Chicken bald back

[kittyl]

I have a wood framed 12x6 WIR with a wood coop inside, I want to get a coop to go outside -

against the run,I was planning on converting a small shed, but I'm worried about the redmite risk.

I see by the pics that some of you have done this with a Cube.

 

My biggest concern is about the roosting bars, this design is so different than we (&the hens) are

used to. If we dont get on with them is there a place to fit a perch?

In very cold weather I like to add extra shavings & soft straw, surely this would cover the bars completely?

what do others do in winter?

I always do a daily poop pick, is the cube quick & easy to get into for this?

Is the nestbox big enough for more than 1 hen at a time? -My huge Orpy likes to hog the nestbox.

Despite being plastic is it heavy enough not to get blown over? (I've heard of this risk with plastic coops)

[Daphne]

My biggest concern is about the roosting bars, this design is so different than we (&the hens) are

used to. If we dont get on with them is there a place to fit a perch?

I don't think fitting a perch would be easy, but none of my birds have a problem with the bars, even going from a wooden house with no perch to the cube. I keep orps and in fact these low bars are great for them - less jumping required. Because they are all at the same height there is no squabbling over top spot either.

 

In very cold weather I like to add extra shavings & soft straw, surely this would cover the bars completely?

what do others do in winter?

I don't bother with any extra bedding in winter, even for my small bantams.

 

I always do a daily poop pick, is the cube quick & easy to get into for this?

Mine is on the ground, the poo trays still slide out just fine.

 

Is the nestbox big enough for more than 1 hen at a time? -My huge Orpy likes to hog the nestbox.

The nestbox is huge - big enough for 3 orps or 1 and a cockeral!

 

Despite being plastic is it heavy enough not to get blown over? (I've heard of this risk with plastic coops)

It weighs a ton. I take the lid and poo trays out when moving it.

[Olly]

I'd agree - no risk of it blowing over, and easy to get into to clean. The hens don't seem to mind the roosting bars, but I don't think you could very easily fit a perch in there if you wanted one. I've got an Eglu Classic again now, but when I had a Cube I never bothered about winter weather - they are cosy enough in there.

[kittyl]

Thanks for the replies, one more question -

does anyone have an orpington? how does she manage with the ladder? (My Roly is such a

clumsy girl she couldnt use the wooden ladder on my coop, & we had to build her a ramp.)

[karlotta]

I have three orps and a brahma and they all cope fine. One does fly into the house rather than climb!

[Plum]

I made a ramp from picket fencing. If you really don't like the roosting bars take them out and put in a freestanding one. You can get them from FoFancy but mine have all used them straight away

[kittyl]

Thanks for the advice, I think I'm pretty well decided to get one, hoping to take a look at one

this weekend, then I'll order. We replaced the wooden ladder on our old coop with a homeade ramp,

I think I would try to re-use that on the cube. guesse you cant use screws,would I tie it on?

I have three orps and a brahma and they all cope fine. One does fly into the house rather than climb!

(- Karlotta, my orpy is too fat & clumsy to fly anywhere! )

[beach chick]

my orp (now in great chicken house in the sky) used to manage the cube ladder just fine when it was free-standing, and then we attached the cube to the WIR and used that picket fence stuff from the garden centre which goes all the way to the ground - again she was fine.

 

we've also screwed into the cube without a prob, we attached it to the outside of the WIR with brackets for extra security. cant remember how we fixed the wooden ladder on but I will look when I next go outside!

[Plum]

My wooden ladder is just laid over the cube ladder but you could cable tie it on

[kittyl]

Thanks all, I've ordered my cube. Now I've got to dig up a huge shrub to make a space for it!

I was thinking of putting down a couple of paving slabs for it to go on, I'm afraid that if I put it

on earth it may sink a bit & I wont be able to move it? Has anyone got any adviceabout

whats best to sit a cube on?