New hens not going into Eglu Go Up

[LolaCola]

Im beyond excited, after a few tough months on the chicken keeping front, Im like a kid at christmas

 

Im getting them both in pink, a cube + 3m for my hybrids and a classic for my lonely little Pekin (who is currently in a cat box in the bathroom )

 

I have a few quick questions, What is the best thing to put in the run of the Cube? I have some Bark chippings, but they have an awful smell my Bantam(s) will be free ranging most of the time.

 

also, It says on the site, a cube is suitable for 5-10 chickens, should I add to my four? just the one is it best to have odd numbers? or am I just looking for an excuse and with the Classic, how many is a good number of Bantams (freeranging) I've been told 8 chickens is my limit

[mimi5]

Hi there Lola cola!!! You must be excited!!!! It was this time last year, I was awaiting the arrival of my cube too!!! So I was trundelling my cube and run around till Nov when the lawn was just a muddy mess and so took the decision to site it and fill the run with wood chip!! I can say it has been a success!!! The pekins have been lovely and dry ever since!! It cost me £35 for the wood chip.

 

I have a 3 metre run on my cube ( have added to it) and 5 pekins at the moment (I lost Monty in dec ) But do have a new boy in the pipeline and 2 little girls to intergrate with him!! So that will be 8 in the cube with essentially a 4 metre run (metre under the cube it's self) But have just bought a second hand purple classic!!! So they newbies will go in there until I do intros in the spring!!

 

Your run size & size of chickens will be the deciding factor in how many chickens per eglu. Always better to allow more than less for happy chooks!!!! I don't think it's ever recomended to add one chicken to a group! I'm worried about 3 to 5 but Fergus will sort them all out hopefully!!

 

Oh want to see pics!!! Enjoy!!!

[LolaCola]

of course you can't add one Chicken to a group - totally got ahead of myself with the excitement

 

Thanks, will go and get some wood chip, can I ask how long that has lasted you? My hybrids are huge, so maybe I'll just stick to the four, for now (or untill I can sneakily order an extension or two )

 

Sorry about poor Monty

 

It seams to have been a harsh winter for everyone, I'm tempted to keep Prissy indoors and hold out adding untill spring as I couldn't stand anymore hart brake, but I worry she is getting a bit too domesticated, she is blankly refusing to go out in the morning and the spends the whole day on the window sill, pecking to come in! Lol

[mimi5]

Aww you got to love pekins!!! I think there's £10 off the cube run extension at the mo. But, yes of course you can add to it anytime! My eldest son said to me "mum you know now that the cube is sited ...you could easily add another metre!" wooha don't tempt me....my chicken keeping is taking over!! Well I think that I'm setting myself a ceiling of 10 chickens, ok 11 max!!!! 8 in the cube and 3 in the classic. Does that sound reasonable????

[christyrose12]

My cube should be arriving on Wednesday aswell!!!! I have had an email to say it has been dispatched and am very excited!! Have told OH to set a couple of hours aside so he can help me build it. Can you not add one to a group because of bullying? I have got 3 at the moment. 2 orpingtons and 1 buff sussex and was thinking of getting a white orpington. Not a good idea to get just one then?

[Purplemaniacs]

My cube should be arriving on Wednesday aswell!!!! I have had an email to say it has been dispatched and am very excited!! Have told OH to set a couple of hours aside so he can help me build it. Can you not add one to a group because of bullying? I have got 3 at the moment. 2 orpingtons and 1 buff sussex and was thinking of getting a white orpington. Not a good idea to get just one then?

How exciting counting the hours to cubes and classics arriving.

 

ChristyRose it is tricky adding one hen to a group some have done it but has to be done very slowly.

 

It is better to add a two or three to an existing group. Loads of advice on intros on this forum.

 

Emjoy your cubes and classics ChristyRose and LolaCola

 

Chrissie

[LolaCola]

Ohh, the Omlet driver is going to be busy Wednesday I got just got my email of despatch too

 

Christyrose, what colour are you expecting? If mine come 1st, I'll tell him to hurry to yours as your Hubby is on standby

You might be close to me, as it looks like they deliver an area at a time?

I was looking at adding an Orpington (I love the Buffs, and the local garden centre have a few stunning buff girls) and maybe a blue layer (the same garden centre have Hybrid Colombines)

But that might have to wait, as my priority is a friend or two for my Pekin.

 

Thank Chrissie x

[mimi5]

Only 2 more sleeps!! But will you sleep...dreaming of eglus!!! Enjoy your eglus, funnily enough mine was delivered about this time in jan last year...in the snow! But the omlet man was great and got it done in just under 2 hours (would have taken hubby and I ages!! ) Did make him a cuppa and biccies

[mimi5]

Ooooo only one more sleep!!!!!

[LolaCola]

Ooooo only one more sleep!!!!!

 

Yay!Now my weekend plan is to go Pekin Pickin' now just have to decide how many

[Purplemaniacs]

No more sleeps to go

 

Today is the day

 

How exciting I still remember the day my and chooks came and when they brought the .

 

Chrissie

[christyrose12]

Hi LolaCola!! My cube arrived on Wednesday and is fab. It is green. I am going to start a new thread about my cube. How are you getting on with yours?

[christyrose12]

I'm in Cornwall LolaCola so expect mine came by a different delivery man? You can buy chickens from your garden centre? Wow. Our garden centre just sells plants and gardening things. Oh yes it does have a chicken coop, rabbit hutches and sheds for sale but no animals or birds. They stopped that years ago.

[LolaCola]

Yay! well they all came Yesterday, so spent all today assembling the qute, at my daughters request

that took me THREE hours! thankfully the classic was done, just waiting for better weather to do the Cube

but my hallway is still full of boxes

 

 

Can you spot our Puppy?

Poor Raff was stuck for a few hours!

 

 

The kids thought it was fun

 

 

The big girlies cant wait for it to be set up, they have even christened it

 

 

Yet little one still wants to come in!

 

[LolaCola]

Oh Christy, very far from Bucks!

 

So you don't have snow at the mo? lucky you, i'm itching to set it all up, and have a clean up of the garden - its just a snowy, muddy mess at the moment Classic is looking great, but my Pekin still insists on coming in of an evening, she taps on the window, and once someone opens it, she jumps on the floor and puts herself to bed in the cat box hopefully, once she gets a buddy, she will remember she belongs outside

 

Yeah, our garden centre even has Micro pigs! (im not aloud one, ive asked ) but if the have pigmy goats, no-one is stopping me

 

Its where I got my first Chooks - Bubblegum and Coconut a few years back, there very good too

[christyrose12]

Oh thats so sweet that your pekin comes in and sleeps in the cat basket. See chickens are sensitive and intelligent creatures!! Wow, you got a cute aswell? They look brilliant. How are you getting on with yours?

No snow here unfortunately. Think the east of Cornwall might have got a bit but I am abit further west - mid cornwall on the south coast.

I would love pygmy goats has well - but need some land first!!

[Cheeky Chooky]

Fantastic photos My house has looked like that on several occasions...full of huge Omlet boxes

 

Yeah, our garden centre even has Micro pigs!

You're not talking about Frosts are you?