Advantages
1. It's plastic, and while that may scare some people who really really prefer traditional wooden coops, there are MAJOR advantages to a plastic coop.
A. Virtually zero maintenance. No wood to treat, stain, retreat, repaint, etc.
A. Virtually zero maintenance. No wood to treat, stain, retreat, repaint, etc.
B. No warping, bending, twisting, or shifting of wood, which can make the doors loose and the chickens vulnerable to predators. (This happened with our first coop. The main side door got so warped it didn't hang right and a raccoon was able to get a paw in and knock the whole door off.
C. Super easy to clean. The main back door and the top door come completely off. The roost bars, also plastic, remove completely, and the bedding trays beneath the bars slide out. You can scrub and hose this thing down in minutes, air or towel dry it, and it looks brand new.
D. No nooks and crannies for mites to hide. In fact, mites prefer to live in wood, so the chance of getting a coop infestation of mites in this case is virtually nil. (Mites are super annoying. Trust me. They can make chickens very sick, are hard to diagnose until they are a real problem, cause decreased egg laying, and are very hard to get rid of if they are laying eggs in the cracks of your wooden coop.)
2. It's easy to put together. I put this thing together myself, and granted, it took three hours, but I don't consider myself to be the most handy person in the world. The directions are easily laid out, the parts make sense, and as long as you have a power drill to use for the screws, you are all set!
3. This thing is completely predator-proof. For anyone who has lost pet chickens to predators before, this brings a huge peace of mind. There's NO WAY an animal can get in this thing, unless you go out of town for weeks, leave the thing stationary, and allow some animal days and days of digging a tunnel under and around the wire that's in place to deter predators. The little door that pulls closed at night is not something any animal could open, so EVEN if a night predator could get in somehow (all night dig party?) he'd be stumped at the door!
4. Movable. If you want to be able to give your chickens fresh grass every day, without completely free-ranging them on your lawn, the Omlet Eglu is for you!
5. Leak-Proof. I waited to write this review until the coop had survived a serious rain. It's been raining for a couple days straight now, but last night took the cake. It was such a violent rain that it sounded like a tornado outside our house. I was really worried that the coop could not withstand such a deluge. When I checked this morning, there was not a drop inside the entire thing! There were some reviews that stated otherwise, but based on my own observations, and what other folks have said online, I think Omlet tweaked the design of the Eglu to fix any previous problems. There are these little channels along the cracks where the doors hook together. The channels do just that--they channel any water that gets into the cracks down through the channels and out these little drain holes. Truly ingenious design.
5. Doubles as a brooder. Let's say you want chickens. But you have no extra bathtub in which to brood the baby chicks. The body of the Eglu, with the roof removed, a heat lamp hanging down, and the egg door and roost bars removed will double as your chick brooder. I was able to successfully brood all ten of my chicks through their first seven weeks. At that point, they were ready to be outside. Most smaller coops do not offer this luxury. This saves you money on additional brooding supplies/housing. (I did have to place a wire mesh screen over top once the chicks realized they could jump and flap quite far. They never escaped with the screen on.)
6. You can get inside it. I have little trouble getting completely under the wire area to do chicken duty. My children get inside with ease. Yes, you have to stoop, but it is possible. You can tend to the chickens, handle them for taming, hand feed them, etc. all while inside their safe zone. You don't have to risk letting them out of their coop to do any of that. (I could see this being especially useful for someone who wants chickens but who also has a dog!)
7. The feeder that comes with the coop is ingeniously designed. It's shaped just perfectly so that the feed doesn't get wet in the rain. For someone who spent my first chicken journey wasting tons of wet feed from a traditional feeder, this is a huge relief. I should mention that I keep an additional large tarp over the first three feet of the run so the chicks have more rain shelter (and soon, snow shelter.) I keep the feed and water under the tarp, and think this is probably a good idea. The way the feeder and waterer attach to the wire cage is also very handy.
8. Kinda cool. Okay, no one buys a chicken coop because it's cool, but this one is kinda neat looking. I wish I had a red tarp instead of the ugly, old silver one on top, but I don't even think they make red tarps! Aside from being cool, the design of the Omlet Eglu, the way it raises so easily on its wheels, the interior design, etc. is just smart. It's clear that the company is full of chicken owners or is very good about listening to the suggestions of customers.
9. Resale Value. Because the coop is plastic and easy to clean, this is a coop that will hold its value if you decide your chickening days are over. I would not consider buying a used wooden coop. There's just too much potential for mite infestation in older wooden coops, and it's too hard to clean any bacteria or disease that might carry over from the other flock. However, people are actively seeking used Eglus because they are so pricey new. I see this as a nice insurance policy when you are putting down the money for one.
Disadvantages
1. Cost. For real. But see #9 above. And already, after only eight weeks, this baby has been worth every penny.
2. With the additional three foot extension, you really do need two people to move it. My eight and a half year old daughter and I can move it fairly easily. It seems harder to move right now because our grass is ridiculously long and the ground is soaked and muddy. The "ease of moving" element will have to be looked at again when those conditions change.
3. Size. The website says this coop (with the extended run) is suitable for ten chickens. I would say more like six if you are keeping them enclosed in the run all day. I can tell already that ten full grown ladies are going to feel much more crowded than they do now, at seven weeks old. I'm lucky that I'm home all day, and can let them run in the enclosed garden area or out in the lawn with us around. Otherwise, they would need more exercise than the coop affords as is.
4. Waterer. I'm not a huge fan of the waterer. The design is different than the one I thought I would get (with the drinking nipples.) Be aware that some companies show pictures of what must be an old version of the waterer, while the one pictured above is what they are sending currently. It is a LARGE receptacle that hangs on the wire fence next to the feeder. It has two big openings, but is VERY deep. (See picture above.) Chickens use a funny scooping method to drink, and it doesn't make sense to me why a waterer for chickens would be so deep when they can't "suck" up water. It is extremely heavy to fill and carry, and I think they should look at improving this for later models. I do like that it is ONE piece, and easy to clean, but also wish it had a substantial handle. The website claims that it can hold enough water for ten chickens for days, but not if they can't actually angle their heads down properly to scoop the water up! We shall see. Maybe my chicks are just small and it looks so awkward!
5. The "tarp" that comes with the coop. It's fairly sad---just a tiny green piece of fabric that covers really only the top of the wire. It doesn't provide much wind buffeting or shelter from the rain. Omlet should consider producing and marketing a specialized tarp, with reinforced grommets and hooks for the wire cage. It could let in light (more eggs!) but not wind and rain. It should be much bigger than the one they provide. I decided to swap it out with this old tarp from the shed, and will see how it does. Ideally, I'd like it to provide a bit more wind protection, but we'll see.
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| Here's my coop with the ugly tarp. Keeps them dry though! |
Bottom Line
This is an amazingly designed, functional, aesthetically pleasing coop for the small backyard chicken owner. It will house your flock from birth until they are full grown. It's easy to move, easy to clean, and is completely predator and water proof. I would add a more substantial tarp to cover more of the extension, especially if you get snow in the winter, and I would like to see them modify the waterer. I also don't think it is for full-time containment of ten chickens without additional exercise. That said, if you're willing to lay down the cash, or lucky enough to find someone parting with one used, there's no way you'll be disappointed with the Omlet Eglu.
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