Dodge62 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I'm about to take my first foray into chicken keeping. We have limited space in the garden, and while I was originally looking at a Go or Classic, it occurs to me that the Cube with a 2m run actually takes up less space. It also has the advantage that you don't need to bend down to access eggs and droppings tray, which would be an advantage to my wife who can't easily bend down. Six chickens is definitely more than we want to take on at the moment - would three (or even two) chickens be OK in a cube, or would they "rattle around" and find they weren't cozy enough? I expect the run to be semi-permanently mounted on wood chippings, but allow the chickens to free-range as much as possible. I'm aware of the big cost difference, but in the end I wouldn't mind paying that if it's more suitable for our requirements. Thanks Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Hello Roger, welcome to the forum. Opinion may be divided on this but I know what I'd do, with the benefit of hindsight, if I were starting out today. I'd definitely choose the Cube and 3 birds, not 2, and they would be very happy in it. A lovely way to start chickenkeeping, I look forward to hearing how you both get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I'd get the cube. It gives you more flexibility in case you change your mind about how many chickens you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy ben grace Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Hi Roger, i agree withTeabag. At the end of the day you need to decide whats best for yourself and your wife, if she struggles to bend down i would go for the cube.I have both the cube and the eglu and find the cube easier to clean etc. Your chickens will be fine, they wont care if they live in an old box as long as they are fed, watered and safe from pretators! Good luck and enjoy them(thats what its all about!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliidale8 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Hiya, definately go for the cube, although it costs more it is definately worth it. I have a cube and a classic and love them both. However the cube is so easy to use and clean. I have only two hens in it at the moment and they are spoilt for space, three chickens would also have loads of space. ( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosey Lucy Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 If you can afford a cube then go for it, it's sooo much easier to clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge62 Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 OK, thanks for all the advice, folks. I'd better go and give the old piggy bank a rattle. On a related topic, can anyone tell me how much clearance I'd need at the back of a cube to get the trays out? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosey Lucy Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 1m would do but it's tight, I have to tilt the trays to get some out which is fine most of the time. 1.5m would be much easier Good luck, hope the piggy bank makes a lovely rattly sound. I love my cubes. Some nights I have more than 10 ladies snuggled up together but on others they huddle in 2s and 3s. I never know who's going to be where. Contrary madams! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I came to the same conclusion as you and went for the mind you I do have a 4 metre run now . I got four last August but sadly lost one before the winter set in so was left with three all through our horrid winter but the girls were fine. I got another two so now have five girls. You wont regret it if you get the . Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you are decided on a cube I would go for 3 chickens if you can, just incase anything happened to one of them, at least you won't be left with a lone chicken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majorbloodnock Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 This is exactly what we did originally. We were fairly sure we'd end up wanting four or so chickens, so we bought a cube with a 2 metre run. We bought two chickens initially, and then supplemented with two more. The cube did exactly what we expected, being easy to clean and pretty versatile. However, we did find that the winter, when it the weather got really wet, meant that the run became very difficult to keep dry enough for the chickens (given they couldn't roam anywhere else). We did put a clear plastic cover over the top and that helped a lot, but eventually decided to build a walk in run around the cube and ditch the run altogether. The run we now have is probably about 9' x 6'. Nothing we've done has been as a result of the cube's design being flawed; just a matter of how we wanted to do things. However, I've no doubt whatever that we'd have had greater problems with an eglu than a cube, and greater still with any of the wooden commercial offerings elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Nothing we've done has been as a result of the cube's design being flawed; just a matter of how we wanted to do things. However, I've no doubt whatever that we'd have had greater problems with an eglu than a cube, and greater still with any of the wooden commercial offerings elsewhere. Not wanting to start any plastic vs wood nonsense, but I'm just wondering why you say you'd have greater problems with wooden commercial offerings?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majorbloodnock Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Nothing we've done has been as a result of the cube's design being flawed; just a matter of how we wanted to do things. However, I've no doubt whatever that we'd have had greater problems with an eglu than a cube, and greater still with any of the wooden commercial offerings elsewhere. Not wanting to start any plastic vs wood nonsense, but I'm just wondering why you say you'd have greater problems with wooden commercial offerings?? You're right. Plastic isn't inherently a better or worse material than wood, so I'm happy to stay out of that quagmire too. What is the case, though, is that there are far more nooks and crannies in just about every design of hen house we've seen, with many wooden houses seemingly designed for the external viewer before the intended inhabitant. I will say right now that we have never owned a wooden hen house - my earlier post said "we'd have had", not "we have had" - but I have tried clearing out those of several friends. My wife and I simply don't have a great deal of time, and the design of the cube makes it quicker to keep clean than any other house we've looked at. Sadly, it seems anyone with a hammer, a saw, a few planks of wood and a pot of weathershield thinks they can build a hen-house and sell it for several hundred pounds. There are, of course, some wonderful wooden designs, but that quality and thought is then reflected in the price, and one starts to realise how competitive the Omlet offerings really are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Thank you As a matter of fact, I agree that a lot of poultry houses are badly designed, or should I say badly designed for me! I'm a bit of a poultry house nerd and can't resist nosing and poking around them, finding their good bits and (more often) their flaws. There are some I wouldn't even waste my time looking at and some I have "inspected" and wouldn't thank you for. I think a well designed poultry house is a joy and anything else is a pain in the proverbial, though my joy may be someone else's pain and vice versa. Dodge, sorry to wander off topic! Good luck with your iminent chicken keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
