I looked at the Eglu website and they look sooo neat. I didn't realize they have a run and everything which is nice, it makes it kind of a no-brainer= less overwhelming for beginners like me! My question is, you need to let them run free as well, right? Not just in the actual run. If so, do they run away? I have a nice piece of property surrounded by woods and fields but there is a heavily travelled road nearby...How do they act out of the run?
To CMoxon...question about your Eglu
Hi Brit!
Well, the easy answer is no. You do not "have" to let them run free as well. But let me go through some of the options....
1. Some breeds tolerate confinement well, and others do not. When choosing a chicken breed, consider this factor. The mypetchicken.com site rates breeds on whether they tolerate confinement. You will find that a lot of the larger breeds actually tolerate it better because they are not flyers. So, if you choose a breed that tolerates confinement, you will find that it is much easier to keep them happy in the Eglu without letting them out.
2. If you choose to let them out of the run, you MUST NOT do so for at least a week. This is the acclimatizing week, when the chickens learn that this is this is their new home. Otherwise, they don't understand where they live. They will go into the hut part of the Eglu to roost at night, quite naturally. You close the door each night. This keeps them safe from predators and warmer in the cool weather also. Once they have had their week, they should return to the Eglu naturally at night. Again, it depends on the breed you choose. If you choose a "flighty" breed that doesn't tolerate confinement well, they might decide to roost in your trees. Depending on the height they roost at, you may not be able to reach them. It is relatively easy to catch a roosting chicken (which is one reason why they are so vulnerable to predators). But, if you choose a heavier breed that doesn't fly and doesn't mind confinement, they are less likely to range as far and more likely to willingly return to the Eglu each night. I have two chickens that free range all day. One is a red star and the other is Polish. The Polish one is more flighty and I can't catch her until she roosts on top of a dog kennel that she seems to like, and then I just pick her up and put her in her cage for the night. The red star goes to her cage without prompting. I have 2 hens and roo in the Eglu right now. I had 4 hens in it for a while. Both scenarios have worked well.
3. I have never let my Eglu chickens out, but I move the Eglu every few days onto new grass. This keeps them busy and gives them something to do (foraging). YOu can also do things like hang a cabbage or other vegetable on a string inside the Eglu. They will jump for it and peck at it like a pinata or something! This gives them diversion and exercise. Sometimes I switch the chickens in the Eglu into my other larger coop and put new ones in the Eglu. I like to see which ones are laying and I can tell this easier by putting them in the Eglu.
Bottom line is - how they act outside of the run depends on the breed of chicken and, to an extent, their personality. My red star lets me pet her and pick her up anytime, which is nice and easy. If you had birds like that (best to raise them that way from chick stage) then you can easily watch them and pick them up if they go too far. My property is 8.5 acres but the two that free range stick to about 3/4 acre of that. They like to be in the flower garden but they don't destroy it. I have heard of chickens doing that though, so be forewarned!
By the way, if you know anyone who is traveling near Iowa, you can pick up an Eglu at the distributor in Iowa and save the $170 shipping fee. :-)
Feel free to ask any more questions! I love my Eglu and if I didn't have so many chickens, I probably would have had 2 or 3 of them. But now I love chickens so much, I'd need a whole field full of Eglus. There is an Eglu "Cube" available in England now that they plan to bring here in 2009 I believe, and I will probably get one of those. :-) It holds more chickens.
Claire
Sniff--Our Little Moxon, all grown up and giving wise advice. I remember when she was just a newbie and hung on our every word.
"Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset---quickly fly the years...Seedling turn over night to Sunflowers! Blossoming even as we gaze."
Sob. Sniffle. I am sorry....I'm just so very, very tired and emotional.
You are doing so well, little Moxon!
Awww...thanks Catscan (Moxon blushing profusely). I feel like I had the best teachers here! Now I can actually pass on my learning! It's like "leaving the nest"! Good thing I'm sticking around in the nest with all of you though. It's a big world out there!
oh iremeber to when she was aking all the questions catscan it is time to hand over the torch
Ouch! It burns! Ouch! Take it Moxon! Ouch! TAKE IT!
lol quick quick
Hmmm...Moxon had gone to bed. Treat those burns with aloe and wrap them well!
(Moxon gingerly takes torch and puts it in a nice wall sconce)
LOL okay cya's
CMoxon; 8.5 acres is a LOT of land! I feel silly wanting chickens on a 1/2 acre! I got the impression that the Eglu was an "urban coop", more for people with small parcels of land-like me! I thought I read that somewhere. I don't know anyone going near Iowa. Sounds pretty far and away from NY! I have been searching coops on ebay. They are a lot cheaper than websites but no Eglus on there! :( Maybe in the spring they may have them in farm supply stores? It would be nice!) You mentioned you have Polish hens. My mother is "badgering" me to get a Polish hen because we are Polish! She is a little odd that way-very dedicated to our heritage! I did mention to her that they would not be speaking Polish....
I was very amused at the Polish hens "eccentric" hairdos. Some look like they are wearing little wigs! I don't think I would be able to take them seriously and picture myself chasing them around with a brush and some hair product...
You mentioned yours was a little "flighty". Maybe that would not be a good bet with my small property...Did you say you never let the Eglu hens out? If not, why? If I get any info mixed up its because I am overprocessing everything everyone is saying so I apologize in advance!
Oh, don't feel silly at all. The Eglu IS for urban chickens. It was just that I loved the design and never intended to have more than 2 or 3 chickens, so I thought it would be perfect despite my land amount. I mean, I really was more of a gardener, and I have this land because I love gardening and never really intended having animals beyond my greyhound. But...now look where I am!!! And if I had stuck to 2 or 3 chickens, it would still be just perfect. It IS still perfect - but only for a small number of hens. I will continue to use it for either new flock members (as a quarantine location) or a "chicken hospital" for one or two poorly hens, perhaps growing back their feathers, etc. And, if I ever downsize, I would definitely use it on any smaller land parcel too.
The Polish tend to be a bit flighty but maybe if you raised one from a chick it would be less so. I have attached a picture of mine. The other chickens picked on her so she is growing back her head feathers. Her colouring is really pretty. She is a buff laced Polish. I bought a Chantecler chicken because they are Canadian, as am I, so I totally understand your mother's point of view!
I did not let my initial Eglu hens out because I was so afraid of losing them. Then as I got more chickens, I realized it was OK to let them out because they do come back to roost. I needed time to believe this concept!!! I am a doubter sometimes! Right now I am not letting them out because I am trying to figure out which of my hens that I acquired from a work colleage is actually laying. He said they range in age from a year up to 7 or 8 years old. Those probably aren't laying. So I leave them in there for a week or 2 to see if they lay anything. If I let them free range, they could lay eggs anywhere, thus defeating the purpose...
How cute! She does look a little annoyed in that picture! (I would be too!). Do you think that fall is a bad time to start doing this chicken idea or should I wait for Spring? I was thinking if I bought babies in the fall, they might freeze their feathers off!
If you're buying baby chicks, you'd have to keep them inside until they feather out (probably 6 weeks) and then if you had the Eglu in a protected spot and maybe a heat source inside.....depends on how many you get....they keep each other warm, but 3 babies in an Eglu don't generate that much heat. Might be better to wait for spring? What do others think?
Get 'em in February. I would wait. I am trying desperately to wait now!
Sounds like a good idea. It will give me time to figure out my coop! I intend on mixing different breeds of hens. Are there any breeds that don't get along with other breeds?