Advice on bullies

[poppymillieannabel]

Hi and Please Help!!!

I have just joined the Omlet club as I am in need of some advice before I put my 3 beloved hens in their eglu!

(we bought them in June and have had a wooden coop but they have destroyed their area of the garden turning it into a swamp, so we decided to buy a 2nd hand eglu classic to put on concrete to give the ground a rest!)

My hubby collected the eglu classic and put it together today.

I am slightly concerned about the door though - when it's closed, I can manage to get 2 fingers behind the outside edge of the door, making an open gap of about an inch! The door mechanism looks fine, the door itself seems to be in place, but I'm wondering is this just how they are? ie. not a tightly closed fit?

I had wanted to use the house as a stand alone/without the run but am now too worried just incase a foxyloxy manages to hook its paw around the door and open it....

My husband won't let me pull too hard on the door to try it out incase I break it!

Any advice or thoughts really appreciated!!!

[Redwing]

I have three and they are all the same, I think its pretty standard

 

I dont know if I'd trust an Eglu without the run though, I'd be tempted to have the run on, leave the Eglu door open and then use the run door to keep them in if necessary. I suppose if you raised the Eglu up on a platform it may be more safe as a stand alone coop though

[Happy Mrs Chicken]

My door has a gap too.

[poppymillieannabel]

thank you both!!!!!!

 

Happy Mrs chicken, do you use yours by itself and if so, have you had any 'break-ins'?

 

Anyone else out there use their Eglu Classic without the run (and having a not-tightly-fitting-door when closed!)? If so, any probs with attempted break-ins?

 

Thanks

[Happy Mrs Chicken]

Hi,i have the run with my eglu,don't think i would use the eglu on its own without the run.

[poppymillieannabel]

thanks mrs happy chicken, shame really isn't it cos they advertise it as being fox-resistant..

[The Dogmother]

Ahhh, but it IS fox resistant, but nothing is 100% fox proof. The eglu on it's own is pretty secure, in fact more secure than a lot of wooden coops, but with the run, it is as near to 100% fox-proof as you are going to get. Provided that you remember to lock the eglu door at night and to not site it on loose or newly dug soil.

[poppymillieannabel]

Ahhh, but it IS fox resistant, but nothing is 100% fox proof. The eglu on it's own is pretty secure, in fact more secure than a lot of wooden coops, but with the run, it is as near to 100% fox-proof as you are going to get. Provided that you remember to lock the eglu door at night and to not site it on loose or newly dug soil.

I

 

Thanks Dogmother, our wooden coop is secure in terms of there are no gaps for a fox to hook it's paw around, there are a few scratch marks where it's tried to get in! I do love the eglu classic but so far haven't used it (I want to use it as a standalone coop) as am genuinely concerned about the inch gap - it's obvious a fox can get it's paw in if i can get a few fingers inside the closed door. My daughter has suggested putting some meat in overnight and seeing if it's gone in the morning - although a rat could get in definitely so guess that doesn't prove it's a fox! Oh golly!!!!

Dogmother - has yours got a gap and if so, have you seen any evidence of attempted break in?

 

THANKS

[The Dogmother]

My eglu classic has the same gap but nothing has ever got in through it. May I suggest that you contact Omlet direct (sorry if I have missed that you've already spoken to them) and direct your concerns to them? They are the designers of the product and would be best placed to re-assure you.

[poppymillieannabel]

My eglu classic has the same gap but nothing has ever got in through it. May I suggest that you contact Omlet direct (sorry if I have missed that you've already spoken to them) and direct your concerns to them? They are the designers of the product and would be best placed to re-assure you.

That's good, thanks for letting me know, it's reassuring that others have the same gap but have had no break-ins!

I did speak to someone at Omlet last week who said a gap is normal but if it was too big to contact them. She also suggested putting it inside a WIR. Thanks all of you, I really appreciate it and am just probably being paranoid! My daughter's got a chronic illness and is very attached to the girls, it would really set her back to lose any of them, think that's why I'm stressing about the gap!!!!!!