Possibly stupid question- Eglu Cube

[Loving my girls]

So would it be ok if we got a second one? We purchased it a little while ago and have passed the return period. I don’t think my dad would be too happy to hear he waited so much money.

Lots of people have two coops, I think that’s a great idea.
The cubes are great coops and I was always delighted with mine. My first one was an original which held only two. I love them but feel they are very expensive which is a shame or I would still be using them.
Hugz

 

[MootChick]

So I am getting 5 chicks, 3 giant and 2 large breeds, and we have a eglu cube along with a 9x6 run.

I may be overthinking it but I just don’t like the “roosting floor”. Is there actually an issue with it or is it perfectly fine? If it is an issue, what should I do about it?

Thanks again everyone!

I have an Eglu Cube and it has been an excellent coop. I have four large chickens and they have plenty of room in the coop, enclosed run and fenced in pen. We also let our girls out during the day to roam the yard and this has been a perfect combination of space and safety.
I have had no problems with the roosting floor or the nesting area and the girls seem quite content. The great part about the Eglu system is that the roosting and nesting area are super easy to access and to clean, so every day I can take just a minute or two and clean out poop, quickly replace soiled bedding and give the roosting bars a quick rinse with the hose.
We have not had any problems with ventilation at all. During the hot summer nights, the enclosed pen is very sturdy and provides excellent safety/protection from predators so the coop door can be left open. In winter it has been warm and dry.
All in all, the Eglu coops seem to be very well thought out, functional and they are well constructed. Like any new set up, it will take you some time to make additions and modifications to suit your yard, birds and climate, but the Eglu coop will give you a good start.
There are lots of helpful reviews and stories online about how people have been using their Eglu coops - I found those super helpful!
Good luck!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people are so rigid in their thinking that they would get a hernia if they burped. Chickens don't think in terms of coop space versus run space. They think in terms of "Do I have enough room". They don't care where it is. I totally agree that they need room. The tighter you pack them the more issues you have to deal with, the harder you have to work, and the less flexibility you have to deal with things. It's a shame the people making your laws know nothing about chickens. I wonder if they read something on this forum that told them that 4 square feet in the coop and 10 square feet in the run was enough. There are plenty of posts that say that.

There are a lot of "if's" involved. "If" can be a very important word. If your chickens have access to an outside space when they need it then you don't need as much in the coop. That means if you consider your run predator proof you can leave the pop door open day and night. When one needs to get out, it can. If you can't leave the pop door open due to predator risk then coop size is more important.

What is your weather like? If weather is going to lock them in the coop section only for lengths of time you can have real problems with a small coop. You may be able to mitigate this by enclosing your run or parts of your run to give them a place to go in bad weather, whether that be ice, snow, or wind. Many people wrap their runs in winter to achieve this.

If you plan to hatch chicks or integrate new chickens when your old ones need to be replaced you are going to have issues. You might be able to do it but integration typically takes a lot of room.

If you get unlucky and get a hen with the personality of Atilla the Hen you can have real problems. Some hens are just brutes and cannot be housed that close to others. Their individual personalities can make a lot of difference. Most can get along fine even in less than 4 square feet per chicken (commercial operations prove that) but some hens need more space than that.

If you pay attention to what people that have those say they are not always a disaster. Each situation is different. Even if someone has success does not mean you will. Even if someone has a disaster does not mean you will.

Enough with the if's. I strongly believe the more room you can give them within reason the better off you are. Your laws don't allow you to do much. Have you read that law? Does it say no more than 10 square feet or no less? Read it closely yourself.

Chicks do not need as much room as adults. You'll probably be OK for a few months. Maybe forever. Good luck!

 

[PurpleChicken99]

I have an Eglu Cube and it has been an excellent coop. I have four large chickens and they have plenty of room in the coop, enclosed run and fenced in pen. We also let our girls out during the day to roam the yard and this has been a perfect combination of space and safety.
I have had no problems with the roosting floor or the nesting area and the girls seem quite content. The great part about the Eglu system is that the roosting and nesting area are super easy to access and to clean, so every day I can take just a minute or two and clean out poop, quickly replace soiled bedding and give the roosting bars a quick rinse with the hose.
We have not had any problems with ventilation at all. During the hot summer nights, the enclosed pen is very sturdy and provides excellent safety/protection from predators so the coop door can be left open. In winter it has been warm and dry.
All in all, the Eglu coops seem to be very well thought out, functional and they are well constructed. Like any new set up, it will take you some time to make additions and modifications to suit your yard, birds and climate, but the Eglu coop will give you a good start.
There are lots of helpful reviews and stories online about how people have been using their Eglu coops - I found those super helpful!
Good luck!

Thank you for this review! I am new to all this and just ordered my coop for my 2 girls. I am glad to hear that it seems to live up to its expectations!

 

[thecatumbrella]

Thank you for this review! I am new to all this and just ordered my coop for my 2 girls. I am glad to hear that it seems to live up to its expectations!

I don't want to be a party pooper, but if you live in a climate with any sort of meaningful heat, you might want to pop over to this thread.

Aside from Omlet's delusional occupancy numbers, the lack of ventilation in summer is its other major drawback. Every year, I see people lose their hens in the nest boxes during a heatwave (from the Facebook group).

Edited to add: I'm an actual Eglu user. I have both a Cube and Pro.

 

[PurpleChicken99]

I don't want to be a party pooper, but if you live in a climate with any sort of meaningful heat, you might want to pop over to this thread.

Aside from Omlet's delusional occupancy numbers, the lack of ventilation in summer is its other major drawback. Every year, I see people lose their hens in the nest boxes during a heatwave (from the Facebook group).

Edited to add: I'm an actual Eglu user. I have both a Cube and Pro.

Thank you, I will check it out! I am in southern ontario and they will be out everyday and not shut in thankfully- ironically I was more worried about the winter lol I will only have 2-3 mid sized hens in this coop..currently have two, thinking of a third next year- to have a spare if one dies or something . I agree that the sizing recommendations made by coop builders is sooo ridiculous... thank you so much for the input- appreciated

 

[thecatumbrella]

Thank you, I will check it out! I am in southern ontario and they will be out everyday and not shut in thankfully- ironically I was more worried about the winter lol I will only have 2-3 mid sized hens in this coop..currently have two, thinking of a third next year- to have a spare if one dies or something . I agree that the sizing recommendations made by coop builders is sooo ridiculous... thank you so much for the input- appreciated

For winter, use something super absorbent like hemp and clean the poop religiously. As long as you keep the ammonia down, they'll do great! I also had 3 in the cube, and the humidity in the coop stayed below the reading in the run.

 

[PurpleChicken99]

I

For winter, use something super absorbent like hemp and clean the poop religiously. As long as you keep the ammonia down, they'll do great! I also had 3 in the cube, and the humidity in the coop stayed below the reading in the run.

Its funny u suggested Hemp! We were looking to switch to that vs the shavings - thank you for the tip!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Thank you, I will check it out! I am in southern ontario and they will be out everyday and not shut in thankfully- ironically I was more worried about the winter lol I will only have 2-3 mid sized hens in this coop..currently have two, thinking of a third next year- to have a spare if one dies or something . I agree that the sizing recommendations made by coop builders is sooo ridiculous... thank you so much for the input- appreciated

That’s interesting that you’re that much farther north! I have a Nestera coop, and it overheated in March, due to the sun being so much lower in the sky than now, but intense, and heating the sides of the coop. We’re in western North Carolina, same latitude as Gibraltar, whereas S. Ontario is much more in similar latitudes to southern UK.

So you should be fine, although you may find that you’ll want a tarp on the roof for shade, if your run isn’t roofed.

I take the back off the Nestera during the day, and heat doesn’t build up.

 

[PurpleChicken99]

That’s interesting that you’re that much farther north! I have a Nestera coop, and it overheated in March, due to the sun being so much lower in the sky than now, but intense, and heating the sides of the coop. We’re in western North Carolina, same latitude as Gibraltar, whereas S. Ontario is much more in similar latitudes to southern UK.

So you should be fine, although you may find that you’ll want a tarp on the roof for shade, if your run isn’t roofed.

I take the back off the Nestera during the day, and heat doesn’t build up.

I currently have a very small wooden coop that the girls came with (hate it, will return it) and its stupid hot here right now, I have moved them to as far under a tree as I can for Max Shade ... they dont seem to know what to do with the frozen water bottle lol They are young n learning to chicken still