How we ended up with a green plastic coop: I decided some time ago that I wanted backyard chickens, but my husband was unconvinced. After months of "oh, look at this breed" and "aren't chickens so soft?" and "here are some ways chickens could help our garden" comments, he finally gave in... with the caveat that I'm solely responsible. No problem!
Enter: Covid and my two young kids home 24/7 while my husband and I try to work full-time from home. Fun times!
With chicks on the way and no building help (fair enough), I started researching pre-fab coops. Wow, they really suck! After much hemming and hawing about the price, I finally decided it that I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on tools and sourcing materials, only to have to build it myself (I don't know how to build stuff), and probably have to redo it after a year. I instead decided to go with the Omlet Eglu Cube and attached run. I wasn't convinced the smaller runs that attach to the coop would be enough room; and as I'd seen plenty of hawks even in our downtown neighborhood, I decided to spring for an Omlet walk-in run, as well, to maximize the chickens' safe space.
The chicks arrived in late June, and after 3.5 weeks in our spare room/office, they were ready to go out into their new coop. (It was them or us, namsay?)
The coop is small - I do wish I could double it, especially as one of the "surprise" chickens ended up being a very large, groovy Barred Rock - 3-4 chickens would be ideal for this size coop. (I'd ordered 6 thinking they wouldn't all survive and wouldn't all be girls.) But that's about the only thing I'd change. And if the girls start to struggle with the space, I'll have to consider re-homing two of them, since I don't know that the flock would separate otherwise. (If they'd split into two coops, I'd absolutely buy a second.) The coop is very easy to clean, and because I have a secure run, I can leave the coop door open 24/7 for fresh air and personal space.
The smaller run portion attached to the coop is approx 3'x9' and the walk-in run is approx 9'x13'. All told, I love it! I'm considering buying another 3-ft run segment to make the walk-in a bit larger. I really appreciate how modular the Omlet runs are. I'd love to figure out how to put a more permanent-type roof over it.
A few modifications I made: Secure latches on all coop access doors, bungee cord across the back, hardware cloth along bottom of run (and higher up where the outside roosts meet), additional nest box in the run for summertime. As you can see, I've also done my best to give the girls some enrichment with logs, branches, and our 2020 Christmas tree. I add leaves/bark as needed, and they do a great job turning over the run footing. The blue tarp covering makes for a very ugly wall, but we had a nasty storm come through a few weeks ago and I wanted to ensure more dry spaces. I ordered some custom-sized plastic tarps (clear and clear-ish) to give some rain and wind protection. There's a fence a few feet beyond the back of the run that helps with any wind out of the north. I'll keep playing around with weather coverage this year (our first winter with chickens).
And I of course put up shades and sails in the summer to give maximum shade. This coop/run set-up is ideal for our climate, although if I had the room, time, and energy, I'd build an open air coop. Our summers have gotten brutally hot these last few years (thanks, climate change!), with days on end in the triple digits. The only circumstances that make me wish for a significantly larger coop - where they could spend some time - are the wildfires. They can't really get out of the smoke. But when it lasts for weeks on end, it would take quite a coop to keep them happy. Below I've included some images of the current (winter) set up...
They have (supervised) access to the area around their run, too, which has deep shade and bushes and things. I've put up some of the Omlet temporary fencing that's really more of a suggestion than anything else... But since I let them out only when we're in the yard, any escape artists are easily retrieved. the extra space goes all the way around the run, making for a kind of chicken "circuit." I've found that the space, obstacles, etc. help to keep the peace (and make things easier on our bottom-ranked pullet, Ginny). I've also recently added an extra food source so that Ginny can sneak some food without getting harassed.
Meet the girls... Glinda (EE), Hildegard (EE), Marshmallow (RIR), Luna (Dom), Sunset (BR), & Ginny (Dom)
Glinda: "Best Blueberry Catcher" (also "Best Flyer" - yikes)
Hildy: "Best Beard & Muffs" (also voted "Best Colors")
Marshy: "Best Eggs" (also, "Best Enforcer of All Chicken Rules and Regs")
Luna: "Best Personality" (also, "Most Improved" - she was a very odd little chick)
Sunset: "Best Tail & Fluffiness & Comb"
Ginny: "Spazziest" (also, "Sneakiest" - bottom of the pecking order leads to some creativity)
Enter: Covid and my two young kids home 24/7 while my husband and I try to work full-time from home. Fun times!
With chicks on the way and no building help (fair enough), I started researching pre-fab coops. Wow, they really suck! After much hemming and hawing about the price, I finally decided it that I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on tools and sourcing materials, only to have to build it myself (I don't know how to build stuff), and probably have to redo it after a year. I instead decided to go with the Omlet Eglu Cube and attached run. I wasn't convinced the smaller runs that attach to the coop would be enough room; and as I'd seen plenty of hawks even in our downtown neighborhood, I decided to spring for an Omlet walk-in run, as well, to maximize the chickens' safe space.
The chicks arrived in late June, and after 3.5 weeks in our spare room/office, they were ready to go out into their new coop. (It was them or us, namsay?)
The coop is small - I do wish I could double it, especially as one of the "surprise" chickens ended up being a very large, groovy Barred Rock - 3-4 chickens would be ideal for this size coop. (I'd ordered 6 thinking they wouldn't all survive and wouldn't all be girls.) But that's about the only thing I'd change. And if the girls start to struggle with the space, I'll have to consider re-homing two of them, since I don't know that the flock would separate otherwise. (If they'd split into two coops, I'd absolutely buy a second.) The coop is very easy to clean, and because I have a secure run, I can leave the coop door open 24/7 for fresh air and personal space.
The smaller run portion attached to the coop is approx 3'x9' and the walk-in run is approx 9'x13'. All told, I love it! I'm considering buying another 3-ft run segment to make the walk-in a bit larger. I really appreciate how modular the Omlet runs are. I'd love to figure out how to put a more permanent-type roof over it.
A few modifications I made: Secure latches on all coop access doors, bungee cord across the back, hardware cloth along bottom of run (and higher up where the outside roosts meet), additional nest box in the run for summertime. As you can see, I've also done my best to give the girls some enrichment with logs, branches, and our 2020 Christmas tree. I add leaves/bark as needed, and they do a great job turning over the run footing. The blue tarp covering makes for a very ugly wall, but we had a nasty storm come through a few weeks ago and I wanted to ensure more dry spaces. I ordered some custom-sized plastic tarps (clear and clear-ish) to give some rain and wind protection. There's a fence a few feet beyond the back of the run that helps with any wind out of the north. I'll keep playing around with weather coverage this year (our first winter with chickens).
And I of course put up shades and sails in the summer to give maximum shade. This coop/run set-up is ideal for our climate, although if I had the room, time, and energy, I'd build an open air coop. Our summers have gotten brutally hot these last few years (thanks, climate change!), with days on end in the triple digits. The only circumstances that make me wish for a significantly larger coop - where they could spend some time - are the wildfires. They can't really get out of the smoke. But when it lasts for weeks on end, it would take quite a coop to keep them happy. Below I've included some images of the current (winter) set up...
They have (supervised) access to the area around their run, too, which has deep shade and bushes and things. I've put up some of the Omlet temporary fencing that's really more of a suggestion than anything else... But since I let them out only when we're in the yard, any escape artists are easily retrieved. the extra space goes all the way around the run, making for a kind of chicken "circuit." I've found that the space, obstacles, etc. help to keep the peace (and make things easier on our bottom-ranked pullet, Ginny). I've also recently added an extra food source so that Ginny can sneak some food without getting harassed.
Meet the girls... Glinda (EE), Hildegard (EE), Marshmallow (RIR), Luna (Dom), Sunset (BR), & Ginny (Dom)
Glinda: "Best Blueberry Catcher" (also "Best Flyer" - yikes)
Hildy: "Best Beard & Muffs" (also voted "Best Colors")
Marshy: "Best Eggs" (also, "Best Enforcer of All Chicken Rules and Regs")
Luna: "Best Personality" (also, "Most Improved" - she was a very odd little chick)
Sunset: "Best Tail & Fluffiness & Comb"
Ginny: "Spazziest" (also, "Sneakiest" - bottom of the pecking order leads to some creativity)
