New Coop!

This afternoon we jumped into the car and drove across to Macclesfield to collect our new Omlet Eglu Classic coop and run. It was rather an impulse buy but it was such a bargain that I couldn’t let it pass. The lady selling said it needed a few repairs which are simple enough to do. Getting it all into the car was…interesting. Vaguely we remembered how we packed in the last Eglu coop into the boot. A few minutes later, it was all in and we set off home.

I let my husband heave all the heavy parts to our plot whilst I got out the bucket, the anti-mite fluid and the cleaning brush. As my husband tried out the chair in the shed, I made a start on cleaning the coop. Generally, it’s a good idea to clean a coop thoroughly before putting in your bird’s, especially if it’s second hand like this one was. I love Omlets. They are expensive but they are so easy to clean. In half an hour, everything was cleaned and inside and out. The sun was out and it dried quickly, allowing me to put the nest box back together.

The run itself I was dreading after spending hours assembling the run at home. There were six side panels and one end panel. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that two of the panels were Extension Part A which means we could cheaply and easily extend the run in the future. With my husband handing me the green clips, I quickly set up the run. However, we didn’t have any screws to pin the fox proof skirt into the ground. As a temporary measure, we put some fragments of concrete slabs around the run to weigh down the fencing.

We grabbed Roxy and Trixy and put them into their new home. Immediately they started to dig and scratch so I assume it gets their approval. Later in the evening, I popped down to close the coop door. With the edges of the run not secured fully, I didn’t want to tempt a passing fox. Once the coop door is shut, the girls will be safe from any predators.

So tomorrow’s plan is to work on the other run on Liz and Sarah’s plot. The wire will need to be checked, the tarpaulin for the roof attached and the wire skirt dug into the ground to deter foxes.