The other two chickens are looking like they will start soon, with the comb of our black chicken almost as red as the white chicken, we we guess is the one that is laying.

Our First Egg

At least this means no 3 bird roast for Christmas!!

I jump up grabbed a stick and gave chase, the chickens are a little upset and are now keeping very close to the run.

So today we have just fenced off the patio and a few feet of grass for us, the rest is not the chickens to range free. We just hope they cannot find a way out, and that the cats are not a problems, we don’t have cats, but lots of them use are garden as a lavatory.

No egg as yet, but they are still very young probably only 18-20 weeks.

Selecting a Chicken

Today we have been to Dobles Poutry to collect our chickens, where we were shown to a small enclosed barn, we had decided to get 3 chickens, Mary wanted a white one, then Sonia and I then picked a black and ginger one and then a grey one.

As we selected each chicken they were collected on a large net and then held carefully, while we selected the next one, I asked how to clip the wings so they could not fly successfully once released in our garden, and this was very professionally demonstrated, and look nice and simple, that is until I have to do it..

Our Chickens

On the way home we visited Mole Valley for some Chicken supplies, picking up 5kg of Layer pellets and 5Kg mixed corn we will use as a treat for them in the afternoons.

We had been given the chickens in a cardboard box and we then opened the box and tipped the chickens into the end of the eglu’s run, it was a lot more gentle than that sounds.

All when well the chickens having a good look around and feeding on the pellets, that was until the evening, when we wanted them to enter the sleeping area, I must point out that I had not read this part of the Eglu’s instructions, we tried pushing the chickens with a stick, calling them, they had no interest, but always moved as far from the entrance as possible. Finally when we had all but given up one of them walked inside then the other two made a dash for it, Sonia then quickly shut the door and we retired inside for dinner and a glass or two of wine.

Completed Eglu

This looks simple in the instructions, and in most part it is simple to do, all I needed was a philips screwdriver. I placed the house on the grass and attached the first parts of the run with the bolts are large washers provided, the clips seemed easy do use (if the break I may just use tiewraps) to join the run parts togeather, it was only when I went to fit the cover back over the house that I had problems, it seemed that the run bulged out a bit holding the sides of the roof out so it could not be secured.

After a little help( you need more that two hands to push the run to the correct shape) I was able to reposition the bolts and washers so that we could refit the roof and it was all ready.

I placed the feeding (Grub) and water (Glug) containers inside the run and then attached the sun shade.. One complete eglu, time taken approx 30 minutes, 10 of which spent woking out why the roof did not fit.

Still very happy with my purchase, I hope to take the kids out after the 20th( this is when they get new stock) to get some Chickens from our local breeder “Doble’s Poultry” who we had meet at the Sherbourne Show earler in the year.

Example Eglu from Omlet

Our Eglu has arrived from Omlet, it is sitting in two large cardboard boxes on the patio ready to be errected.

We ordered the purple one after a quick family poll, it cost a £353 including delivery, it was a lot more that a woodern chicken house, but after looking at the Eglu’s on ebay, I know I can sell this and only lose £100 max.

I also liked the fact that is was easy to clean, and could be jet-washed if needed, I read lots of reviews and they all seemed positive.

Delivery was very quick, we sheduled it on the web site for a Monday delivery, the courier tried to deliver it on the Friday before, unfortunatly no one was home, so they retried on the Monday.