Omlet Eglu Cube w/Run - Number of Hens?

[Building Bridges]

Ive watched and read everything I could on them, both from omlet and other independent reviews. I think for my set up and what I'm looking for il still give it a go. What coop did you end up going with if you don't mind me asking?

I love the "Hennebunkport" coop shown on the BYC site...(not sure how to link you to it but I think you can search it). I would need someone to build it for me though. I am not handy.

 

[Mayakovsky]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the site and this will be my first year keeping chickens! Based on my research and what I want for my chickens, I have decided to go with the Omlet Eglu Cube with 9 foot run. I plan on letting the girls out in the yard outside of the run when they can be supervised. I'm curious on people's experience with the Elgu Cube and more importantly, how many hens are you housing in it? I've read anywhere from 3 - 8 would be fine. I was thinking of 4 - 6 personally, but want everyone to be comfortable and happy. I'm going to go with a rainbow egg maker assortment from a hatchery. Considering a rooster also, just since I think they are so fun Thanks in advance!

I have an Omlet Eglu....live in Minnesota....this is my take on it - It houses 4 hens for me. Here they SLEEP and LAY EGGS. When the coop door is open, and it is light out, they are always outside. That said, at night they all cuddle together without much pecking at all. The nest boxes stay clean - chickens are not sleeping there and pooping all over the place. The poop tray is easily removed and emptied. There doesn't APPEAR to be adequate ventilation, but I have had no issues with ammonia smells or high humidity. The plastic DOES lend itself to being hosed down easily....and face it, no one is going to be cleaning a coop in the middle of a blizzard, as someone intimated. Although it IS mobile, it might be a hassle if you move it infrequently, as the grass around it will matte and make it hard to free it from the predator guard around the run. One suggestion, though - don't put more than 4 in there, and consider building a BIGGER run around the one with the omlet. That is what I did...I covered the one from Omlet to protect it from the wind/rain/snow, but the chickens have a MUCH larger run to explore as well.....that small a run as comes with the Eglu seems unfair......do consider this coop for starters....I think you will like it.

 

[aart]

When the coop door is open, and it is light out, they are always outside.

So you free range?
How much snow on the ground up there now?
Got pics?

 

[Amgill0415]

Thanks for the response! I actually just ordered the coop since I got a decent coupon for it and since I was getting money off anyways, I ended up getting three extension for a full 13 ft run. Thanks for sharing your experience! Do you have the auto door? Everyone seems to stay warm?

 

[Mayakovsky]

So you free range?
How much snow on the ground up there now?
Got pics?

No, I don't free range....too many predators. Just last week my Australorp was on my shoulder - as she tends to do whenever I am in the run for some reason - and she freaked out and flew to the ground....I looked up to see a hawk about 10 feet above us, checking us out....

The chickens have that small run (9 X 3.5 feet) that is covered on three sides and stays completely dry and out of the wind....

I built a larger run for them last fall - 27 X 12 feet....and that is where they are if the weather is decent.

There is perhaps a foot of snow on the ground, but the temps have been unusually warm lately.

When it snows, I have a bit of work to do...shoveling out the run, and making sure the snow doesn't accumulate on the bird netting above...and then adding more leaves to the run....

The setup seems to be a good first step...a proper walk-in coop - and a mostly roofed run - would have been nice...perhaps later down the road....

 

[Mayakovsky]

Thanks for the response! I actually just ordered the coop since I got a decent coupon for it and since I was getting money off anyways, I ended up getting three extension for a full 13 ft run. Thanks for sharing your experience! Do you have the auto door? Everyone seems to stay warm?

Good for you. The longer run - if you are not going to free range them or build an even bigger run for your chickens, one that YOU can be in as well (and this might be something you will want to do in the future) - will be better for them, but it will be a bit more unwieldy when moving around.....I keep mine in one spot.

No, I don't have an automatic door...perhaps next year - but to be honest, I prefer to open and close it each day - part of a routine, checking on the chickens' health, a head count, checking for eggs and simply being PRESENT to better take care of them...

As concerns warmth, please don't fall for the videos that show a near 20 degree temperature difference comparing inside and outside the coop....i have never been able to replicate that, and I wouldn't expect to, either....with 4 chickens - the equivalent of a 40 watt bulb as concerns generating heat - it can't possibly be so well insulated as to register those numbers.

That said, the chickens seem to be warm. The grating at the bottom allows them to "roost" but also snuggle close...at night the chickens are not all spaced out in the small coop. rather, they clump together....

Please resist the idea of adding heating elements to the coop, and keep food and water in the run....they are fine....

 

[Egghead62]

Makes sense. Especially since I don't need fertilized eggs, I'll just stick with some girls thank you!

This thread has answered my questions for an omlet as well! I am new here on this forum, so hello!

 

[Amgill0415]

This thread has answered my questions for an omlet as well! I am new here on this forum, so hello!

Hi @Egghead62! Did you end up going with an eglu?

 

[briteday]

I think the Eglu is adequate for 4 egglayers (think med-lg breeds as most egglayers are...RIR, sussex, barred rocks) or maybe 6 smaller hybrids. My goal is also movable, plastic for easier cleaning and disinfection, easier access. I live in a 4 season climate but will also not be doing a full tear down in the middle of winter. The poop tray cleaning is appealing for that time of the year. My Eglu will be sitting on a 4' x 8' raised bed (rotating annually) within a 10' x 10' chain link enclosure with a lid of chain link panel covered with hardware cloth and a tarp in the summer for shade. Also, we allow some free ranging on 1/2 acre when we are home to supervise. Pretty sure the rare bear or coyote we get around here could break into an Eglu, but so far they always come during the day and we have learned how to prevent the snatch and grab. But the more common danger here is owls, raccoons, skunks, and snakes. The Eglu looks sufficiently tight for those predators at night. Not one of our wooden coops has stood up over time to those predators. Wood rots, decays, cracks, needs to be replaced regularly. Or, if you make it sturdy enough to withstand the predators, it is too heavy to move. Constant cleaning and disinfecting degrades wood walls and floors, even in our dry desert climate. I've spent enough on wood and hardware over the years to buy a Eglu many times over. I'm almost retired and want to make my chicken hobby a bit easier to maintain in the future. The Eglu will also keep a limit on the number of chickens I will be able to house ;-) .Waiting to build a few more raised beds first this year, then time for an Eglu Cube and some Fall chicks.

 

[Mayakovsky]

I think the Eglu is adequate for 4 egglayers (think med-lg breeds as most egglayers are...RIR, sussex, barred rocks) or maybe 6 smaller hybrids. My goal is also movable, plastic for easier cleaning and disinfection, easier access. I live in a 4 season climate but will also not be doing a full tear down in the middle of winter. The poop tray cleaning is appealing for that time of the year. My Eglu will be sitting on a 4' x 8' raised bed (rotating annually) within a 10' x 10' chain link enclosure with a lid of chain link panel covered with hardware cloth and a tarp in the summer for shade. Also, we allow some free ranging on 1/2 acre when we are home to supervise. Pretty sure the rare bear or coyote we get around here could break into an Eglu, but so far they always come during the day and we have learned how to prevent the snatch and grab. But the more common danger here is owls, raccoons, skunks, and snakes. The Eglu looks sufficiently tight for those predators at night. Not one of our wooden coops has stood up over time to those predators. Wood rots, decays, cracks, needs to be replaced regularly. Or, if you make it sturdy enough to withstand the predators, it is too heavy to move. Constant cleaning and disinfecting degrades wood walls and floors, even in our dry desert climate. I've spent enough on wood and hardware over the years to buy a Eglu many times over. I'm almost retired and want to make my chicken hobby a bit easier to maintain in the future. The Eglu will also keep a limit on the number of chickens I will be able to house ;-) .Waiting to build a few more raised beds first this year, then time for an Eglu Cube and some Fall chicks.

I think you will be okay with the Omlet...especially if the chickens have a place to run around during the day......mine has been great - no issues with pecking and boredom.....