2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[furball]

For all you ladies who have gone from a classic to a cube, apart from the obvious of more ladies, what are the advantages and do any of you wish you had bought another classic instead. Decisions, decisions, oh and it will only be for 2 extra chooks. Morehens, me, never Help me decide please, thankyou

[Duncan08]

Hi Furball,

I had a Christmas present last year from hubby, with a 4m run housing 3 girls.

 

This years christmas present was a from hubby and a WIR from my Mum and Dad, (Dad made the WIR with some help from me)

 

I am loving my cube, 1000 percent better than the go.

 

So advantages and disadvantages,

Not sure on your set up but One of my major problems with the Go and the 4m run was the mud. I had put extra covers on for the winter to try and keep it dry, and put auboise down but you can't get into it properly to poo pick and the whole run area was just a smelly,slimy, pooey mess despite trying to rake it regularly. We also used to throw leftovers in which didn''t add to the ambiance if they didn't get eaten. It is very difficult to move and it really started to get me down.

The girls trampled all of the mud in and out of the Go so even after a good scrub within 10 minutes it just looked a mess again.

Now I have the WIR with the roof, the run floor is gravel with horse Easibed and I have a paved area underneath the cube with a door where I can give them a bowl of s"Ooops, word censored!"s which is easy to keep clean and clear of leftover food and poo.

 

But to the actual housing.

In the Go, (not sure about the classic) The roosting bars are very close to the poo trays so the poo doesnt fall between them properly, and tends to build up, especially if you are at work and can only give them a good clean out once a week in the winter. In the cube the roosting bars are pretty high any the poop falls though to the poop trays much more cleanly leaving the housing area much cleaner.

 

Back to poop, In the cube the poop trays simply slide out for easy mid-week emptying in the winter when you cant get out as much. Park the compost bin next to it, slide out the drawer tip it in and slide it back in, no need to dismantle anything.

 

Its higher up, much more comfortable to work with, for cleaning out, for checking all the girls are tucked up in bed if its already gone dark! For egg collecting, in the week my chief egg collector is my dad who is over 70, he definitely appreciates the height.

If you want to get one of the girls out, it is much easier in the cube as you just slide the top over and take your pick, with the go you have to try and hold the door, to stop the others jumping out as you try and get hold of your girl one handed.

 

Nestbox - has been superb for me in the cube. In the go all three girls would pile on top of each other and sleep in the nest box which meant lots of pooy eggs. Since they moved into the cube, not a poey egg in sight. They are roosting properly on the bars and found the nest box on the first day to leave me my eggs.

 

So you can tell I am loving my cube.

But I do have a negative - It is a funny design, looks great, and is practical, but you have to allow access to all four sides, which means you have to be careful where you site it. You can't tuck it in a corner or put it against a fence unless you don't want to use one of the access points. One side has the egg port, the back has the access for inside, the other side the door opener and closer and the front door for the chucks to get out.

 

If you didn't close the door everynight you could put that side against a fence/wall, or you could always collect your eggs through the back so there are ways round it but that is my only negative.

 

I would definitely recommend the cube, I have kept my go for intros, and incase I need to quarantine anyone, I have two new babies in there at the moment, and I am not looking forward to cleaning them out at the weekend after the easiness of the cube.

 

Good Luck

[poppy ben grace]

Hi, a vote here for the cube! I have had a classic and loved it but if you are planning to keep all your girls together in the same run you might find they all end up squeezing into one classic anyway! It might be best to get the cube and hang on to the classic for a while for intros and see how it goes. Cleaning wise the cube is easier as its waist height, but i guess its down to personal prefrence. It might be worth having a look to see if there is anyone local to you with a cube you can visit before making your mind up. Good luck! :)Ps am loving your user name

Edited January 17, 2012 by Guest

[Purplemaniacs]

I had a and then bought a so we could have more hens. I think I am in the minority as I do not like the as much as the .

 

If you only want two more hens I would have another but the trouble is in the future are you likely to want even more hens? If so then I would go for a

 

Chrissie

[furball]

Oh heck just lost my reply. Thankyou for all your lovely replies. I didn't realise how far the door opening handle comes out. I will have to measure but i don't think i will have enough width. It will be in a walk in covered run it is about 24 ft long (it's along the side of the house) and exactly 4ft wide (just rushed out in wellies and measured the width where the end of the run is ).Does anyone know the exact width of the cube. So glad i asked. Thankyou once again for your replies. Now sat holding breath

[Purplemaniacs]

Does it give a width on the Omlet website?

 

Chrissie

[furball]

Still searching, great minds think alike

[furball]

yay found it 120cm high on wheels, 85cm along sides, 120 wide, cube only. Now in old money 120 cm is 47.2 inches 85cm is 33.4 cm . In conclusion it doesn't leave any room for door opening handle. Off to search run conversions.

[Purplemaniacs]

I have my cube ouside my WIR so the handle coming out at the side is not an issue.

 

Chrissie

[Duncan08]

My cube sits outside the WIR too, there is just enough room to get to the egg port on the opposite side, although you can collect the eggs through the roof/back of the cube.

[furball]

That looks a great idea, unfortunately i haven't any room to put the cube outside the run as it would block the path.

[poppy ben grace]

We have our cube inside the wir. My oh cut out a hole in the run and put wood round it(hes a carpenter) so i can get my hand in to open and close the cube.Dont know if that might be an idea.

[furball]

Thankyou poppy that is definately an idea, i feel a conversion in the making. I will let you know

[Cheeky Chooky]

I started with a and a month later bought a and I love it If you can fit it in, go for it, you won't regret it