The Poultry Keeper

Pete&Jackie · Joined: 03 Sep 2005 Posts: 209 Location: Hertfordshire

Behave yourself Colin..... you were the one who told me we had enough now!!! Shocked

PM'd you re the new run extension! Very Happy

jooles · Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:32 am Post subject:

Looking at the Eglu website was what first got me interested in keeping chickens, I was seriously considering getting one but was put off by the price. It also occurred to me that I might want more than 2 or 3 chooks once I started. The website is very informative though.

Pete&Jackie · Joined: 03 Sep 2005 Posts: 209 Location: Hertfordshire

Colin has been round and put up my run extension, bless him! Now have the 10 bird Stafford House and 2two 9 foot by 4 foot runs, the new one adapted so it butts up next to the original but is open where it butts up, the centre piece of mesh has been taken out of the other one giving them access and hey presto a lovely double sized run. Thanks Colin, you are a star! Wink

Dan & Claire · Joined: 12 Nov 2005 Posts: 3

Thanks for all the advice (especially the pictures Lisa) however I think i will go for something a little bigger... I have already decided to have 3 rather than two chickens after reading some advice on another thread so guess I will be at five by January.

I have ordered some books off Amazon and will be reading them over the next week so will be back in a few weeks with a lot more questions.

Cheers

Dan

debcat · Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 8:37 pm Post subject:

Good luck

they are great pets to keep
just bear in mind how addictive they are Very Happy

I started with 6 and now have over 80 Embarassed

kilvroch · Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 1 Location: northants

I've got an eglu and 4 hens: a Bovans Nera, Meadowsweet Ranger, Old Cotswold Legbar and a Cream Legbar.

It's great and just the right size for 4 hens. They have free range of my decent sized front garden and bushes during the day, so I never keep them stuck in the run.

The peanut shaped feeders are great for keeping pellets dry, especially coupled with the cover to the run.

For water, I use a larger container outside the run.

I really like how simple the eglu is to clean and to move around the garden. It is very clever and roughly the same price as wooden houses in this part of the country.

worldor · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 111 Location: West Midlands

The Eglu is great and it does come in pink Smile

shelly · Joined: 20 Nov 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Glastonbury

The problem with chickens is that you decide on a max of 3 and then you go to get them and you come back with 5.
Then about 2 months later you find yourself weighing up the space you have and thinking about some more chickens.
Then you think about growing your own and getting an incubator.

This is all fueled by your family who originally thought you where barmy when you got them in the first place but , who you secretly find feeding, handling and talking to YOUR chickens.

I've seen the eglus and they look great it's what got me into the idea of keeping chickens originally.

From Shelly

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

Shelly I quite agree, I was given 5 chickens for Easter last year from my OH and you think - Oh well if I have to go down let them out anyway i may as well get a few more and then if you are building an arc why not two? and it tends to escalate!! Well that's my excuse Rolling Eyes

You come from just down the road from me - I live in Wookey

shelly · Joined: 20 Nov 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Glastonbury

hello Issy,

It's great to know there is somone local who also likes chickens. Do you have an eglu or do you just have the ark?
Which Wookey are you in, let me know perhaps we could talk chickens one day.

From Shelly

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

that's exactly what happens shelley. I had a small 3' x 4' house, then copied it to have two and ended up with an 8' x 6'! I was only going to have 3 or 4 girls, and as someone kept putting them in my garden whenever I went to buy feed for them I just had to keep them ~ all 22 of them (but never considered the number of eggs I'd get 12 a day out of 12 at one time!!)
How many are you planning on now?

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

Hi Shelly,
I live in the Wookey without the caves (on the Wedmore road). It would be great to talk chickens some time. We don't have an eglu (though they do look really good), we have a collection of homemade and bought houses,arcs and runs.

shelly · Joined: 20 Nov 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Glastonbury

I built a four foot long ark and intended to get 3 bantams. When I went to buy mine I brought 4 really young birds, then when we where about to close the negotiations I got offered a very beautiful bantam wyandotte pullet, a bargain I thought.
When I got them back I realised I needed to increase the space so I have built a large run which attaches to the run area on the bottom of the ark. They all work well in the ark no probs with space. But I may need to rethink that again in the spring as they will all be hopefully alot bigger.
I do want to get more but I haven't got the room.
My friend is getting a small amount of land and wants chickens so I may see if I can rent some space along side her chickens and get more.
I am now a chicken nerd according to my friends and work colleagues, They look at me like I am a pod person when I talk about my chickens, which I do with pride.
Shelly

Louise · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 1

I love my Eglu they are fab

LesleyC · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 2

I started with one Eglu but now have three Embarassed

Lisa posted an old photo earlier on with two Eglus on a platform. We now have a pink, Mark 2 Eglu as someone needed to rehome their two chickens because they are emigrating.

The Mark 2 is even easier to clean then the Mark 1. Kates photos earlier on show the Mark 1 being taken apart for cleaning.