Eglu owners please advise!

[silkiechicken]

Ah that's good. Ventilation must be designed in well. Best be for the price!

 

[eggzettera]

I will be using a heat mat in the winter along with the bird bath deicer - like on this page http://cozywinters.com/pets/?source=go&gclid=CIigu7a0m44CFRAvYAodEHQrSw

I also plan on putting hay bales along the sides and putting a plexiglass "roof" over it during the winter - I will steal this back in the sring to make a cold frame for some veggies.

Whatever tried to dig into the coop just dug around the coop portion figured they got scared and went in the coop and whatever it was could hear them. Anyhow - Eglu 1 - Predator 0

Linda in Chicago - I also have a worm bin - how many have you "sacrificed" to your chickens? Mine got some to begin with now it like "go find your own......"

Mine are used to a certain routine for free ranging & I have a lot of birds in my area so their noise just gets kinda swallowed up.

 

[LindaN]

I like the idea of straw bales around the coop (and run, too, I guess) for extra insulation and as a wind barrier. Getting my hands on straw bales shouldn't be too difficult since they're sold all over the place for Halloween and fall decorating. I always feel like I should be able to scavenge them from the alleys when folks try to get rid of them, but I guess the days I have available to roam the alleys are not the right ones!

I've also thought of doing something similar with bags of leaves. I have much better luck liberating those from the trash since leaves don't fall all at once and people aren't always cleaning them up right away, anyway. We have 2 mature trees in back, and one in front, but very little space to clear of leaves since most of my yard is mulched and planted with hardy perennials. (I hate watering turf grass; such a waste!) So, leaves that fall just get incorporated into the mulch for the most part. I use a LOT of leaves to protect my perennials after the first good freeze, so I often scavenge for them in the alleys and store them under the porch until they're needed.

I've actually thought about moving the Eglu and run under the porch for the winter, too, since it would get some radiant heat from the house and be totally protected from wind. But trying to figure out how to fit it in there -- and in such as way that I could easily keep it clean and get eggs -- is not easy.

As for the plexiglass idea, I was thinking more along the lines of draping a dark colored tarp over the coop, but not the run. Dark items absorb more solar heat, so I would think a dark tarp would keep them warmer inside the coop. I guess a clear covering would be good over the run, though. Hmmm...I have some old double pane windows scavenged from the trash that are sitting in my garage loft. Maybe the windows could be over the run portion and the dark tarp over the coop itself.

Electricity is another issue for me. I only have electric service INSIDE the garage (which is the closest to where they are now), and one outlet on the wall along the porch outside of my house. If I need to rely on a lot of electrical things to keep them warm or keep the water from freezing, I'll have to run extension cords quite a ways. Running long extension cords always worries me from a safety standpoint. I guess it's time to call the electrician and see if he can put some outlets on the OUTSIDE of the garage!

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

I have had good luck with putting notes in people's mailboxes when they have something (of little value) I want.

We have alkaline soil here, so early last fall I put several notes in the mailboxes of people with oak trees, and requested that they call me if and when they collected their leaves, and I would come pick them up. That saves them a $2/bag collection fee, and I get the leaves! I had 4 call-backs out of 9 notes; I thought that was pretty good.

I would do the same with anyone who puts out straw bales; stressing the value of recycling, and the convenience of you picking them up when they call.

Good luck.

The best solar collector of all, by the way, would be to have the black background BEHIND (at least several inches, up to several feet) the clear window, with some thermal mass there to catch all that heat. Be careful if you decide to try this, though; on clear days, temps in a small space can get well over 100 degrees using a solar collector, even with outside temps below freezing.

Mother Earth News calls the following a "solar heat grabber"; it will REALLY heat up a room on a clear day!

http://www.motherearthliving.com/is...-It-Yourself-Solar-Heat-Collectors_168-1.html

 

[LindaN]

MeanQueenNadine, I just realized I didn't answer your question about the worm bin.

No, I haven't "sacrified" any worms to the chickens yet. I just started the bin a few months ago with a small amount of worms (maybe about 1/2 cup full) that I got from a friend. So, the colony is just getting established at this point. Each time I feed them, I check on their progress and see lots of baby worms, so they are definitely growing their population!

I think that by the time winter rolls around I'll be at a point where I'm ready to pull some out to give to the chickens. I'm sure they'll enjoy the treat at a time of year when insect protein is not available!

 

[skatcatla]

I really like the Eglu. In fact, its what got me thinking about chickens in the first place. Its a neat looking little thing. But in the end I decided it was rather pricy for what it is, and also..its one more plastic thing in the world. And since one of the reasons I wanted to get chickens in the first place was about an enviromental statement, I just couldn't justify another molded plastic thing.

Also, I was concerned about it being flat on ground.

I have the same problem you do though; I am not the least bit handy and I didn't want to have to tackle plans. I I did some digging around and ended up going iwth the Chick-n-Hutch and run. Its inexpensive and it was EXTREMELY easy to put together..all you need is a screwdriver. Of course, this isn't the highest quality of materials..but for our mild climate in So. Cal and not a lot of major predators, this seems to be working great:

 

[Wraith]

Quote:
If you use PAM cooking spray on the wooden roosts, the poop won't stick. That's the rumor anyway.