enzed Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 help please- I've only had my eglu since may, and maybe I've been lucky, but every time I've cleaned the eglu it's been sunny, or at least not wet. Now it's raining and wet, how do I get the eglu cleaned and dried while the weather is disgusting? It really needs to be cleaned, and i don't have enough time in the next few days to do it. Thanks very much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 To be honest I usually wait for a dry day even if that means waiting a week or so longer (I was going to say 'sunny day' but there haven't been many this year!). I sometimes just get the droppings tray out and leave it in the rain to clean it, as it doesn't matter if it's wet when it goes back in. I have got spare roosting-bars so if it's wet, I shut the Eglu up again without the bars, and leave it to sort of drip-dry inside, then you can put the dry roosting bars in once it's dried out a bit, if that makes sense. Because of the design, it doesn't really retain moisture inside so if you do it early in the day, it should have dried out before your ladies go to bed. Hope that makes sense, I am no expert on cleaning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 I shut the eglu door - then pull the eglu lid off & bars out. Give the nesting box and base a sloosh & then clean the rest. I then leave the bars, eggport cover & eglu lid to dry in the garage. I use an old shabby towel to dry it off a bit too. Then I go out give the nesting box a wipe with the towel & the base quick & get the bars in & lid on quick. Straw in nestbox thru the eggport - paper in poo tray mega quick. Then seal up egg port & put the pin in the black bar. Open door & the chooks shoot in! It's not nice in the rain, I agree - but with all that bad weather, I couldn't keep putting it off til a sunny day, cos a sunny day never came! Or you could get a kids gazebo... like mine! See my gallery!!! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 we do ours weekly rain or shine. I have a giant poncho I wear so if its wet I stay reasonably dry. Spare roosting bars are a great addition, we have a spare set we "rotate" so I dont have to wait for them to dry - just get a dry set from the garage I also dry off the eglu/tray etc with an old towel before putting it back together. Our permanent eglu site is surrounded by stone chippings so it stays nice and dry and not muddy underfoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jak Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 We get to use natural resources to assist our Eglu cleaning - we have a stream running through our garden and a ford outside our house so we just take a washing-up brush out with the droppings tray and wash it at the ford - a neighbour commented that when he was on detachment in the Middle East he used to see women washing things in the rivers like that! Luckily, there are some trees covering the ford so can still be done in light/moderate rain. A child holding a golfing umbrella over you can be a help too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 I'm really glad someone raised this, because I should have done mine a few days ago... and didnt coz of the weather! the other thing that worries me is the whole thing about allowing UV light to get to the inside of the eglu (helps kill bugs or something?) - we havent got very much UV light at the moment, am I worrying unnecessarily? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 We shall all just have to turn the eglus into tanning studios and install sunbeds for chooks in them! (uv tubes) I can just picture them all going in the nestbox with little goggles on! Cute! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 lol!! obviously any white legbars would have to be extra careful about the rays... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 I just wipe it all dry with an old tea towel and put it back together. Stalosan is good for stopping dampness too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutechicky Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Well maybe you can take it under somewere with shelter such as under a tree? You could just clean the main bit indoors over floor lined bin bags? Really, if it can't wait, it can't wait and you need to do something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogs Too Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I have discovered that a golf umbrella is the most essential piece of chicken keeping kit one can have as we live in Britain! I don't know about others but I am up and down to the girls ever so often and I hate the rain! Perhaps Omlet should sell one with a suitable chicken design Perhaps I could sell them the idea Whilst cleaning the Eglu how about a garden brolly? But seriously, I too use a towel (actually the dogs lend it to me for the job ) to dry it out the Eglu, I made a spare set of roosting bars from the excellent instructions on the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Both my sets of roosting bars are coated with Plasticip - they hardly need drying at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...