Take part in study on PFAS 'forever chemicals' in eggs

[GillC]

I've just moved to a rented property with a huge garden and permission to keep my hens.The house is in the country surrounded by a small wood and fields. I saw a fox outside the house last night so I know that they are in the area.

 

I've brought my two eglus and runs with me, but my chooks were accustomed to a large WIR at my previous house. This is not a problem at the moment as it is summer and I let them roam free for a substantial portion of each day when I am in the garden. However come winter I won't be able to let them out of the eglu runs and I'd like them to have more room to wander around during the day.

 

There is a big greenhouse in the garden. I was wondering if it would be a sensible idea to move both eglus and their runs into the greenhouse for the winter so that I let the chooks run free in the greenhouse during the day and shut them in during the night.

 

Has anybody tried this? I'd have to keep the greenhouse door shut during the day. Is there a chance that they'd get too hot? Are greenhouses foxproof? Could I maybe use the greenhouse as a WIR and leave the runs off?

 

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. My other idea was to trade one of my two eglus in for a cube and run.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Guest

[Snowy]

It sounds good in theory, but I think that a green house would be far too hot for hens, unless you could remove some of the glass panels and replace with mesh?

[GillC]

Thanks, I think that would be my worry.

 

My other idea was to get an eglu cube. The pics look lovely and it would give my hens a little more space, yet be portable for when I move house again (which will probably be within the next 18 months so I don't want to make a posh WIR that I would have difficulty moving).

 

My thoughts on seeing the lovely pics of cubes is that the short run it comes with isn't really long enough. The extension looks like a good idea. However can anybody tell me how easy it would be to move around with an extension? Could I do it by myself or would I need somebody to help at the other end. Do you need two people to move it around even with the shorter run?

[Snowy]

It isn't hard to move as long as you haven't allowed grass to grow through the mesh on the ground! Just drop the wheels on the cube, then walk around to the run door end, lift that end and move it like a wheelbarrow.

[chuckmum6]

It depends how long you make your cube train, mine if 5m and isn't moveable, in fact it buckled the wheels. I could move it at 3m with help, you need someone to lift the front of the run up. What about Omlet's WIR you could certainly move house with that! Definitely get a cube they are fab!

[LunaKiw1]

I agree that an Omlet WIR might be a good solution in your circumstances as it would be easy to disassemble when you move (and wasn't too bad to construct either! We love ours and attached to our Eglu Classic and 2m run it provides ample space when the girls have to stay confined. It is also as fox-proof as anything is and is forgiving if set up on an uneven surface so ground preparation isn't an issue either nor (apart from bare earth) would it leave a permanent footprint in te rented property when you move on..

[GillC]

Thats really helpful. I had considered a WIR but I seem to be going around in circles in my thinking. I love my two little eglus and having them in a WIR at my last house was ideal. I considered the omlet WIR as portable measure for this house but it seems so expensive. For that cost, I could get myself a nice cube which I've always fancied, but with the extension it becomes a bit unwieldy. Once I'm settled somewhere, I plan to get a nice wooden WIR like my last one. I suppose if I were to do that, I could always sell of my omlet WIR.

 

I guess there's also the question of whether or not I should mix my two new wyandotte bantams with my two medium hybrids. They seem to mix just fine in the garden but would the little birds get bullied if they were in together.

 

Has anybody tried an electric fence? I could then keep both eglus and attached runs, but let the hens out during the day when I'm at work in winter without worrying about foxes getting to them if it started to get dark before I got home. But do electric fences work as efficiently as a full enclosure?

[GillC]

Thanks for all your replies and advice. I've finally decided on an omlet WIR. Lets hope I can assemble it OK

[LunaKiw1]

Assembly wasn't TOO bad but did take OH most of a day really. Just fiddly rather than difficult if you know what I mean. We've got a Tarpaflex transparent cover over the roof held down by bungies and it looks very neat. Because the 'old' run just joins on to the WIR if you need to segregate newbies you can just use the end door to divide it up again very easily and just place a cat basket or something in the WIR for one lot and the other chooks still have the Eglu and run but all can meet in the middle. Good luck.

[GillC]

Thats a brilliant idea, thank you. In fact I can put my 2nd eglu into the big run, maybe on a table or something, and segregate the others with the door as you suggest if necessary.

 

That's put my mind at rest on the last niggly doubt about bullying.