Chicken bald back

[Sarattie]

Any opinions.... I have 4 bantams and considering downsizing to the go up rather than the cube

 

Thoughts?

[Chickabee]

I love the cube. The ease in which it all comes apart for cleaning and the height of it. What if you get morehens disease?

I do like the look of the up but don't have any personal experience. Do you have a WIR, or do they free range?

[Sarattie]

I have a combination of the run extension and free range, mostly free range but if we go way they have the larger run to make do...

 

Ashamedly I have just asked myself what "morehens disease" was lol too me a moment!! Lol

 

I think my 4 are plenty for now! They may be misfired if I down size them! Lol

 

Just thinking of the added garden space and the money difference too if I bought second hand

[Chickabee]

I doubt you'll get a second hand up. It's hard enough getting a classic.

 

Don't worry I thought morehens was an actual disease for ages til I read the post

[Sarattie]

There's one near me on eBay which I have my eye on

[Chickabee]

Excellent. Keep watching it, it must be nearly new

[The Dogmother]

I'd have the cube every time... I'm not a fan of the Go.

[Cat tails]

Love my Go, although I wouldn't house 4 in the basic run. Think it is already smallish for my three bantams. But if you have a larger run or a lot of free ranging, it's perfect!

[WitchHazel]

I have both, and they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

We have 2 cubes with runs which connnect to our home-buit walk in run. The Go Up is standalone. Our Girls free range all day everyday. One Cube is in permanent use, the other is used to for moving broody hens out of the way, for introductions, and for a few weeks each year we move it into a different part of the garden and it houses our growing chicks until they move to the Allotment.

 

The Cube is bigger and more solidly built. I know the Cube itself should be able to house 10 hens, but I can't imagine that. I have 6 girls in there, and that is already full enough. In the summer, it must be very hot for them (we leave the pophole open all year round so less of a problem). We've built a mezzanine staging area (someone else on here did it and gave me the idea) using spare roosting bar and this gives them the option of camping out if they wish.

 

I like the side access for the egg port. I also like that it's easy to whip the poo trays out without taking the back off. The height and shape of the run makes it seem bigger, although I do't think it matters to the chooks.

 

The Go Up is smaller, lighter and, frankly, more cheaply made. That's not meant as a slur, it's an observation. I don't think I'd keep more than 2 or 3 hens in it. It's made of much thinner and lighter material. The big advantage is that the Go, being lighter, is a lot easier to move than the cube. so if you're moving around the coop around , it might be an easier bet.

 

We have found with both of them that access into the run is a pain. We got round this by adapting some/most of the side panels on both the Cubes and the Go Up.

 

For the Cubes, over the years we've bought second hand extensions with end panels (as other people sell them when they switch to a walk in run), and we use the end panel as a side panel. We cut down our original end panela, with the small door, and used them at the bag underneath, to give access from the rear.

 

For the GoUp, before we switched to the Up, we had a normal run, and I had bought extra door panels (which was one of the fantastic options on the Go). We fudged the building of the GoUp to incorporate some of the side panels, so we have access from the front and both sides now. I'm keeping an eye out for options on what to do to make access from the back possible as well.

 

We don't move the main Cube apart from cleaning the area underneath so, for my set-up of 6 garden girls, I'd probably buy the Cube as my first house. If the GoUp had been available when we were looking for a second one, I would have bought that instead of my second Cube.

 

If I only had two or three Girls...I'm not sure which I would have gone for.

 

Hope that helps.

[Sarattie]

Thank you witch Hazel for your super and comprehensive reply.

You've convinced me to stick with the cube, it's already in place so it's not like we will miss the space and I do love it, my little bantams can have the luxury for now!!

 

I'd be really interested in seeing so photos of how you have adapted your run please, where you say you have use the end panel as side and the rear door etc. I am looking to increase access to the run to make changing after and food easier. My girls free range in the garden so I need to be able to have an open door most of the time, but I have it almost butted to end on the fence under shrubs so have a weeny gap to swing open the door and clamber in to the run! Rear or side access would be fab!!

 

I if I knew how to upload a photo I'd show you what I mean!!

Thanksx

[WitchHazel]

I'd be really interested in seeing so photos of how you have adapted your run please, where you say you have use the end panel as side and the rear door etc.

Thanksx

 

I've had a quick look and can't find photos of the side doors, but I have found some photos of the door we put in at the back. The door was the small sized door which was supplied with the Cubes originally.

 

I'll keep looking, and if I can find some pics of the sides, I'll post those later

[Chickabee]

I think that's brilliant. I've always been looking at how is the easiest way to clean the runs. Now I know what to do.

[Sarattie]

That's great thank you! I don't have the original door as I bought second hand and came with the extension and a big end door

I may be able to get one thought. Did you cut a hole in the end panel to fit the door, or cut the whole door panel to fit the end of the cube? Hope that makes sense!?

[WitchHazel]

That's great thank you! I don't have the original door as I bought second hand and came with the extension and a big end door

I may be able to get one thought. Did you cut a hole in the end panel to fit the door, or cut the whole door panel to fit the end of the cube? Hope that makes sense!?

 

We cut the door panel to fit the end. I can't remember why, it may have been because you also need to include the hook thing for the door. There was definitely a reason.

 

I've been outside to have a look, and this is what I think we did, based on what it looks like.

 

1. Firstly, here's a picture of the panel in place. Ignore the blue cabie tie, that was so I could hang a peckablock there. :

 

2. We cut the door-piece to size (we had to fit it between the metal bars that support the Cube). I can't remember whether the original section came out, or whether we trimmed the edges off. WHen you see the sizes you should be able to compare this to your Cube and tell.

 

We secured the new door piece in place with lots of run clips. This next picture has vertical red lines to show you the size we cut the door section down to. You can see that the actual opening part of the door is 6 rectangles wide and 17ish rectangles high (I mention this, just in case there are different sized doos around). The overall section is an extra 3 rectangles to the left, and (I think) 1 to the right

 

3. Doing this meant we also lost the skirt. So we attached another piece of some skirt (either we reattached the bit we cut off, or the btit from the door piece, I can't remember.). We attached it with run clips. I can see that run clips go all along the back, so we must have replaced the entire back width of skirt. Here are two pics, one from each of our Cubes, to try and show you. It's definitely one long piece of skirt. .

 

I've looked at both Cubes, and we did exactly the same to both of them tp produce back doors..

 

EDITED TO ADD: You might be able to use one of the door panels from the Go Run. I've just looked at mine and I can see the door opening (both height and width) is the same size.

 

Hope this helps

 

Hazel

[Sarattie]

Thank you Hazel