EGLU HEAT PROBLEMS

[TheFeatheredFiend]

The OH and I went to visit Mrs Webmuppet today to see an Eglu cube in the flesh.

After a guided tour of the cube, a cuddle with her chickens (we took mealworms with us as a bribe) and a chat with Mrs Webmuppet and her daughter over her fabulous home-baked sponge cake (with home-made strawberry jam, no less) we were convinced.

 

As soon as we got home we placed an order for a green cube with 2 run extensions (total of 4 metres) plus feed, accessories and odd & sods. It's all due to arrive next Thursday. I hope Hubby can get the day off!

 

After some discussion, we also plumped for an electric net so they can free-range with a little more safety. It was an extra £200, but well worth it for the peace of mind.

 

So we're £1140 lighter but very excited! We can't wait to go hen shopping next weekend!

Edited February 25, 2011 by Guest

[karlotta]

Fantastic news! Sounds like your girls are in for a treat with your set-up. I love electric fencing - it gives me great peace of mind!

 

What chickens are you hoping to get?

[mollyripkim]

Oh that's so exciting, I bet you can't wait. You'll have such fun choosing your girls to take up residence. Look forward to seeing photos. Good luck.

[TheFeatheredFiend]

The OH has his heart set on Orpingtons, almost certainly buff and maybe blue.

I rather like Amber Stars, Silver-lace Wyandotte and I rather fell in love with Mrs Webmuppet's French Grey today.

It obviously depends on what we can find, but I believe the place we're going to at the weekend has all of the above except the Orps, but we've already found some beautiful buff & blue girls elsewhere so they shouldn't be a problem.

[teacake]

oooh how exciting, have fun choosing your chickens. we saw some cream legbars today, they were gorgeous x

[Sam]

Oooooooo how exciting! Blimey... thats a lot £££! We initially wanted chickens, well not to make money, but to save money on buying eggs! We ended up with an eglu+extension, then a WIR Wouldn't have done anything differently though Congratulations :)

[TheFeatheredFiend]

Our new cube arrived this morning. The first time in ages that our baby had let us lie in past 7am and we're woken by Parcelforce at 8:30. Bah. Still, at least it's something worth getting up for!

Once we'd had a cuppa and fed the little one (and the cat and the parrots) we set about putting it together. We cleared a space in the living room and got to work. It's surprisingly easy to assemble and took us about an hour to get to the stage where you attach the run, at which point we moved it outside to finish it which took about another 90 minutes.

We had to ring Omlet twice. First because we found they'd forgotten to send one of the run extensions we'd ordered (it's now on its way, priority next day AM delivery for tomorrow, thanks Omlet) and secondly because one of the siding bolts that locks the roof in to place was missing. (again, now on its way ASAP)

It's a thing of beauty and looks great at the end of our garden.

Now roll on Saturday! We're going hen shopping!

[Janty]

Whereabouts in Suffolk are you?

Charley at Fritton Poultry has all sorts of Orps and they are really lovely. I have a splash, a jubilee and a gold laced from her. She also has RIRs, light Sussex and pekins.

 

http://www.frittonpoultry.bravehost.com/

[TheFeatheredFiend]

Whereabouts in Suffolk are you?

We're in a little villiage just north of Ipswich, near Debenham so Fritton wouldn't be exactly local, but not really too far either.

 

Charley at Fritton Poultry has all sorts of Orps and they are really lovely. clicky

Thanks for that, those gold-laced Orps are gorgeous!

Unfortunaly they don't have any Orp hens of any kind ready for months.

 

The missing run extention arrived this morning and has been added to the set-up. Just waiting for the electric fence to arrive now.

We've also decided to put up some willow screening along the hedge seperating us from next door. The hedge has lots of holes in it and I don't want next-door's dogs to be able to see our girls and get tempted.

[Janty]

I was probably quite near to you yesterday. I went over to Needham Market via the A140 and A1120 to look at a school.

Small world!

 

[Janty]

Did you get your hens from the Hen House at Diss, Feathered Fiend?

[TheFeatheredFiend]

Did you get your hens from the Hen House at Diss, Feathered Fiend?

 

Nope, they came from the Hen House at Thorndon, unless we're talking about the same place as it's roughly the same area.

[Janty]

Yes it is the same place. My mini RIRs came from there. Did they have any cochins? You also have a good brahma breeder not far from you just off the A140.

[TheFeatheredFiend]

Yes, they did have some Cochins! Very nice birds, but a big bigger than we wanted. They had plenty of RIRs too, not sure if they were miniatures though.

 

Who is the other breeder nearby? I've spoken to so many breeders lately that I can't remember who's who.

 

BTW, you probably passed through Coddenham on your journey yesterday. We are just up the road from there, you could have popped in for a cup of tea.

 

We have photos of our chooks in a new thread here.

[Janty]

I can't remember the name of the breeder but you get to them off the A140. As you drive from the A1120 turning on the A140 towards Norwich, there is a turn off to a grain mill on the left. The breeder is down there. I'll look it up. My blue partridge brahma, buff columbian brahma and mini partridge brahma came from there.

 

I went to look at the school and passed five breeders on the way. Hubby kept looking up at the sky.

 

There is also a breeder not far from Needham market. When you get to the odd railway bridge with the sharp turning you turn left instead of carrying on towards NM. That's where we got MILs ducks from.

 

By the way, what colours were the cochins?

Not that I want any more, you understand.

[TheFeatheredFiend]

Probably best I don't look into other breeders too much, we agreed to have just six and I think this morehens disease could be easy to catch.

 

I'm afraid I don't know what colour Cochins they had as we didn't really look at them. I'm fairly sure they were quite light, though do ring and ask if you're interested as we saw so many hens today I could easily be mistaken.

 

Btw, I had a total brain fart when you mentioned the A1120 and thought it was a completely different road. You would have gone through Pettaugh which is also nearby.

[Janty]

I originally agreed to three and an eglu. Then we saw the cube and ordered four girls from a breeder...two cochins and two brahmas. We came home with seven which included a pekin. The others picked on the pekin so hubby suggested getting an eglu and getting her some bantam friends and we've gone steadily downhill from there. Within three months we had two cubes each with a four metre run and a purple eglu...not that I want to worry you.