Omlet Eglu Cube w/Run - Number of Hens?

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aart said:
So you free range?
How much snow on the ground up there now?
Got pics?
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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....
 
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.
 
aart said:
Yeah, that bear just wasn't hungry enough. :gig
The mention of hot wire in that post is apt.
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Agreed.....I have mine Eglu Cube in a VERY spacious enclosed run, but animals COULD get to the coop through the bird netting above most certainly, and I DO wonder if a raccoom might actually succeed in twisting the back of the coop off....not sure if residents in England have to deal with raccoons like we do.....
 
Amgill0415 said:
Ive had at least one raccoon try to get into my enclosure (eglu cube with 13ft run) and it didn't get in. The latches on the back and side are pretty secure. I don't think a raccoon could figure it out. Ive had my 6 girls in this setup for about a month now and I'm very pleased with it. Cleaning is a breeze, there is plenty of room for them at night, and find they even go in during the day for nap time! I will let them out of the run for an hour or so when I can be out there to supervise, but they are happy enough enclosed. I LOVE that I can move the whole thing every few days. We've had a TON of rain, so being able to move it to a fresh patch of grass had been awesome. Gives the girls new ground to explore and allows the previous patch to recuperate. Otherwise they would just be in a poopy mud hole at this point. I wouldn't go past 6 girls personally though. Maybe if I had an additional place for them to roam, but them I couldn't move it around. (Note: I only leave the tarp on when I know we're getting a full day of rain. )View attachment 2146935View attachment 2146939
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Just want to thank you for the update! I always wonder how things turn out, and that's awesome that the eglu is working well for you. I just finished setting up my cube with a 9 ft run, and I'm springing for a larger walk-in enclosure - we live in a downtown neighborhood with a lot of hawks... My chicks are only a few days old, but I'm looking forward to getting them all situated in a few weeks.
 
Asharer said:
We just received our Eglu Cube with 9ft run and will assemble it, this week. We have 7 chicks and based on what I've read here, I am afraid that is too many!😔 We initially planned to get 5-6 birds but received a "freebie" because one of the breeds we ordered wasn't available. Not sure what to do at this point but will soon need to figure it out.
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Are they all regular size chickens? Will they have pasture or free range time during the day? If any are larger breeds or full size it could be tight.
 
Check out the omlet USA pet tips Facebook group... there’s a lot of helpful info and many pics and posts from people who already have your set up, you can see how many chickens they can fit in there. I am planning on 3 normal size birds and 3 bantams in there myself... they are still half size now so hard to say how it will work out...
 

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