Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[Mercedes55]

Oh I am sorry Roobiloo, sounds like you've gone through such a lot

[Seagazer]

Roobiloo I understand why you feel the way you do. Sending (((hugs))).

[majuka]

Big hugs to you Roobaloo. I totally understand.x

[Omletina Kyckling]

Well I'm a fine example......I've given up for a catalogue of reasons!

I moved to my cottage with tiny steep garden in a very exposed place.....managed to get through last winter ok, have been suffering from increasingly difficult depression during this time, then lost my dad....within a month my favourite hen was killed by a fox or stout or ferret and two others attacked. Lady with field behind had 15 killed out of 17 in two broad daylight attacks.......

I decided to rehome my hens at this point as they were fighting and very unhappy being shut up in the WIR.

I'd planned to get bantams next spring, but after a break from hen keeping and awful weather I've decided not to.

I'm not saying I'll never get hens as I do miss them but they just aren't right for me at the moment at this house and with my health at present. The weather is too extreme, my chicken run has had the roof ripped off twice in gales and the steep garden and steps makes in difficult in winter. I can't cope mentally with any of the problems I've encountered such as any in fighting or hens dying and also I can't actually afford to buy more hens, as bantams seem quite expensive.

I'm loaning my Cube and WIR to a friend on a long term loan, with the understanding that if I change my mind or my circumstances change I can have it back.

I feel very sad about it, but it's the way it has to be.

I went into hen keeping with my eyes open (and at the time in the marital home with the giant garden!) but I think a lot of people do go into it without realising the problems they may encounter.

[hammy72]

I only have 2 girls but can honestly say I find them quite low maintenance, but then we have 2 dogs and they're a far greater committment and expense! The feeding, changing the water and daily poo pick are just part of the routine as well as the nice parts of collecting the eggs and giving them their corn/ greens in the afternoon. Yes they have trashed their bit of the garden but that's why we fenced that part off so they can do what they like to it. I do a big clean out every Saturday morning and pick them up for a cuddle / inspection. I will find it hard if they get ill and if/when I have to introduce newbies but like having any pet it's a responsibility I am willing to face. They also go back to the farm for chicken boarding if we go away but we also have the neighbours children interested in caring for them. It is a bit harder in the winter as I don't get to see them so much and their area is like Glastonbury Festival at the moment, muddy claws! but we are still getting at least one egg a day.

[chestnutmare]

For my parents, they stopped keeping chickens (and ducks) because they wanted them to be 'free'-free range, which they were, but the fox taking them was too upsetting for them. My mother did consider buying an Eglu (she discovered the Eglu before I did, years ago), but she was shocked at the price and couldn't justify it at the time. Then she wasn't able to find other housing she liked so she told herself she'd get an Eglu 'one day soon'. Then I got my chickens and she gets eggs from me. She has one pet duck left (no longer lays).

 

I think some people don't consider how they will have to clean the housing and run out, in all weathers, with the smell of chicken poo. Although, in my experience (so far!) keeping chickens is much easier than keeping a dog (the walks) and certainly much easier than looking after two stabled horses, and much cheaper.

 

Some people might not be able to justify the cost of keeping chickens. I'm thinking it's cheaper to buy shop eggs ( ) and people are having to be more careful with money now.

 

Also, the novelty of new pets just wears off for some.

 

Edit: Having gone back and looked at the first couple of pages (in particular Redwing's comment) I have 3 chickens... and I know many here have much more... that is hard work. I remember cleaning out a shed that housed 23 chickens and that was bad enough, LOL. Also I know what you mean, SC - that's something theraputic about looking after animals... hardwork but worthwile.

[Cinnamon]

Interesting question.

 

I think I will probably always keep a couple of hens,but even though I have not as yet considered giving up,I would sometimes quite like a clean break & to just start afresh with a completely new flock.

The intros are hard,& I hate to see hens getting old & tired,& I cannot bear the pecking of older hens towards the new ones.

It will never happen of course unless I have some sort of fox based disaster,& that is fine,but it is a nice thought going to the hen shop & buying half a dozen brand new shiny hens

[Daphne]

In a way its just what happens isn't it? My mother's family managed farms so they kept chooks for eggs & meat but gave up when my grandfather retired and the children grew up and moved on to start their own lives. My paternal grandparents kept them during the War and afterwards for 40 years but stopped when my grandfather became ill. OH's parents raised chooks semi-commercially but stopped when they gave up their smallholding and moved to a town. My neighbour gave up when she was foxed.

 

Although I've never thought of giving up I can see a day when I don't have chooks This is because I want to go and have an adventure at some point (!) which will involve travelling At the moment keeping chooks is relatively straightforward for me as I work from home, but I can see if circs changed then it might become more difficult. The other thing is that right now I wouldn't have any regrets, I've done the things I wanted to do with them and for the most part its been great fun. But there is no escaping the fact they are a tie and sometimes I'd like to be a bit freer; the hardest thing for me is having to ask other people to help out if you go away.

[migsy]

I've got 7 at the moment but I won't be replacing them all when they die. I might carry on keeping 2 or 3 but not more.

 

The reasons for this are that I hate it when they get ill/die/are attacked by a fox.

I constantly worry about foxes and I would like to cut down on the amount of things I have to worry about.

Chicken keeping becomes increasingly expensive if you want them to have a great life, e.g., fox proofing, putting fencing around veg, nice accommodation for them etc.

I've got enough mess to clear up without clearing up after the chickens.

 

I have 3 kids (one who has special needs and is hard work) and 2 elderly cats who need looking after increasingly more than when they were younger. One has cancer and needs a lot of medical care and the other poos and pees around the place.

 

I got the chickens about 2 years ago when I was in a relationship and had more help around the house and the cats were no problem. Now I have to manage everything on my own, I can't help thinking that the chickens are one responsibility that I could do without. I still like them and I'm sure I will have them until they die but if I didn't have them it would be one less thing to worry about.

 

At the moment, I just want life to be easier.

[NFMC]

For me it's the garden.

 

I've had three chickens since September and the garden is now a complete and utter mess. It's a normal sized suburban garden and they have wrecked it. I also have two football mad boys and their freinds as well and I'm sure they don't help but it's never been like this in previous years.

 

If the grass doesn't come back in the spring and we can't play footie on the grass as a family then I'm afraid the chickens are going in their small run forever or they're going to the great curry pot in the sky.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Omlet or similar netting can work wonders in keeping grass intact .

[The Dogmother]

Have a look for Omletina's thread about putting down a lawn mesh - I'm going to do this soon as between the dogs, chickens, teenagers and me chopping wood mine has been mullered!

[laurmurf]

we put lawn mesh down over the summer (a la Omletina) and it's made a huge difference. We had 4 years of barren and pitted mud and over the summer we grew a lawn and despite free ranging (in a more limited way than we used to) we still have a lawn to take us into 2012.

 

I would heartily recommend it as it saved our chicken future!

[Redwing]

They dont have to wreck the garden, a walk in run or a fenced off area are options

 

Mine have never had ad lib free ranging and dont seem at all bothered by that

[Egluntyne]

Mine are confined to their own area of the garden. It looks like a moonscape, but I don't care, and neither do they.

[scubababe]

lol....When we first had chicken almost 2 years ago they trashed the garden. When we had the garden re-landscaped & re-lawned we had an area fenced off eggspecially for the chooks.

 

We are now looking at having their area converted into a WIR & getting some more ladies.

 

2 years down the line I'm not looking at giving up ...... I'm looking at expanding

 

Yes they are a tie....but so are the 2 dogs & 3 cats that we already have. Yes I have to pooper scoop.....but I have to do that after the dogs & do the cat litter...and my babies nappies.

 

Yes it is expensive but so are our dog & cats and at least the chooks offset some of the cost by giving us some lovely, can't buy fresher, freerange eggs!!

[The Dogmother]

My garden never used to suffer but it has been increasingly wet over the last few winters, despite being on a hill. I think that most of it is caused by me tramping up and down with logs though My garden isn't big enough to have a dedicated chicken area but I do put them in the run at lunchtime when I come back for my break.

[SilverC]

I did a lot of research on the net, reading and looking at different breeds and set ups before taking the plunge and was glad I did.

 

I must admit, losing two girls within a month certainly made me think hard about keeping chickens. These were my first hens, and I thought they'd live much longer than they did (3 years). It was very sad, having one lonely bird left, and really got me down. There was also a great sense of guilt that I'd done something wrong, but the breeder said that 3 was a good innings for Warrens which makes me feel slightly easier. I have since added to the flock and all is happy again.

 

I noticed an ad in the local paper the other day- 6 hens, wooden coop with run and all equipment for £100 - the reason for the ad? They said they didn't realise they'd make a mess in the garden Poor little hens, I hope they find a nice new home.

 

Can fully empathise with those who are thinking or have given up, as it's very sad when they go, but part of life I suppose.

[Chortle Chook]

I sympathise with you Migsy - not that I have anywhere near the amount of things you are juggling in your life - but I would like my life to be a little simpler and will be trying to reduce numbers as my chooks depart to the great meal worm pastures in the sky. I'd like a few less bottoms to poop on the path and a few less scratchy little feet in the garden. Not 'none' just 'fewer' but then . . . come spring and morehens disease . . .

[chickencam]

I don't think that we will give up hen keeping while we have the children at home and our full health. We were worried at first about holidays, but have found a good pet careing company who come in once a day to see to our cats and hens. We relied on friends for the first couple of times, but didn't like putting them out, I am far happier paying someone who is used to animals and has the necessary skills.

 

We only have a smallish garden, so the hens do spend quite a lot of time in their runs, but the runs are a good size with a deep flooring of back chippings, so they can dig and dust bathe to their heart's content. They have a lovely time when we let them out too, but they aren't out enought to totally trash the garden. we let them out more in the winter when there is less growing and they give the soil a good turning over for us then.

 

I hate to see bullying amonsgt them, that is the worst aspect to me, especially if one is a little under the weather, thye can be very cruel, but it is just natural to them. We have found that having 2 seperate groups has helped with eventual introductions. We had our original hen in the eglu then we got some youngster and built a house and walk in run for them, they would free range together and after about 2 years we moved the remaining 2 older ones in with the youngsters and they were fine because they already knew each other. we plan to do the same in the spring, because we have lost 3 hens in the last few months and this will give us the chance to repolulate the Eglu.

 

I would recommend the Eglu houses over wooden housing because of red mite, we had real trouble last year even though our wooden house has solid panels and is gloss painted, we had to take the house apart repaint it and make the nest box removable to clean the main breeding ground, we also made the mistake of covering the house with roof felt which gave them an easy hiding place, we have since removed the felt and just have painted plywood now. Unfortunately the area where the house is, is too small for a cube.