Hen Houe - Wood Vs Plastic

[Lemon]

Hello,

After reading last months mag, we've decided to get chickens!

We can't decided whether a traditional wooden hen house (which hubby would make & build) is best or a plastic eglu (from Omlet).

Eglu's are expensive - yes, so we were thinking of getting a plastic kennel and adapting it to accommodate chickens. Would this be suitable?

We have had conflicting information regarding wood preservative for the hen house. A poultry specialist recommended Wickes Wood Preserver as that is what they use on the houses they sell. Wickes say this is only suitable for sheds and fences and not safe for chickens.

If you have a wooden hen house what do you use on it? Would you choose an eglu over a traditional hen house?

Would love to read your thoughts....

[Kristen]

"Eglu's are expensive"

Can't argue with that. Ours was second-hand, so not too expensive.

Easy to clean ... by maybe as newbies we are worrying too much about that, every week we take the whole thing to bits, scrub, leave in the sun for the UV to kill some more Bad Guys, re-assemble, easy-peasy

A wooden coup (or for that matter a plastic kennel that doesn't come to bits) can't be so easy - but before Omlet that was how everyone did it, right?

Summary: dunno, sorry

[JILLY JACKSON]

I agree with Kristen,eglu is brilliant and is double walled so stays warm in winter cool in summer.I certainly wouldnt go for any thing else.Other people manage very well with other types though, as i'm sure they'll tell you.I;ve found personally that my worries of red mite are gone,also i can drag the eglu to a fresh part of the garden daily so as to keep them on fresh ground and it looks great!They are bringing out a cheaper eglu this year i'm told.

[Kristen]

"They are bringing out a cheaper eglu this year i'm told"

And there is always the more expensive Cube

[armadillo]

Anything without cracks for mites to hide in would be an advantage - you can achieve this with a wooden house by coating thoroughly in gloss paint, but then you've got to set the time it takes to do that against the cost of an eglu . . .not sure what a plastic kennel looks like, sounds interesting though, might look into it myself if I increase my flock.
I built a house/coop in 'ark' style using some bought wood & some from Freecycle- spent about £30 on materials. I added a 1.5 sq m home-made rabbit run to this that I got from the ever-useful Freecycle, so each hen has over 1 sq m space. I painted it with wilko outdoor wood paint, trying to fill in the cracks, and gave it all a thorough dusting with mite powder before use- the powder lasts for several months per treatment.

[lynda66]

i always think those eglu things look too small, but i have just been offered a shed off freecycle, i can also get free chipboard and mdf sheets, off freecycle, so my plan is to line the whole shed, then stick lino (donated from freecycle) over all the inside, then fill in the edges with that stuff you use round baths to make them waterproof, voila, waterproof, pretty, and just needs hosing out and cost nothing

[Pumpkin Becki]

Forsham Cottage Arks have a product called Retreat for wooden houses/arks, which is microporus, so it allows the wood to breath, expand and contract naturally. It can be applied to tanilised wood, and even wet wood (they recommend it for their floating duck canopies which are in water all the time), and you don't apply it inside the house, only the external parts exposed to the elements. Its animal safe as well, so you don't have to evict your ladies in order to treat their home. They suggest a quick coat once every six months. Easy peasy!

[pipscariad]

Earlier this year I had a rush of blood to the head and bought an eglu - and I love it! Yes, the price makes me think I must have gone mad, but it is so easy to clean, and move around, that I don't regret it. Plus it will last for years (or so I've been told - 'they' had better be right!). When I weigh up the amount of time I would have spent cleaning out a wooden house, plus proofing it every so often, it's not too bad, especially when you think long term. That's what I've told myself anyway...

i always think those eglu things look too small

Yes, I was a bit concerned about that too Lynda, but reckoned that Omlet knew what they were talking about - it was backed up one night when I went to have a peep at my sleeping chooks (yes, I know, soppy) - I opened up the egg hatch, peered in and thought "Aargh, they've done a runner without me noticing"; then I saw them, all three cuddled up together in one corner - I could have fitted about 9 more in at that rate! And mine are inside a 25m electric fence enclosure (they are being moved about to 'cultivate' the field that is my veg plot, and a damn fine job they're doing too), so they have plenty of room in scratch about - I wouldn't feel happy though if the eglu run was all they had.

[lynda66]

I wouldn't feel happy though if the eglu run was all they had.

i think that's what i didn't like, the thought that they would stay in that little run .... i'm going to get some ex battery hens, so i guess i just want them to have as much room as possible, their run for the time being will be a greenhouse adapted with wire, then when they heve finished the building an industrial estate at the back of our houses, there is a big piece of waste ground, between, that i'm going to plant trees in, fence off, and let them have free run of

but i also didn't want to be getting down on my knees to get eggs, watch them sleep, or clean them out ....... i'm definitely sticking with the shed option.

(although i still think the mini would be cooler lol )

[vicky]

We converted an old wendy house, yes it was more work but the cost is less than that of buying a coop. We painted the inside with gloss and it's easy to clean and keep nice and airy.
The main advantage is the height, I can stand in there, which I think is a great advantage to cleaning a smaller house on my knees in winter!
But as Pipscarid said they huddle up close at night so really it's the run that's the important bit, and maybe have a section of it undercover for wet days (every day...)

[Kristen]

"[3]i always think those eglu things look too small[/i]"

We've got 3 hens in ours, that's definitely the limit, or perhaps 4 bantams. Ours roam free during the day, so this is only really their sleeping quarters, and in the warm weather we only close the run at night, not the coup's door.

"I wouldn't feel happy though if the eglu run was all they had"

Agreed. The Cube has an extendible enclosure (2M at a time I think). But if you think the Eglu is pricey the Cube definitely won't be for you (nor me ... yet!)

Our garden is ringed by rabbit fence., Its not high but the chooks haven't bothered to jump it yet - plenty to find within the garden I expect ...... but I worry about Charlie Fox.

"And mine are inside a 25m electric fence enclosure"

How does that work pipscariad?

[Hilary B]

I kept hens in various places for several years, mosty in wooden 'buildings'. Never painted anything, or treated with any 'coating' other than creosote (or the modern substitutes) and never seen a red mite anywhere. Waterproofing wooden things with gloss paint has its downside. If any moisture DOES get to the wood beneath the paint (or is already there when you paint it), rot is going to become a serious problem, and probably pretty soon. If you like to seal the joins between 'elements' of the structure (including planks if it is plank built) with silicone bath sealant or similar, that may have its points, but I wouldn't seal the actual pieces of timber, I've seen to much rotten-under-the-paint timber for that! If you feel you MUST paint, then EITHER paint inside OR outside, but NOT BOTH!

[pipscariad]

but i also didn't want to be getting down on my knees to get eggs, watch them sleep, or clean them out ....... i'm definitely sticking with the shed option.

(although i still think the mini would be cooler lol )

You have a point on that one, it can be tricky sometimes - I have thought about contacting Omlet to suggest an openable flap at the house end of the run. It's not much of a prob though. The cleaning doesn't involve much down on yer knees, as the whole top lifts off. Likewise, there is a little door to open to reach the nest box (and reach in to stroke the hens, or, as I did, gaze soppily as they sleep)....!

Btw Lynda, I thought the mini option looked cool too - had a look at the thread. And just think, you'd have ended up with lots of yummy 'mini eggs' !

"

"And mine are inside a 25m electric fence enclosure"

How does that work pipscariad?

I've put the whole eglu and run setup inside an electric fenced square - my chooks live at my veg plot, which is a mile and a half away from home, and therefore I was really worried about foxes. I've had so many good reports of electric fences being fox proof (I feel I am tempting fate typing this, eek...) that I felt it was the only way I would feel happy. I let them out in the morning and shut them up at night - I leave the fence on all the time, with a solar panel to keep the battery charged, and so far, so good. I move the eglu about inside the enclosure, so that whilst they are in the run they have fresh bits to scratch at, but never put it so close to the fence that they might be able to leap off the run and over the fence (I have clipped their wings). Listen to me, pretending to know what I'm talking about

[CountryFayre]

If you want to treat a wooden hose, cuprinol trade (solvent based) is brilliant and kills red mite in the process. You can use it in the morning and as soon as it is dry to touch there are no fumes so the birds can be back in that night.

[TrishY]

I've got an Eglu in a walk in run which I find much better than the one that comes with it. I had an extension on the omlet run too so it was impossible to reach inside even with a rake. The hens, especially one, would pace up and down like a zoo animal which was worrying but she is much happier now