Eglu Cube Coop For Sale

[Heidi-Hi]

Hi, got a couple of questions since getting my cube yesterday. Sorry if they sound really stupid !

 

1. Do you put a thin layer or aubiose or newspaper in the poo trays with the bars on top. The mess this morning was unbelievable!

 

2. Also, do you put aubiose in the egglaying bit so that it is a bit more comfy for them? There is a big slit in the bottom of this, and I found that the Aubiose went straight through onto the ground. What is the slit for?

 

3. Does the poo trays slide in all the way to be flush with the side of the cube? If they do, I'm doing something wrong, because mine sticks out a good inch or so with the silver clips at the bottom showing!

 

4. Diatom - is it OK to dust directly onto the plastic. I'm sure it must be...

 

Bless them, the girls were so good last night. 1st night in their new home, and the moment the cube was finished they lined up and went to bed! I love them already

 

Thanks for any comments, I've been wanting a cube for so long, and now it feels like I don't have a clue! (LOL and I'm trying to look like I know what I'm doing in front of hubby as he is not a happy chappie already re. the size of the cube etc! ) Thanks!

[Tutti Frutti]

Sorry if they sound really stupid ! They don't, don't worry!

 

1. Do you put a thin layer or aubiose or newspaper in the poo trays with the bars on top. The mess this morning was unbelievable! Yes, I line the poo trays with newspaper then, every morning, roll them up and compost them

 

2. Also, do you put aubiose in the egglaying bit so that it is a bit more comfy for them? There is a big slit in the bottom of this, and I found that the Aubiose went straight through onto the ground. What is the slit for? Yes, I put Aubiose in. That slit is a pain - I tried to cover it up with newspaper but the girls just dug it up! So I put Aubiose in each end and avoid the middle! The slit is for drainage - I've only seen it working once when one girl was in there and laid a soft shelled egg - the rest of them were underneath eating anything that was dripping through

 

3. Does the poo trays slide in all the way to be flush with the side of the cube? If they do, I'm doing something wrong, because mine sticks out a good inch or so with the silver clips at the bottom showing! Yes the should slide all the way in. The silver clips shouldn't show and should actually tuck into the small recesses underneath the poo trays.

 

4. Diatom - is it OK to dust directly onto the plastic. I'm sure it must be... Yes, absolutely fine!

 

 

Heidi, you might want to get something tougher to sort out the red mite problem - anything with Permethrin in will KILL the mites on contact (I believe) but it means an egg withdrawal period (not sure how long). Diatom is a mechanical agent, so it relies on it's sharpness to pierce the mite's shell and then it dehydrates (or something like that!). So I'd use it as a preventative, rather than a cure.

 

Total Mite Kill (available at Countrywide) is fantastic. I've also dusted my girls with Johnson's Anti-Mite Powder (not licensed for use on poultry in the UK) and dusted the house LIBERALLY with Anti Red Mite powder and Diatom.

 

Once you've done a treatment, you need to repeat it in 3 days to capture any that have hatched from eggs since the last treatment.

 

Enjoy your girls!

[jess1merlin]

Hi Heidi

 

I put a layer of aubiose in both the poo trays which makes it much easier to clean out. I pick the poo out daily and top up with a handful of clean aubiose if necessary. Then I just wash weekly and use poultry shield.

 

I block the slot on the bottom of the nesting box with rolled up newspaper (think others use various other methods to block it) then fill with aubiose and dust with diatom.

 

I'm not sure about sliding the trays in, I will have to have a look.

 

It is fine to use diatom on the plastic.

 

Enjoy your new cube, you will soon get used to it

[chick wiggle]

Hi Hiedi

Yes to everything Tutti has just said, i also put newspaper in the nest area to stop the bedding falling through, and my girls just leave it. So may be worth a try, they might dig up the paper they might not. If they do, i know some people put some plastic on top of the hole. I also dont remove the newspaper and bedding from the poo trays every day, i have 11 girls sleeping in my cube and i find every 3 - 4 days is just fine.

 

The poo trays should line up with the back of the cube too. Are you pushing the silver clips up a bit when you push the poo trays in? when the trays are all the way in, they shouldnt just pull out, you should have to push the clip up a little to pull them out. Hope that makes sense.

 

When i clean the cube, i wash and scrub it out every other week and give it a good dowsing with poultry shield, when that has dried, i dust the whole thing with diatom, and touch wood, so far, no red mite.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cube, they really are easy when you get a routine.

[Heidi-Hi]

3. Does the poo trays slide in all the way to be flush with the side of the cube? If they do, I'm doing something wrong, because mine sticks out a good inch or so with the silver clips at the bottom showing! Yes the should slide all the way in. The silver clips shouldn't show and should actually tuck into the small recesses underneath the poo trays.

 

I'm such an idiot. I had the bars same direction as the poo tray. No wonder it didn't fit properly