Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[Markir]

We are considering buying an eglu and two chickens after being impressed at the NEC show in Birmingham this weekend.

 

Unfortunatly our garden is only small and has a hedge around it between 2 to 3 foot high and the neighbours will not agree to a fence or alternative to make it higher.

 

Therefore the only way we can get an eglu is if the chickens are confined to the eglu run.

 

Would this be OK? or is this cruel?. We could buy one of the 1m extensions to fit onto the run to give them a bit extra space but are unsure if this would make any difference?

 

Any advise as to if this is OK for the chickens before we decide to go for it would be gratefully received.

 

Cheers

 

Mark

[smudgley]

Well I know what I'd do if I was you.... What if you had a dog? The fencing wouldn't be high enough then. I would tell the neighbours I needed the fence to be higher & up the fence would go!

 

But if you don't want to upset the neighbours, then sure the eglu & run would be big enough, especially if they had an extension.

[xChicken04x]

i agree with smudgley but it all depends on how many chickens you would be getting. you have to consider that your lawn wont last long and the eglu needs to be moved regulary. if they were to be kept in the same space for a while then you will need to provide little things to keep them occupied e.g hanging some CD's up to peck at or scattering some mealworms around to find or hang some corn up just above head hight so they have to do a little jump to get it (keep them fit).

about the neighbors just have a quiet word about how you would like a bit more privecy or if you were worried about your chickens escaping then you could always but some omlet netting to keep them in whilst free rangeing.

 

hope this helps

 

p.s welcome to the forum (noticed your satus)

[ali-s]

Two chickens would be fine in the Eglu run all the time, make that three chickens if you had the run convertor.

 

The Omlet netting is good for fencing off parts of the garden if you want them to free range. the netting is 4 foot high. You might have to clip the chickens wings in case they decide to try and jump over.

 

OR get Bantams , smaller so you can fit more in an Eglu and run. My Bantams have just started free ranging with the help of the Omlet netting. They haven't had their wings clipped and do not try to get over the netting.

 

OR build a homemade run and just put the Eglu without the run in there. There are some pictures of homemade runs in the Chickens FAQ section. I think it is titled "run inspiration", it is about half way down the first page

 

Please let us know what you decide and if you have any more questions just ask away

 

Oh and welcome to the forum

[Hen Watch]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

 

Even with a clipped wing a chicken can jump/fly 4 feet (or more) so your fences will not be high enough to keep them in your garden if you let them out. Ring Omlet for their advice. They are a friendly bunch and will tell you how much extra run space you will need for the amount of chickens you require to stay inside a permanent run.

[ali-s]

Even with a clipped wing a chicken can jump/fly 4 feet (or more) so your fences will not be high enough to keep them in your garden if you let them out. .

 

Oops, sorry, wrong piece of advice there.

[Egluntyne]

Have you checked ownership of the boundary? If it is yours you can do what you like within reason. A polite word and bribery with eggs might be a good idea.

 

Good Luck.

[Markir]

WOW - Cheers guys, lots of help straight away.

 

It appears to be OK to keep two chickens confined in the eglu run then

 

Mark

[Olly]

Even with a clipped wing a chicken can jump/fly 4 feet (or more) so your fences will not be high enough to keep them

 

I know there are people on here who will confirm this, but actually I'm with Ali-s - mine have never got over the Omlet netting. Under it, but not over it!

 

Speak to Omlet, but as I understand it, the Eglu and run is designed to provide enough space for two chickens to live in full-time. My girls get to free-range occasionally, but in the winter they will be in full-time as I just don't get home from work early enough; I wouldn't have bought them if I didn't believe that would be ok. If you are home and can supervise closely, then maybe you'll be able to let them out - but they'll be fine. I know there's at least one person on here, can't remember who, whose chooks have never been free-range.

[Lindy]

Hi Markir - and welcome from me too.

 

I absolutely agree with all the advice/info from ali-s. The people at Omlet recommend a max of two chickens if they're to spend all or most of their time in the Eglu run, or three if you add a converter.

 

You'll find from reading the posts on the forum that many people keep their chickens in the run during the day while they're out at work and then let them have supervised free-ranging for a while when they come home and at the weekends. This is because there are so many foxes around that in lots of areas it's just not safe to leave the chickens free-ranging on their own.

 

We have two happy, healthy chickens who spend lots of time in the run and get out to play (i.e. demolish the garden!) as soon as my boys get home from school. At this time of year we're all in the garden so much at weekends too that the chickens are out for ages.

 

If you possibly can, it might be worth considering siting the Eglu and run on paving or concrete. This makes digging access for foxes well-nigh impossible, plus you don't have the hassle of trashed grass and moving the whole kit and caboodle around the garden. We have ours on a patio area with a thick layer of bark chippings and hemp-based horse bedding (Hemcore or Aubioise - the chicken-keeper's best friends!) on top and it works a treat.

 

Do keep coming back here with questions - the Omlet community is a wonderful resource and I don't know what I'd have done without it.

[Hen Watch]

Hi ali-s, not wrong advice from you at all.....

 

I've just got 1 girl who is a high flyer. The others can't get anyway near 4 ft but I didn't want to let a prospective chicken owners think a 2/3 foot wall will safely confine their birds without some other arrangement like the Omlet netting you suggest (they can't perch on the netting so that is good). My other 3 girls could not scale 4 ft at all. Although they could scale a 2/3 ft wall with a little a help from some well placed objects (garden chair, plant pot, compost bin etc.).

[Olly]

actually I have seen one of mine reach nearly 4 feet ... that was when the cat got carried away and pounced, she got there from a vertical take-off!

 

Cat was rather startled and hasn't tried it since, and luckily Hilda seems to have forgotten she can fly

[Couperman]

Hi and welcome,

 

If your neighbours will not allow you to erect a nice stylish barrier to stop your chooks flying into their garden, then suggest to them that you might get some none flying pets instead! Pigs, Goats, Lahmas, sheep, the list is endless! or you could just keep the chooks in the run they will be fine!

 

Kev.

[bronze]

I'm one who doesn't let mine free range.

I do occasionally put them in small area fenced off with some omlet netting but this normally only ever adds up to about 6 hours a week.

They do seem perfectly happy though and I always make sure they have things to peck at and look at. Mine are on a permanent hemcore base.

[Gallina]

I wouldn't be able to let my hens loose in the garden for a number of reasons: (1) the neighbours' fence is in a bad way with missing panels and gaps; (2) there are too many urban foxes about; (3) I don't want my garden devastated; (4) I don't want to clean up poo all the time.

 

A lot of us don't let our hens free-range for a combination of the above reasons. It is not a viable option in many gardens. Others only let their hens free-range when they are out in the gardens themselves.

 

The rule of thumb is two chickens in an Eglu and run, with the convertor added to allow three chickens and another extension added to allow four chickens. They can then stay in all the time if necessary. (The Cube gives even more scope to confined hens, of course, but it is not very helpful telling you this if you have gone for the Eglu.)

 

Omlet netting allows you to let them out for an airing, and you can get to know them better then. I have had hens jump over it (despite a clipped wing), but only when they were very young and flighty. As soon as they start laying eggs, they seem to get heavier and steadier and don't even try.

[Olly]

I may be making a virtue out of a necessity here, but there are some advantages to having chickens which don't free-range much. As Gallina says, the poo is all in one place, and the garden doesn't get ruined. Even if I didn't have so many foxes around, I love my garden and wouldn't be prepared to sacrifice it all! Hemcore/aubiose is fantastic as a litter for the run.

 

I use the Omlet netting in the same way - to allow limited supervised free-ranging, which they love.

 

You also have much more control over what your girls are eating; you are sure they will be eating pellets or mash for most of the time, and you can give them plenty of grit, greens and treats to make sure they're getting enough. Go for it! you will not regret getting chickens, although it is addictive!

[Markir]

We have a small lawned area of the garden which slopes quite steeply. I will flatten a part of it to put the eglu and run. If we got the omlet netting to let them out occasionally do you think that they would be OK on the slope.

 

Cheers

 

Mark

[Twiglet]

Our whole garden is on a slope and apart from a flat bit where the eglu is, they manage very well!