Eglu Chicken Coop

May 17th, 2005, by Rich.

There are some things in life that are just plain cool. Totally bonkers, but cool.

Say hello to Eglu.

This is one such thing, the Eglu, by Omlet. Some call it the iMac for chickens.

Some call it really rather expensive (at a shade under £400 for the whole thing, including 2 live animals, but without hard disk). Some, however, factor in the cost of 6 free range eggs and quickly realize that it’s not such a bad deal after all. With the added bonus that chickens aren’t chicken, and will stand up to the local cat population, they make a rather interesting guardian of the garden.

Eglu, with protective fence.

Granted the more practically minded among us could build a chicken coop, but could we build one that looked like an iMac? (At this point I’ve seriously started to consider looking on [goog]ebay for a second hand iMac[/goog] that I could strip the innards out of, but anything I could make wouldn’t have the handy litter tray.)

I want one. I’m not going to get one until I’ve had a good read about chickens to see if I’d actually be a suitable owner; but these seem way more sensible than a puppy because they don’t need walking and their waste makes good compost, oh, and they lay eggs.

Jo Says:
May 17th, 2005 at 10:25 pm

Oh please, please get chickens! I was trying to persuade my housemate that we should get some; she (quite rightly) vetoed it, on the grounds of rented flats not being great for chickens. She is China in the United Nations Security Council of chickens for Jo. But you get some!

mum Says:
May 19th, 2005 at 1:26 pm

I don’t think factoring in the cost of free range eggs is valid. These chickens are clearly NOT free range are they?

I still think I’d prefer to drive the two miles to the farm where I buy my GENUINE free range eggs.

I have to drive into the farmyard very carefully so as to avoid the untimely dispatch the said free range chickens who roam everywhere, along with ducks and geese.

I’m a bit worried about those rabbit hutches too…. at LLys Nini, our local RSPCA animal rescue centre. the rabbit run is huge, but importantly, the metal mesh sides go down to a depth of several feet into the ground as it is a recognised fact that rabbits like to dig burrows in the ground.

rich boakes Says:
May 19th, 2005 at 1:31 pm

In this case free range would be limited by the extent of our back garden, or possibly the neighbours back gardens if they were feeling extremely sporty and managed to get over the six to seven foot fences, after having their primary feathers clipped.

Currently when we buy eggs we avoid ones that have come from a battery of caged animals that have been fed on the reconstituted remains of their forbears: so this would be an extension of that concept insofar as we we’d let them live in the garden, forage in the flowerbeds and when they felt the need for security they could hang out in the pen.

I’ve had a look to see if I can find an internationally binding definition of what free range is, but only came up with a comfirmation of a lack of agreement.

greenteaguzzler Says:
May 20th, 2005 at 9:39 am

I guess the free range aspect of the chickens depends strongly on whether the owners let them out. I guess it’s the same as any caged bird - whether kept indoors or out - the owners are responsible for it’s well being, including that it gets to stretch it’s wings regularly. The eglu offers security for the chickens, and the garden would offer them plenty of exercise and rummaging space in a fairly natural habitat. I guess this would be better than the deal many pet caged birds have stuck indoors in a cage for the majority of their lives.

I found this article on the British Free Range Egg Producers website that reports on the new hen keeping trend; in the article the RSPCA states:

We are not against people keeping hens as long as they have the facilities, time and knowledge to do the job properly…In the wrong hands suffering could result. Ignorance could lead to neglect [sorry...this pangs of yoda], poor diet, inadequate housing and disease. Prospective keepers need to understand the hen’s requirements for space and the damage that can be done to gardens.

Just like with keeping any animal you need to know what you’re getting into and be committed to it before you go ahead, and it’s wellbeing should be priority.

Giselle Says:
October 5th, 2005 at 3:04 pm

How do I go about ordering an eglu and chickens?!!!

Rich Says:
October 5th, 2005 at 3:43 pm

Hi Giselle, to get the best price I’d suggest trying a few of the advertisers above; then see if they want to haggle!

Lesley Says:
October 6th, 2005 at 10:28 pm

I spoke to a lady today who had decided not only to adopt two chickens, but to rescue them from the local chicken factory farm where they had been kept in a tiny box deprived of space, light and just about everything else.

She said that the improvement in their condition and wellbeing was a joy to watch. They became wonderful pets and rewarded their rescuers with lots of fun, cuddles, seemingly wise observations, and of course, free range eggs
If I didn’t have a dog, I could be tempted…