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omlet eglu


mooky

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We have one, I think it may have been the first in France. The hens have the choice of an eglu and a normal hen house and go in the eglu every time.

It's great, easy to move around, dead easy to keep clean, fox-proof and looks good. A lot of people regard them as an expensive luxury, something for trendy townies rather than a 'real' hen house, but as a modern-day design classic that is functional too the eglu can't be beaten.

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Friends here in UK have purchased said omlet eglu thing with 5 hens - cost £600.  Bargain [:P]

Local fox population are waiting to pick up a snack or two - it makes a change from half-eaten McDonalds.

This is our friend's bit for being eco-friendly and giving the kids good wholesome organic eggs, but he also drives a V8 Aston Martin, has two other cars and holidays abroad at least twice a year.

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We did a lot of searching for henhouses when we got our hens, and ended up building our own. We just couldn't find anything at a reasonable price. Just google 'poulailler'. If you think you may increase the amount of hens you have eventually, it would probably be cheaper to buy and adapt a small garden shed. If you really will stick with just a couple of bantams then an eglu would probably suit, but from what I have read in the past, they are not spacious so two littl'uns would probably be just right, no more though. I would also worry that they would boil up in them in the summer, but I guess they are ventilated and designed to counteract that, and clearly Will's are doing fine so it probably isn't an issue.

Most imporantly, though, what colour would you go for?!

Jane

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Colours.................

Friend's daughter chose the colours, hence their eglu has a very fetching pink stable door and ladder.  His sons have however named their hens Bin Laden and Hitler - for reasons best known only unto them.

Our townie chum has decided he likes this chicken farming bit and plans to get some more!  [blink]

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This site has some great hen houses and they deliver, none are in pink and all would mean you are not a laughing stock when placed in the garden, wouldn't like to say the same for the eglu , in a small town garden perhaps but not in rural france surely!  My neighbour would kill himself laughing, he laughs that I buy the odd fencing post when I've got a forest full, so having a little plastic hen spaceship in the middle of the garden would probably kill him!

http://www.ducatillon.com/materiel-d-elevage/logements-pour-animaux.aspx

The eglu is very expensive too isn't it!

http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/products_services.php?view=Chickens&about=pricing

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It's a matter of value for money - if you want something cheap then I am sure you could nail some pallets together. The eglu is well made and virtually-maintenance-free. Compared with a high-quality conventional chicken house like these http://www.forshamcottagearks.com/ (which were also available in France when we bought our eglu) it's not expensive.

Our eglu is green and has attracted favourable comments from the rural French who have seen it. They may well have had a different view of a pink one. In fact it has had a better reception in France than it has had from many of the more reactionary types on the English amateur poultry keeping forums. Unfortunately the way it has been marketed has tended to encourage the image of an expensive toy for townies rather than a serious piece of small-scale pouktry-keeping kit.

I tend to regard it in much the same light as an Aga, or the Dualit toaster. Cheaper alternatives are available, which are perfectly functional, but some prefer the real thing.

 

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To be honest I wouldn't buy one of the Forsham Cottage ones either, I don't think anyone suggested banging pallets together did they? 

If you look at my link above you will see that you can get a good house and run for up to 12 chickens for about the same price as the small plastic eglu, that was my point, i.e. better value for money and more pleasing to the eye IMHO. 

[quote user="Will"]

I tend to regard it [the eglu] in much the same light as an Aga, or the Dualit toaster. Cheaper alternatives are available, which are perfectly functional, but some prefer the real thing.

[/quote]

Ummmm, don't think that analogy quite works Will, you are calling this very small, very plastic, very artificial looking chicken coop the real thing, you can not be serious!  [:-))]

Come on Will, admit if it wasn't you that had one you be ripping the Pee out of it!

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That's exactly what I am calling it - in my opinion it's a superb piece of design that offers a fresh approach and overcomes many of the disadvantages of the traditional chicken house.

But it's a free world, and you don't have to like it, Panda, which you obviously don't. So I'll respect your opinion if you will respect mine. [:-))]

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The problem with eglu's is that when you buy one, you don't realize how additctive they are, and even the new bigger eglu doesn't hold enough chooks, when you just can't resist another one...... and hens are very easy to count in them.

We find a small stone barn shared with 2 pigmy goats for fox deterents as a great choice, and the perches still have plenty of room for new girls

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