Storms and chickens

[ttmattsson]

Hello!

I live in Sweden and I am trying to find out how well the Eglu works in the winter. I can't find anything here in Sweden
or the UK because I live in the North of Sweden and we have so much colder here than down there and sometimes for more than a week at the time. (-30 Celsius, -22 Fahrenheit)
So I wonder if there is anyone here that lives up north and use the Eglu during cold winters? Do you still let them out all day?
Is there anything special I should think about before the winter comes? I really like the cube  and feel like it's a better option than
the wooden houses, but it's the size during the winter that I'm worried about.

Appreciate all the answer I can get!

Thank you!

[Patricia W]

Wow! That is cold.  One winter we got down to -12 for a short time and mine were fine in the cube at night. I just shut the door when normally I leave it open.  They free ranged during the day when the main problem was keeping their water thawed.    I know that Omlet now sell an extreme weather jacket for the cube.  I think I'd contact them though and ask their advice.  My concern would be the impact of the cold on the plastic in the longer term.  I think the chickens would be fine. 

Edited April 14, 2018 by Patricia W

[stepnout]

Well hello ttmattson and everyone on the site. This is my first post and I have found my way here after ordering an Eglu Cube this past Thursday. I live in Eastern Canada and at times we have very harsh winters. Very much like ttmattson. Not wanting to hijack the post but am very interested in this topic. 

Thanks in advance. 

[Beantree]

I think you would have to move the Cube into a warm barn and let the chickens run inside the barn, rather than letting them roam outside as -30C is far too cold. I have seen pictures of a large insulated shed used to house chickens over Winter. 

[Cat tails]

I think Beantree is right. Sleeping in the cube won’t be a problem I guess, but the chickens running around in -30 would in the long run. Their exposed bits like their comb might get frostbitten. 

[stepnout]

I'll be speaking with several folks I know who have successfully wintered their laying hens for years. I'll be taking their advice and come up with a solution. the folks I ordered my cube from also seem to be quite knowledgeable and helpful. Sounds like a great source as other customers here in Canada give feedback to the supplier.

After doing a google image search for "Eglu Cube snow" I found some great pictures that helps understand what to expect. 

[Cat tails]

If you have Cube outside in winter, definitely keep clearing snow off the roof. I have A Go Up (yes I know, totally different coop) and even a little snow moves the plastic panels and makes it hard to open the back door. 

[stepnout]

On 4/16/2018 at 1:08 AM, Cat tails said:

If you have Cube outside in winter, definitely keep clearing snow off the roof. I have A Go Up (yes I know, totally different coop) and even a little snow moves the plastic panels and makes it hard to open the back door. 

Thank you would this be allot of snow? My driveway 2015, 

[Cat tails]

  

I think I need to show this to my spoiled chickens! One snowflake snd they won’t come out of the coop, into the run, for days... They are terrified of snow. I literally have to give them breakfast in bed.

[GrannyTrish]

My hens are like CatT's. They hate the snow (and rain) and are definitely fairweather girls! Actually, when I think about, they're a bit like me .

Yes, that is definitely a lot of snow.

[stepnout]

Mind you not all winters are like that, this yer we had more rain. No matter what winter brings my plan will be to attach my Cube to a larger temporary walk in pen in order to shovel it out and let the birds get the sun.

[Princess Leia]

Additional insulation kit? https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/chicken_keeping/eglu_extreme_temperature_protection/22019/extreme_temperature_blanket_for_eglu_cube_mk2_green/?rf=b7d478339bd69c288917e9bb06d3c572

[ttmattsson]

On 2018-04-18 at 11:45 PM, stepnout said:

Mind you not all winters are like that, this yer we had more rain. No matter what winter brings my plan will be to attach my Cube to a larger temporary walk in pen in order to shovel it out and let the birds get the sun.

Our winter was exactly like in your picture and when we got that much snow the temperature doesn't usually drop down to -30c that easy but this year's been a disaster. I wish you good luck with your cube!

Thanks everyone for your answers. I'll try to find a solution!

[ttmattsson]

Update after two winters with the Cube.

I have a storm proof green house(12m2) where I first dug up some of the ground (excuse my English but I hope it's understandable), so when I go inside it is a bit deeper so I could build up a thicker layer of wooden chip and straw. It has been a really great solution, especially if the sun decides to come out so it gets a little bit warmer some days. My girls seems to like it. Next season I will try to turn the straw regularly to see if it can get a little bit warmer on chilly days. So as long as I don't decide to have more chickens this works great.

[The Dogmother]

Mine have a covered run, so are still out of the cube in the snow, they just don't like to free range.

One thing to be aware of when lagging the housing (I am not a fan of doing this) is to avoid covering the ventilation holes if you can - condensation and ammonia build-up in the coop are both killers. The new version of the cube is made of more brittle plastic and would almost certainly spilt or shatter in extreme cold - the mark 1 version of the cube, and the Classic are both make of polypropylene, so much more robust.

I would bring the housing in to a barn or at least a lean-to over winter, where they will be warmer and you can have access to electricity for a low voltage heater on the drinker, just to stop it form freezing. Totally different temperatures here, but my grandad used to bring all the animals in to barns and sheds if the weather was predicted to be really bad.

[ttmattsson]

A shame that the mk1 isn't available then.. =/

I would love to build something that can be a good winter home but the permits for buildings on our plot is the catch.
It would not only be the cost for material for the house but for permits and other services. I do have electricity in my green house though.

I'm thinking about solutions almost every day so maybe I find something before next season that is perfect. Won't stop searching until I get there

[The Dogmother]

1 hour ago, ttmattsson said:

A shame that the mk1 isn't available then.. =/

Plenty still on ebay!

[Jer]

Hi when i first thought of buying the new cube mk 2, I asked Omlet if it was the same material as the Omlet cube mk 1 and was told it was the same material.  So i don't know now what to thing.  Is it the same or would it crack ?

[Cat tails]

If Omlet states it’s the same, it should be fine. And otherwise if anything does happen to it, they should fix/refund if they state it should be able to cope.