Cat tunnels for catio wanted

[Jules.]

When I was on holiday my my mum chicken sat for us, & when my next door neighbour asked her why I had got my chickens my mum told her I had got them "on a whim". I'm not sure how true that is, but I can't really give a reason why I did decide to get my girls (considering I was terrified of birds). My mum's neighbour used to have chickens years ago, & we used to chicken sit then. One time these chooks excaped & I had to go to neighbouring gardens to get them back I mustn't have been scared of birds then.

[Olly]

Funny - because I was scared of birds. I'm still not sure how I'd cope if the cat brought a live bird into the house, (last time it happened I became almost hysterical) but since I've got the chooks, I'm a lot better. Even after I had ordered them, I worried about how I'd cope, but somehow it's different when they're in your garden!

 

Anyway - back to topic - I read about the Eglu, and I just wanted to get chickens, I can't really explain why. I think it was partly the hours I spent playing with my miniature farm when I was a kid - I just knew that I wanted some. It wasn't about getting eggs, strange as it may seem I didn't really think about them laying! I just wanted to see chickens in my garden.

 

And my expectations have been exceeded a hundredfold - I did not realise they would be so funny, entertaining and individual.

[jacquesson]

I unfortunately was succumbed by the egloo first, we as a family of 5 love eggs, eldest daughter doesnt like yokes, son loves all, 5 year old still to be persuaded, but majority rules. had a vote on colour, boys cheated, so orange arrived, but great, my westie pup a bit spooked thou. but if i'm honest the guys at omlet persuaded me!!!!! but now i'm collecting eggs its fab. plus miss pepperpot Choo is gorgeous

[chelsea]

BIG animal lover, live in the country and always wanted chickens. Hubby works with chickens and woke me up early one morning with a suprise (I was thinking chocolates or flowers) and it was 3 chooks in a box in the garden!!

[sparkleeeeee]

i wanted chickens because of the eggs really. i have a sensitivity to antibiotics and as you know even freerange organic hens have antibiotics sometimes so i have been really ill with all eggs. the problem was that i love eggs and so do my children and having my own hens was the answer because i would know exactly what they had taken. its also nice for children to know where food comes from and we do grow veg etc. it was kind of the next step.

but i did worry about bird flu so i did some research and decided that the eglu would be my best oprtion as it is easy to prevent contamination with wild birds. previously if there was concern about bird flu i would stop buying eggs and chicken but now we will still be able to have eggs.

i only intended to get three chickens and now i have 9!!.

i have found that they are great pets and are surprisingly tolerant with the kids. we always had alot chickens when i was a child but they were never friendly and i didnt really have much to so with them except clean them out and feed them.

i certainly would not have had chickens if my only option was a wooden hutch

[geb0205]

Somewhere my mother works had a red (probably Mk 1) eglu and some hens. I was besotted from first glance of it. They promised me the eglu (it was temporary) but it never turned out. I was gutted.

 

From that moment, I went and looked up the omlet site, and wanted one and some hens.

 

I got the hens about a year later (Speck and Freck) and an eglu 6 months later... the other 2 hens, Puzz and Fuzz are relatively new additions.

 

All prefer sleeping in the greenhouse

[Hen Watch]

I wanted a childrens pet that didn't have teeth (so no hamsters or rabbits) and didn't need daily walking.

 

So.......earlier this year, I saw an article on Omlet. I hit the website and the more I read about chickens the more I was hooked. After a month of dithering I ordered them. It helped that it was so easy to get the whole package from Omlet, delivery, construction, chickens, food etc.

 

Loving every minute of it (although today OH did not have kind words for my "girls" when I forgot to shut the gate and they ate the entire contents of his greenhouse....)

[AmandaR]

Our children had been nagging us for ages about getting a pet.

We couldn't have a cat as Dh is asthmatic, I wasn't keen on having the responsibility of a dog and have never really seen the point of small furry pets such as hamsters and guinea pigs.

A collegue of Dh's has an Eglu and chooks and we decided that was the perfect solution. The children could have pets and they serve a use too, by providing eggs. Happiness all round!

Best decision we ever made!

[The Bantam of the Opera]

My mother has always been pretty lenient about me getting pets and I always seem to come across unwanted or abandoned creatures and they just accumulate in my house.

 

there was sandwhich, teh unwanted rat, fawkes, the abandoned cockatiel and the baby guineapigs my friend couldnt home.

 

I then starte dwork on a local childrens farm and came across two of teh saddest, most ragged looking creatures id ever seen. I simplay had to rehome them. I asked my mum and she had had a chicken when she was little and said we could bring themhome. that night my not-so-feathered friends came home. They lived in a guineapig hutch for 2 weeks then i got my eglu. Then i just had to have some more. My girlies are so amazing!

[craftyhunnypie]

I got my chooks because... we went on a caravan weekend & stayed on a site nar a pub that had chickens & a turkey!!! We were fascinated with them all weekend & egg collected for the pub owner. They were mainly light sussex & had the eggs for use in the restaurant! We loved it, then I started asking for chooks & a wooden house. I put hen house into google & up came Omlet...I was totally sold on the pink eglu!

 

Emma.x

[chelsea]

a turkey!!!

 

 

I have been saying to hubby about a turkey, I think they are so cute.

 

He isnt budging though.

 

I could get a Turklu then.

[Snowy]

I read on someones blog about them getting an eglu and her first experience of chickens. Was absolutely fascinated and got completely hooked on the idea. Very fortunate that we had just received a pension windfall and managed to persuade OH that this would be a good investment!

[Shirl]

DP bought me Hen and the art of chicken maintenance book for christmas about 4 years ago. I read it and thought having chooks sounded too much like hard work.

 

A couple of months ago we went to a animal park that had silkies with chicks and they were so cute we both just fell in love with them. We sat and ate our picnic on a bench near the chooks. After that I went home, googled and thought about getting an Eglu. Within a week a Mark 1 came up on Ebay only 15 miles from where I live so it seemed like fate.

[fairy&cake]

ive always been obsessed with Chickens,

 

My best friend reminded me of something recently

 

She said: Laura remember when you were about 12 and you said how you wanted your life to be?

 

I said Noooo

 

You said you wanted to have a house in a Village with lots of children and loads of chickens and a cockeral..

 

i started laughing and said ; OH YEH!!!!

 

So i guess its alsways on my life plan.

 

PLus its ACE for seth, when hes screaming the moment he sees them, he stops!

 

He loves them!!!!

 

I think its important for young children to know about where food comes from aswell.

 

We are planning on having a small holding as soon as we are rich enough!!!!!!!!!

 

Love L xxxxxxxx

[Christian]

I don't know why I have always wanted chickens? Maybe it is something to do with being 'in touch' with nature? Maybe i'm barking mad? (I am called that soooo often)

Living in a town at the time i never thought i would be able to get chickens. We had foxes every night and i just didn't want to take the risk.

 

One day surfing the tinterweb, i came across Omlet and the eglu! Perfect solution! I did wait until we had moved to the country (longest 6 months of my life) and the girls were ordered on the day of house completion!

 

I cannot tell you how much pleasure the girls bring!!! With the job i do, it is so easy to look after them. OH wasn't keen at first, but i often hear him talking to them! (not that I ever do that)

 

Even with the recent traumas we have been having, I would always keep chickens now. The garden would seem so empty without them. Best thing I have ever done!

[Jules.]

It WAS the eglu that finally persuaded me to get chooks. Hurrah!

[ChickNic]

I wanted an eglu as soon as I saw the advert in the back of good food magazine a couple of years ago, but alas lived in a flat in Clapham with no garden. Six months ago we bought our own flat with a 40ft garden in Denmark Hill. Absolutely love growing stuff and spending time out there. It took a lot of deliberating to get the eglu as it was so expensive. However, we justified it as we really wanted a pet, and we wanted an excuse to spend time out in the garden during the colder weather. The chickens are great, and I already love them to bits after just 2 weeks. Still awaiting eggs, but I'm sure we will love them even more then

[Lovemychooks]

I got my chickens because my friend gets monthly updates on animals that need rescuing and it mentioned battery hens so after thinking about it for a second I decided to do it. I went on the internet and typed in battery hens and the BHWT came up, contacted the co-ordinator and got the chooks a couple of weeks later ! A month or so after our neighbour gave us chicks that he had hatched and i'm now a mum to 10 chickens !!

 

I've also just been making the run a bit bigger so i'll be able to get more battery hens, yaaaaaaaaay !!

[beach chick]

really interesting reading all these!

we 'd thought vaguely about getting some chickens, and then DH went and got me an eglu for my birthday this year! - he said "we'll never do it otherwise, so I got you one" - best present I've ever had.

found the chickens myself a week later from a local breeder, they were only 16 weeks old but I was far too impatient to wait til they were pol before I got them (and that's also why I didnt get ex batts, this was in May and the next lot werent going to be rescued til August).

love them dearly, and the eggs are just the best!