Eglu Cube

[peas&bees]

We want to buy the Eglu Cube for the chickens that we are planning to get in the spring. We are only planning to start with 3 bantams, but I don't want to get the Eglu Classic and outgrow it immediately.

Does anyone have experience with this coop?

Are your chickens happy in it?

Do you have the 2 metre or 3 metre run?

I though that roosting bars needed to be off the ground? Does it count that the Cube itself is off the ground?

Do you have any problems with leaking?

Is is warm enough? It gets to be about -15 Celsius at the coldest where I am.

Is it cool enough? It gets to be about 38 Celsius at the very hottest.

If you could make any improvements to the Cube what would they be?

Is it as easy to move around your yard as they say it is?

I want to make sure this is the best choice for us as it is really difficult to get it into Canada. I have to rent a truck and drive across the border and pick it up from a greyhound station. I also bought plans for a nice wooden coop but I really like the idea of plastic for cleanliness etc.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions

 

[Judy]

I would not consider putting chickens in a small coop in Canada. They will want to stay inside a lot of days in that weather and that just doesn't give them any room. I won't do it here because they stay in out of the heat some days. They need a lot more space for all day than just to sleep and lay eggs. Chickens have been living in wooden sheds and lean-tos for ages; they really don't need the cleanliness of plastic. Pine shavings on the floor, and they will be plenty clean and odor free. Read here, written by another Canadian chicken owner: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures

 

[peas&bees]

Thanks for the link - I will definitely check it out.

I also wanted to let you know that the Cube is much larger than the Eglu that most people are familiar with. It can house ten chickens with the extra extension which I am getting. Here is a link http://www.omlet.us/products_services/products_services.php?cat=Eglu+Cube&subcat=The+Eglu+Cube

Do you still feel it is too small?

Thank you

 

[Judy]

Yes, sorry, much too small.

The rule of thumb on here is 4 sq ft of floor space per chicken, which does not include floor space used by feeders, waterers, nest boxes. It is a general rule and there are variations, one of which is living in a climate where they spend the day, perhaps for weeks at a time. In Canada, where they will stay in much of the day if not all day, they need a lot more, more like a minimum of 10 sq ft per chicken. These numbers are for large fowl, not bantams, but they won't be much less for them.

If they do not have enough space, they will peck each other and pull feathers, even to the point of death --- and then they will eat the dead chicken. You really want them to have enough space.

People who sell ready made chicken coops very, very often greatly overestimate how many chickens their coop will hold. They might fit in, and in a subtropical climate where the chickens are outside all day every day, this coop might be enough. Might.

It's not just that. Particularly in cold climates you need good ventilation, which is almost impossible to do in a coop 3' or 4' tall without causing a draft on the chickens.

You will have a much better idea after you read patandchickens' writeups on cold weather coops and on ventilation.

 

[peas&bees]

Okay thanks

This is why I am here, I want to do everything right the first time and I don't want to make mistake at the cost of my hens.

 

[awesomefowl]

The Cube is so cute, but probably building a larger shed would be better for the hens, bantams like to fly. Do you have an old outbuilding that you could convert?

 

[peas&bees]

I do have an old shed at the back of my property but we had a rat problem in there a while back

 

[sharol]

I bought a coop that everyone said was too small because it was very secure and looked nice. Everyone was right, and we ended up having to make other arrangements for winter.

We just finished adapting a steel building (6x8) and moved the girls in yesterday. They really like the additional space. The hoop will be a great grow-out coop for small numbers during milder weather, but they need more room and better protection from the elements for a Kansas winter.

Don't waste money on a coop you will be replacing in the fall. They aren't kidding about the 4 sq. fee per chicken.

 

[Judy]

peas&bees :

I do have an old shed at the back of my property but we had a rat problem in there a while back

This is often a great place to start. Some Just One Bite will take care of the rats with little threat to other animals who eat the dead rats. A disadvantage might be the distance from the house, especially if you are unable to have power out there -- not to heat the chickens but the water, for light for working at night, for a brooder in the future maybe, and in case you decide to give them 14 hours of light a day to encourage egg laying. Frozen drinking water is an ongoing problem; people use many, many methods to ensure liquid drinking water, and carrying it from the house is not exactly the most convenient. Having a coop big enough to store a 50 lb. bag of feed in a metal trash can is a great convenience.

Some browsing in the coops section is bound to give you some good ideas. Gobs and gobs of coops in there.​

 

[TomG]

The eggloo coop on the link is attractive but I fear it was designed by a non chicken keeper. For $1280 you could construct a larger coop and run. My coop is a six foot cube with pitched roof, 360sq ft run, and has an automatic door, lights etc and cost me less than $1000.