What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[AndyRoo]

Just throwing this out there as an idea: How about designing some kind of Eglu Cube Max which would allow keepers to have more than 8 hens or some large breeds?

We've decided we'd like to get some more hens, but it'd exceed the current capacity of our Mk1 - and significantly succeed the comparison for the Mk2 - which I still have no idea why the capacity was reduced, even if not by much.

[soapdragon]

I messaged Omlet to ask if they would consider designing a hedgehog house...there are lots of wooden ones available and obviously a demand for them. Looking at the current guinea pig house I'm sure that design could easily be adapted but they didn't seem at all interested! A missed marketing opportunity there!

[AndyRoo]

6 minutes ago, soapdragon said:

I messaged Omlet to ask if they would consider designing a hedgehog house...there are lots of wooden ones available and obviously a demand for them. Looking at the current guinea pig house I'm sure that design could easily be adapted but they didn't seem at all interested! A missed marketing opportunity there!

I'd quite like them to do a little duck house too - although I suppose you can probably adapt one of the Eglus for that?

[Cat tails]

56 minutes ago, AndyRoo said:

I'd quite like them to do a little duck house too - although I suppose you can probably adapt one of the Eglus for that?

But then again I don’t think either the Classic or Go run are really suitable for ducks as they are too small to fit a good sized pond in them.

I’d also like them make a tube system for the Qute or any other way to extent them, but don’t see that happening either.

[AndyRoo]

51 minutes ago, Cat tails said:

But then again I don’t think either the Classic or Go run are really suitable for ducks as they are too small to fit a good sized pond in them.

I was talking about housing only, not the outdoor space.

[Cat tails]

I understand, but you still need outdoor space too. And if it means that you still have to sort it out yourself afterwards, then it’s not really an interesting option.

[soapdragon]

Personally I think that anyone taking on ducks is gently bonkers.......all that mess!!!!!!! But I do think Omlet could be a bit more open minded when it comes to product development!

[AndyRoo]

3 minutes ago, soapdragon said:

Personally I think that anyone taking on ducks is gently bonkers.......all that mess!!!!!!! But I do think Omlet could be a bit more open minded when it comes to product development!

I am that kind of bonkers! lol

[soapdragon]

Buy wellies!

[Patricia W]

Probably not the best business environment to suggest it.  Mind you, I think they lost the plot when they abandoned the Mk1.   And don’t ask me about the WIR.....

[The Dogmother]

11 hours ago, Patricia W said:

Probably not the best business environment to suggest it.  Mind you, I think they lost the plot when they abandoned the Mk1.   And don’t ask me about the WIR.....

Ditto.

I doubt that they would invest in new designs and manufacturing moulds for any new products at the moment. besides, they appear to have a warehouse full of gifty tat to shift 

The last couple of divergences from the original designs don't seem to have been a massive success and look to have been designed by a completely different team. People are buying the Go!, Go! Up and cube #2 because they are the better of the plastic housing currently on the market, but I still don't think that they match the originals in terms of build and material quality and durability. There was a report on one of the FB poultry pages of a fox trying to get into a Go! and splitting one of the panels.

[Lewis]

19 hours ago, Cat tails said:

I’d also like them make a tube system for the Qute or any other way to extent them, but don’t see that happening either.

There is a double width Qute they used to keep the Omlet HQ hamsters in but I’m not sure if they ever sold them.

I think that given Omlet’s target demographic is backyard keepers the size of the housing is fine; to be worth the investment it would probably need to be for 20+ chickens and then would out-price smallholders and farmers etc. I love the Walk In Runs and that allows extra housing to be added on.

We have 12 chickens at the minute who all use the Cube - there are three other eglus they can use but choose not to.

[mullethunter]

12 hours ago, The Dogmother said:

There was a report on one of the FB poultry pages of a fox trying to get into a Go! and splitting one of the panels.

The outer panels are plastic that goes brittle after a few years outside. My top cover panel is cracked. However the separate inner panel which is one piece is similar plastic to the mark 1 Cube. This is based on my Go bought in 2014.

I actually like my lo rise WIR too because it sits easily on slightly uneven ground, and although it is expensive, with the use of lots of cable ties it is very versatile and mine is still looking reasonable after 5 years.