The “Eglu”: Cool and practical or expensive and stupid?

Filed under: Poultry |

urban chickens
Image by robot_zombie_monkey
A bunch of us went out to St. Johns to visit Eric’s (and Ben’s) chicks. This was their second time outside and they were having a grand old time.

Question by : The “Eglu”: Cool and practical or expensive and stupid?
I was looking around for some plans on building a chicken pen (which you can only get if you pay like 5.00 download fees…. bummer… I’ll have to just ask the guy at the feed store) When I came across this little super-urban, slightly overly-perky website trying to pawn you off with an “Eglu and secure pen” Look around this little gem of a website and tell me whether you think it is a “do” or a “dud” (or however you want to put it, i.e. If you had the money and the desire to keep a tiny flock of chickens, would you ever consider buying this item?” Some of the stuff in this site are really REALLY silly, so keep that in mind as you read on the finer points of “texting” your chickens on their cell phones to tell them to lay more eggs. It seems as if the makers are torn between selling this thing to 7 year olds with a pet-curiosity streak or trying to make it trendy enough for all the hip 20-something suburbanites in the wealtier area’s of the world… I wish they could choose…
heh heh… oops… got so excited about this thing I forgot to add a link… go here… http://www.omlet.us/homepage/homepage.php
Oh yeah, and in case you were wondering, I think it’s cool, and probably practical if you want a ready made pop up cage for a few pet chickens, but It is WAY too expensive. Also, this little thing wouldn’t keep out a really strong animal like a mountain lion or bar (which live around in my area some years… you never know when they do until one is found run over, or shot) I would consider buying the rabbit verion, and it is a version, not just the same thing with a water bottle added on. I would consider buying it as a day pen for my rabbit so she can get a few hours of sun, since she is cooped up inside all day every day… I can’t just buy a “play pen” and let her play in that because there are like 8 barn cats live around my house, they would be in the cage and have her half killed as soon as I blinked, so I need something like this which is very secure, but it costs too much just to be a play pen.
Oh, I’m going to be making my chickens a pen. They live in an 8’x8′ dog kennel with a dog house and so roosts right now, unfortunately, when I move to a different place (I live with my parents right now until I go to college, they agreed to keep the chickens until then) I can’t take this monstrosity with me and will have to build something in my new backyard. (They are legal everywhere in my county because I live in a very very agricultural area of Kentucky, The only snag I would hit is if I had to live in an apartment building with no back yard, which shouldn’t be a problem because it seems more people are moving out of here than in….

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2 Responses to The “Eglu”: Cool and practical or expensive and stupid?

  1. i love the idea but its too expensive.

    mango
    August 3, 2012 at 1:17 pm
    Reply

  2. I’ve seen these & wouldn’t keep a chicken in one. They are the domestic equivalent of battery cages – ok sized if just as an overnight pen but a marauding dog or fox could probably get in.

    There are some attractive & decent sized coops with runs available for much less cost and there are now solar paneled lights that come on at dusk to extend the laying season which is as gadgety as I’d get. ;o)

    At this time of year you can often find wendy houses at knockdown prices. These make excellent chicken houses and runs are easy to make – just a frame & mesh.

    sue
    August 3, 2012 at 1:58 pm
    Reply

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