My eco solution to rat problems

[nutterly_uts]

Hi everyone

 

I'm still looking at hen houses and have now had a bit of a wobble! I was set on getting a wooden house made to the specifications I want, but now I've been looking at the eglu cube as a potential house because of the ease of keeping it clean, which I'd like to do extra well if I get fuzzy footed silkies (and I secretly like the design and love the colours!).

 

I'm slightly unsure about a few aspects of the design though, in regard to the silkie breed.

Firstly - Will the silkies be alright without roosting perches, and especially sleeping on the slatted board?

Secondly - The cube is approxamately 50cm high, and has a ladder. Would silkies be able to get up there safely?

Thirdly - The run is 2m but extensions can be purchased. Would 2m be long enough or is it worth adding more run in 1m increments. If so, how much more?

 

Thanks,

Carla

[chocchick]

The slatted wood is the roosting perch, they can perch and grip the bars with their feet. Some of mine sleep in the nestbox (old mark 2 eglu) or on top of the other chickens anyway.

[Egluntyne]

I know nowt about silkies but wanted so say I love the name Nutterly_Uts!

[nutterly_uts]

The slatted wood is the roosting perch, they can perch and grip the bars with their feet. Some of mine sleep in the nestbox (old mark 2 eglu) or on top of the other chickens anyway.

 

Ah that makes sense

Just unsure if Silkies and cubes work cause of the size of silkies!

 

Egluntine - thanks

[chocchick]

It depends on what size silkie, how many, and if they live there all the time. You could ask omlet how many would fit in.

What colour silikies? I would like some one day when I have room for more chickens.

There's a section on them in June's practical poultry magazine.

[nutterly_uts]

It depends on what size silkie, how many, and if they live there all the time. You could ask omlet how many would fit in.

What colour silikies? I would like some one day when I have room for more chickens.

There's a section on them in June's practical poultry magazine.

 

It would be the "regular" size (as opposed to the miniature size) and they'd been in the house/run for most of the day, with at least 2hrs freerange time each day during the week, and most of the weekend.

 

I don't know on how many. It basically depends on the max the cube can hold, minus 2-3!

 

Color wise, I LOVE the splash colour, as well as plain white, and I'll probably have a couple in those 2 colors and then a mix of the other colors.

 

How do I go about asking Omlet?

[Guest]

I went to a breeder yesterday - and asked if the very young bantams would be able to jump up onto a ladder 10 inches off the ground and get into the cube.

 

She assured me that they could - and I saw how some of them were flying whilst I was there - so I feel confident there would be no problem.

 

Just as well as that is where they will be sleeping!

[nutterly_uts]

Dilly, thats reassuring I wonder why the ladder isn't down the floor?

[Jools]

Silkies can't fly so to make sure they can reach the bottom of the ladder, you could put a "step" in there for them. They certainly wouldn't struggle with a normal "ramp" type ladder, but they might with the open-ladder style until they get used to it. So maybe you could fix a plank of wood on the underside of the ladder until they've found their feet?

 

Other bantams would have no problem at all with the ladder, but again a "step" at the bottom would help them get used to using it.

[Guest]

Currently my pekin bantams fly up onto a log which is about 18inches tall to get into their eglu which is higher still by a few inches - but sometimes they just fly straight in if they want to get to the nest box first!

 

I don't clip their wings though.

 

I just love seeing them fly around. They fly about my waist height around the garden and easily fly up onto the raised beds which are two railway sleepers high.

 

The breeder never mentioned that Silkies did not fly - but if they don't fly, they must be able jump as hers roost up off the ground. When I showed her the cube photo and told her the height - she said it wouldn't be any problem. As I am having five different breeds from her, I am sure she would have told me - as she had so many that I wanted and were available I could have just chosen another.

 

I will find out first hand soon. If she doesn't fly she will have a good runway to get her speed up for the high jump onto the ladder.

[Gallina]

I never thought my Cochin would reach the ladder, as Cochins can't fly; but she does it, and even goes back upstairs for her afternoon nap, so she can't find it all that difficult. Going up for her is a jump with a bit of a wing-flap. She jumps and glides down: but the glide takes the whole length of the extended run, and the others dive out of her way, as she is as heavy as a cat.

 

If the hens can't make it, it would be easy to put a small log in the run to give them a step-up.

[Guest]

 

If the hens can't make it, it would be easy to put a small log in the run to give them a step-up.

 

I agree - I have lots of logs around the pen and the garden - and I have big flower pots of soil and weeds in their pen too.

 

Won't let 'flightless' chickens put me off having them - and seeing the little chicks flapping and flying around at a few weeks old convinced me