottle which is very reasonably priced. i also buy all my other chicken products & supplies from them too cuz their prices are great, deliveries always come next day, and they have a great help line which you can annoy with all of the weird & wonderful questions you'll encounter as a newbie chicken owner!)

Edited July 17, 2010 by Guest

[CatieB]

Hello and welcome to the happy world of hen keeping.

 

I have recently bought the cube and LOVE it. I have previously had a wooden house and the cube is far better for me as I find it so easy and spend such a lot less time with cleaning and maintence. To me thats the most important point as we are very busy so I needed ease. During the summer we leave the door open all the time and just let them free range when we want.

 

Everyone has different views and it depends what is important to you - I think I'd summarise it as ease versus looks. Although that said I love the look of the eglu as well but then again I'm a bit odd at the best of times

[Mercedes55]

I was reading on one forum where a woman had her coop made with the frame outside the house so that although it didn't look so pretty from the outside there were no crevices inside for red mites to hide. I thought the wooden ones would be okay as long as they were cleaned out thoroughly and treated regularly against red mite, but apparently it's impossible to get right into the interior joints without taking the coop to bits as these mites hide totally out of sight, which is why people are using blow torches. I guess it all comes down to looks over practicality

[the bradley bunch]

yes i have to take my wooden house apart once every week to sprinkle diatom in every corner.

a weekly clean takes about an hour (and that's with a small house to fit 5 hens), compared to the 20 minutes i've been told it takes for a Cube weekly clean *so jealous* lol

 

i think Mercedes & CatieB have it pretty summed up:

I guess it all comes down to looks over practicality

ease versus looks

[Lavenders_Blue]

I have a wooden house and have had no problems with it. I check regularly for red mite (wiping round perches etc when I clean out and occasional night time checks with a torch) and I have never seen a red mite in my coop.

 

A quick spray round with Poultry Shield when doing a full clean out is all my coop gets and I would estimate that this takes no more than 20 mins.

 

Whether you choose to have a wooden coop or an eglu, vigilance is the key to successfully spotting and treating a red mite attack.

 

A blow torch is one way of zapping red mite, as is a steamer. The heat kills them and is much better than power washing which simply blasts them off (so they can crawl back in again ) You can also use a powder like Buz Busters (Claret has posted a link to this in the past) which is a permethrin powder which kills red mite and I think Chucky Mama has posted a link to a fogger which you can use in the coop to get rid of a red mite infestation. So should the worst happen, there are some simple measures you can take to eliminate the mites.

 

However in the 9 months I've had my wooden coop, I've not seen any red mite so please don't worry that wooden coop automatically means red mite.

[Isabel]

Hi Hazel - and welcome!

 

I've got the Maggie's 6 from FSF and I love it! It's the long-legged version with run. Didn't get the anti-fox skirt (although it looks fab) as we spent another small fortune on an electric fencing kit so as our girls can f/r in a good sized area all day but we have the option of the run if we need it. The Maggie's is easily cleaned being on longer legs (really recommend this - think of your back!), there is a removable poo tray, a large access door at the back and the nesting boxes come off for easy cleaning. I've only had mine a couple of months so can't tell you how it will winter, however, FSF recommend a coat of Marine Sealer (on their website) each autumn (roof only I think). I do a big clean about once a month when i throw out all the old bedding, take everything out and spray liberally with Poultry Shield. Depending on the weather it takes a little while to dry. Following advice on here, I'll be puffing Diatom over the inside of the house next time I clean - up until now I've just done the bedding and underneath the perch bars. So far, no redmite. I also put a couple of inches of Aubiose bedding (available from FSF) on the floor under the perch bars (cover the entire poo tray) and just poo pick every morning - the aubiose is fantastic cos it's so absorbent.

 

I can't comment on the Cube - I, like you, tossed up between the Cube and the Maggies but opted for the Maggies as I love the traditional look.

 

Keep us posted with what you decide and then we'll need pics of your hens!

 

Isabel

[abwsco]

We started off converting a wooden shed. I've swapped over to a cube by using the money made from selling the girls eggs. I did get a small infestation of red mite in the shed but that wasn't the reason I swapped. I swapped as I found I was getting backache when doing a full clean of the shed and I didn't want to be suffering with that. The cube takes the same length of time to do a full dismantle and clean as my shed did and I have to get DH to help me move it to take the top off.

 

I suppose I haven't really helped much-lol

 

Whichever you go for I'd say get as big a run as you possibly can or even a walk in one which is what we have.

 

Oh, and don't forget that eglus and cubes can get red mite too.

[karlotta]

If I had the choice between eglu/cube and wooden (which I did of course!), I'd go for the cube. If I had to have wooden I'd go for a FSF house - I saw them in the flesh this week and they did look lovely.

 

Last week I had a minor red-mite occurance incident in one of the eglus. It took about 2 mins to poultry shield and diatom all over and no sign since.

[donald]

I had a wooden forsham and it did last a good several years but ended up on the bonfire. It was riddled with rot and a fox broke in the wood and killed the flock bar one!

 

Also to hose out a wooden house in the winter left it sopping wet(absorbant). Plus you may need to treat it, looked good and quaint to begin with but ended up scruffy.

 

Last year I got a cube without a run to save money as they are expensive but in the long term more cost effective. I work shifts and the cube is attached to a wooden run with concrete floor so the door is left open all the time. One year on no mites at all(I keep looking). Recently I bought an eglu classic and its fantastic love it. If you only want a few chickens the eglu is brilliant.

 

Good luck with your decision , I didnt find it hard to change over best house ever

 

Donald

[Jools]

As a couple of others have said, wooden houses don't actually come infested with red mite, any more than plastic houses do. Regardless of what you choose, vigilence and prevention are the key.

 

My oldest wooden house is five years and it's honestly as good as new. You get what you pay for in the first place, and if you're sensible, you look after it. That means giving them a coat of something once a year, but as I've said before, spending an hour or so with the chickens isn't exactly a hardship

 

I don't understand the scrubbing to keep it clean post, but then maybe I have clean and tidy bantams and chickens. I think the most important thing is finding a routine that suits you - for me that's aubiose and daily poop picking, followed by the big clean when it needs it and a spring-clean once a year. It isn't exactly arduous and anyone who doubts it works is welcome to inspect.

 

Flytes have a great reputation, so do Omlet. I'd ignore the red mite red-herring though. If plastic housing was the answer, why are there so many red mite posts here.

[Mercedes55]

From what I have heard from other people it's not about how clean the house is, so I would agree that endless scrubbing will probably give you a very clean and nice looking coop, but it won't have any effect on red mite. It's right that of course no coop comes with red mite in it, it takes time for them to build up and I'm sure if you use preventative measures then you will have a good chance to stop any red mites taking hold. I know it is possible for even Eglus to get red mite, but I've never heard of anyone giving up on an Eglu because of red mite and buying a wooden coop, but I've heard of countless people ditching the wood for plastic

[Sageandonion]

Hello

 

We're hoping to get chickens in September and have the same dilemma as you. I've been skulking around on here for a while but still haven't made up my mind. My head says an Eglu my heart says a FSF number - probably for us the Hobby hen house though if the coffers stretch to it and it's not too heavy I'd love the Maggie's.

 

Just wondering if you've seen any of the housing in the flesh and whereabouts in the country you are. Both Omlet and FSF are exhibiting at the New Forest Show in July - 27th -29th I believe. I'm hoping that comparing them in the flesh will enable me to make my mind up. If you decide to go to the show and you see a woman with a tortured look on her face running going back and forth between Omlet and FSF, with 3 kids in tow that will be me .

 

Edited to say if we go for the FSF we'd definitely get the no dig skirt for piece of mind hopefully.

[Old Hazel]

I’ve tried to post up 2 replies in this thread but each time it has been lost. I just wanted to say thanks very much to everyone who has given advice and opinions. It really is so helpful to have this opportunity to pick the brains of all of you who are experienced in this.

 

Unfortunately, I’m not in the country and so can’t go to any of the shows but my husband was in England a few weeks ago and went to an Eglu “hen party” where he was able to see an Eglu and a Cube and to talk things over with a chicken keeper.

 

I can’t wait to get going on all this now – but we have no idea where to get hens and that will be our next challenge! I’ll keep you posted.

 

Thanks again!

Hazel

x

[hippy chick]

I'm happy with my wooden coops. I do think that good management and regular poo picking is the key. I have a layer of hemcore on the floors and clean the poo out daily. Once a fortnight I give them a blast with my steam cleaner followed by poultry shield. I haven't had a problem with red mite yet (touch wood) and I have had my original wooden coop for a year.

[Old Hazel]

I’ve been reading through lots of posts today and am amazed at how many people upgrade to bigger houses or to Cubes just a month or two after first starting with hens. This sounds a very addictive hobby. Even just reading this forum is addictive!

 

I fear the worst with regard to the red mites! I live in the last house in a small village and it seems like Bug Central here. The cats only have to stick a paw outside to get attacked by ticks. At the moment we are battling harvest mites … the cats always have a problem with these at this time of year. I can only imagine a vast army of red mites is gathering ready for the chickens…

 

But I’m learning a lot on here and I have my books and I’ll make sure I get into a good cleaning routine with whatever house we get. Think we’ll order it tomorrow!

 

See ya!

Hazel

[Mercedes55]

I do agree there are lot of us not having our Eglu very long before upgrading to a Cube. I was so close to buying a Cube to start with but the price put me off. However I'm not regretting my decision as when I have my Cube I will be able to use the Eglu for any new hens I get, or if I decide to sell it I'm sure I will get a good price for it

[Jools]

Old Hazel, it will probably just come down to your personal choice - whether you go for a plastic or wooden house is often just a matter of taste.

 

I have never owned a plastic house so I can't comment, but I can reassure you that red mite are not guaranteed in wooden houses either. Red mite feed on blood and need dark crevices to hide in. Chicken houses are ideal! If you go for wood, make sure you don't get one with a felt roof and choose something well built with the best materials. The rest is up to you - vigilence and prevention are key to avoiding red mite, whether you go for wood or plastic.

 

And yes, get bigger than you think you need. It's much more important that they have too much room than not enough .... and it is addictive.

[scarlettohara]

There's not a day goes by that I don't think 'I love my cube' but I am quite sad