Any trouble with dogloos?

[liz_s]

Hi!

I'm considering getting a dogloo for my girls so they have a much smaller area to huddle in during the cold, windy days. I searched the forums briefly, but didn't really see anything about whether or not it's hard to get them used to such a thing. I don't want to spend a bunch of money on something they won't use! Does anybody have any experience with getting their grown chickens to accept a dogloo and/or tips or ideas for how to do it?

Thanks!

 

[teach1rusl]

I've read of folks with ducks using them. And I've read of them being used for non-roosters like silkies. I would be concerned of ventilation (lack thereof) and how to access eggs. Plus I'm not sure how you'd swing a roost for breeds that typically feel safer roosting...???

 

[HEChicken]

Well for me it wasn't a matter of getting them to accept it as much as letting them use it if they wanted to. I had a dogloo in the backyard that had been there for years. The dogs hated it and never went near it so it just kind of sat there. Then I got the chooks, and did notice that in the winter they often went into it. They still do. At one point they had a nest in the back of it and that was kind of a pain as I had to get down on my knees and reach all the way in back, supporting myself on the nearby ground without putting my hand in a pile of chicken poop just to collect eggs. I was glad when they decided to go back to using the nest boxes. I wouldn't go out and spend a bunch of money on one because they may or may not make use of it. But if you can get one for free (mine was given to me years ago), you might find they use it. Oh - forgot to mention - I did put a flake of straw into it to make it more appealing for them and they did seem to like that.

 

[conny63malies]

Have looked into mini calf hutches? Polydome has several great hutches that work for poultry,

 

[liz_s]

Thanks for the advice, guys! I'll look into the calf hutches- I've never heard of those. And I might try craigslist for a dogloo. They've stopped laying for the season, so I'm not too worried about having a nest in there, but definitely some good things to consider. And I'm not sure if they would rather have somewhere to roost... If I can find something cheap (or free!) I'll give it a try. Thanks again for the input!

 

[HEChicken]

One more thing: I got the impression from your original post that this will not replace their coop but just be a place for them to get out of the wind - is that correct? That is the purpose for which mine use ours. So with that in mind, I didn't worry about adding a roost or anything since they only go into it during the day, and go back to their coop and roosts at bedtime. I did at one point consider trying to make it their sleeping quarters when I only had a small flock, since it has an air vent in the top I could open up, and I thought it would be very windproof and cozy for them. However I couldn't decide how to make a door that would be secure and would fasten to keep out drafts, so I gave up on that idea.

 

[liz_s]

It definitely wouldn't replace their coop, and would probably be only for the winter. It would be lovely to just give them something to stay warm and dry. I feel so terrible that the only place they have to go is in their coop which is large and I can't necessarily move it to make the door fully protected from the wind. I've been thinking about putting hay bales on the western side of the run to keep the wind out if nothing else. Honestly, I blame Disney for training me to anthropomorphize my chickens

.

 

[hcppam]

I have one for my ducks..the chickens investigate it, but I wouldn't use it for a coop for them. My ducks lay there eggs in the dogloo, I have one of those trash grabbers to get the eggs.

 

[liz_s]

That's a brilliant way to get the eggs!

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

"I have WHAT in my backyard?! But, I thought this was a Shi-tzu!"

..that caption on my facebook page a while back. This dogloo was picked up from the curbside garbage pickup program 3 springtimes ago. It serves as a spare cover from hawks, sleet, wind and makes very nice cool shade.

One drawback: the base snaps on and off. The base resides in my garage, while the top moves around the yard, much like a chicken tractor. Sometimes the top resides IN the coop/run. It gives the chickens a backup shelter, in the event of pecking order squabbles or coop door accidentally shutting. It is also much favored by broody's with chicks during daylight naptime. So, the base is another piece of plastic waste taking up space in my garage.

The top can easily be secured to the ground via tent stakes in the plastic snap-on sites. Taking it apart from its base seems incredibly time consuming and wasteful for cleaning, when the top can just be rolled away and plopped onto another lawn spot.

Due to the economy, my city has discontinued its springtime curbside large item garbage pickup. Now what are we chicken coop making hillbillies to do

I was really hoping to pick up some ole dryers or car parts for my next coops....