Couperman Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 There is nothing wrong with wooden houses, people have kept hens in them for yonks. You can buy a wooden house for a fraction of the cost of a cube, however for a really good quality one the price isn't that much different. The big plus for Eglu's and Cubes is they are aso easy to clean, that did it for me! The Eglu is a proven product with a high resale value, there have been a few teething troubles with Cubes, though not in my experience, our Cube is everything I hoped it would be with none of the problems some have reported. Ours was one of the first too May 07. Good luck with your chooks. Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 Somebody a couple of years ago put one of those metal things, with a broom handle across the inside for a perch on Ebay and called it an Eglu. It caused a great deal of excitement and activity on the forum. Everyone thought it was a bad idea because of the temperature and condensation issues, plus the fact that it was a spectacular example of misrepresentation. If I remember rightly we got the listing pulled, after many heated emails between Omleteers and the vendor. The other astonishing thing was that the photos s/he had posted showed that it was absolutely caked in chicken poo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 When I was looking at getting my chickens, I was sold on the eglu from the start but felt the cost was huge. My sister has kept bantams for years in wooden coops, I discussed the pros and cons of both wooden and eglu at length. She really was of the opinion that if you can afford an eglu it is the better option. The chances of red mite is very slim. I bought from Omlet in the end but did watch many bidding wars on ebay for eglus. Most seemed to end anything from £250 to £300!!! On top of that, if you have to travel to pick it up, and have to hire a van (they are quite large), Omlet seems the better way forward. Hope my ramblings help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xChicken04x Posted November 3, 2007 Author Share Posted November 3, 2007 Yes, your rambling helped I know the eglu would be better in the long run, but it would take ages to save for!!!! It would be so much easier to just buy a cheaper wooden house! Oh I dont know what to do xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 I have both an eglu and a wooden coop. Dad and me built the wooden coop from scratch and it's being used by the little ones at the minute. We have never had red mite in it and it's very sturdy, (like a brick!!! It's also very heavy, probably due to the fact Dad covered the roof in sheet metal rather than roofing felt as roof felt can harbour red mites). To be honest an eglu was the better option for me as I have to clean it out on my own, so it's light enough for me to lift and move around on my own making it easier. Basically the overall clean out every so often is a lot easier with an eglu than a wooden coop as the sides are smooth and there are no nasty corners. It basically just depends on how much you have to spend. Hope that helps, Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 On top of that, if you have to travel to pick it up, and have to hire a van (they are quite large We bought 2 eglus secondhand and got them both at once and their runs in our Honda CRV which is not a massive car. Mind you, since one of them was in the front passenger seat hubby had to fetch them on his own! Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 Before I discovered eglus I really wanted a traditional wooden hen house but what swung it for me was the portability of the eglu. I really needed something I could transport easily in the car. I love my eglu now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I cleaned both Eglus out yesterday, and it took me under an hour - I can't imagine scrubbing a wooden house out that quickly, or that it would have dried in that time. I've never had a wooden coop, so perhaps I'm wrong ... it would have to be an Eglu for me just because they are so easy to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 When I was contemplating getting hens and did all the costings etc....The Eglu wasn't any more expensive than the good quality arks, in fact, it was cheaper than many. It was the ease of cleaning, and the red mite and fox resistance that s was the final clincher for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xScrunchee Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Same here. Didn't work out very much cheaper to go for wood. The Eglu has lots of good selling points and I have no regrets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I recognised the houses above from when I was looking into getting chickens (it was one of my local places) the link is http://www.hen-house.co.uk/html/oakley.html I think they are quite pricey though! (but admittedly beautiful) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I have a wooden 'chicken cottage' http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/acatalog/Cottage_Henhouse_1.html and we've built a 6' run extension on to it. If you keep on top of the cleaning, hemcore under the perches and in the nest box, a 5 minute poop scoop every morning and a change of hemcore weekly (I could get away with every 2 weeks if I wanted) it is no effort at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I recognised the houses above from when I was looking into getting chickens (it was one of my local places) the link is http://www.hen-house.co.uk/html/oakley.html I think they are quite pricey though! (but admittedly beautiful) Thanks Chickadee! Its been driving me mad trying to find the website! The prices have definately gone up. The small painted house in green/cream was £80-£90 last time i looked. They are now £163! (I considered getting one for the garden as a 'feature') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Eglus may work out as just as expensive in the end as bought wooden coops, but if you make them yourself they come out a lot cheaper. To build ours it cost about £100, (It could have been done a lot cheaper if we could have got our hands on reclaimed timber) and my second hand eglu was £250, it basically just depends on whether you're good at construction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 that's true - we've got a couple of friends who made their own coups/ runs but I knew that if either of us tried making one, Mr Fox would be rubbing his paws with glee! We openly admit that we are rubbish, stick to earning money the way we are good at and pay someone else to "make things!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 If you keep on top of the cleaning, hemcore under the perches and in the nest box, a 5 minute poop scoop every morning and a change of hemcore weekly (I could get away with every 2 weeks if I wanted) it is no effort at all. I have to agree with you here - I poop pick every day from the top of the hemcore (or aubiose in my case), though I get away with only changing it every 6-8 weeks - the fact that mine are bantams may account for that. The only "scrubbing out" I do is twice yearly and that's with Poultry Shield as a precaution against red mite. I can quite honestly say that there's absolutely nothing to scrub out in my wooden houses, so I guess it's all a matter of what regime you use??? Wooden house or Eglu? It's entirely a matter of taste IMHO - whichever one you like best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I have to agree with you here - I poop pick every day from the top of the hemcore (or aubiose in my case), though I get away with only changing it every 6-8 weeks I have only been changing mine weekly because I thought I had to, it doesn't look dirty like the hemcore outside. I shall leave it longer and see how it goes. If the poop is being removed daily in theory it should stay clean for ages. Do you line the floor with newspaper, Jools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMcHen Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I do the same as Jools and yes I line with paper - but I'm not too sure why I do - it seemed a good idea at the time!!!!!!!! have just done a blitz today. Renewed paper and hemcore and washed all down. Sprinkled mite powder in all the nooks and crannies - I like the clean fresh smell. Maggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I've cleaned everything out today too. Scrubbed perches and nest box, replaced paper and hemcore. The company I bought the house from recommended lining with paper as its easier to lift it all out when cleaning. I've just replaced all the run hemcore too as hubby has extended the run so they have loads of room now and smell lovely. Hope it lasts! I've piled all the dirty hemcore in my new compost heap that only has chickeny debris in it. Should I dampen it down and how long does it take to rot? I'm getting quite a pile now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I've piled all the dirty hemcore in my new compost heap that only has chickeny debris in it. Should I dampen it down and how long does it take to rot? I'm getting quite a pile now! Add some veg peelings, a bit of grass and some shredded newspaper. If it is too dry then add some water, but not too much. It should be moist, not slimey. I try and turn my compist bins every 3 months or so and it really does make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Thanks Christian, We have another pre-chicken compost heap that has had all the usual grass, vegetable , garden stuff put on it. That has just been emptied as it was nicely rotted down. As I am going to get far more pooey hemcore than anything else, can I have a compost bin with just that in? How long will it take to rot down? The bag says it is highly compostable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I don't line the floor with newspaper - two of my arks are house-above-the-run style, so there's a whopping great hole in the floor when the ladder is down and also I'm wary of giving red mite somewhere to hide - paranoid Moi?? When I say there's nothing to scrub, I do give the perch a bit of a scrub every now and again, but as there's no poop for them to walk through on their way to bed, it stays clean. The ladder does collect a few muddy footprints ......................... because they refuse to use their door mat!! Joking about the door mat!!! Of course they use it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 As I am going to get far more pooey hemcore than anything else, can I have a compost bin with just that in? How long will it take to rot down? The bag says it is highly compostable. Haven't had my girls long enough to really know the answer, but I've been putting poo, shredded paper, newspaper sheets (from poo tray) & little bits of hemcore in my compost bin for about 2 months and it's not filling up any faster than it used to. I don't compost a lot of hemcore as it gets dug into the soil in the run by the girls and, I'm assuming, is kind of composting itself there. The hemcore certainly disappears into the soil very well so I'd imagine a compost bin would be even more efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 our run is on slabs so the only place for the hemcore to go is the compost heap. Have visited the Hemcore website and they say it composts in a couple of months. Hope so cos I'm going to be overrun with the stuff otherwise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozkate Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Been using the hemcore for about a month (on soil as well as in the run and coop - wooden). I've been impressed with its absorbancy and the ease of cleaning. RE composting - I've been composting for a lot longer!!! I would recommend mixing the hemcore with a bit of grass clippings and kitchen waste. If you leave it on its own and clean out regularly you may not have enough moisture for the compost to rot down quickly. If you compost just grass clippings they can get too wet, exclude oxygen and therefore not rot properly resulting in very smelly, slimy mush that is not good for the garden. IMHO the hemcore provides the ideal answer. When I had a rabbit we used wood shavings but they took a while to rot down. The hemcore has all the attributes of excellent compost additive for grass clippings. The only other suggestion I have is to 'activate' your compost with something. Urine works well. Hope that helps. Loz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
