Comments from Eglu users?

[WoodlandWoman]

I don't have anything against Eglus. A lot of people love theirs and I think for your situation and needs, it would probably work great. So would a small coop the size of a large dog house. So would a chicken tractor. You might really like a coop like the playhouse coop, that has a very nice run incorporated into it. If you only need, say, three chickens for eggs, you can really do anything you want.

There are some prefab options, like the Eglu or Chik-N-Barn. You can find some very nice dog houses that are easy to adapt. There are simple coops that any local handy man can make for you, especially if you can browse this and other sites to find pictures that show what you want.

I think you'll be happiest with something that looks good, maybe something that looks cute, as well as being functional. Some of that is about design or materials and a lot if it is about trim and little touches that make a big difference. There's even a thread on here you can search for with ideas, titled something like, "I want a cute coop."

With your dog, but especially with all the gardening you do, I think you should definitely plan for a run, to keep your chickens from, um, relandscaping for you. You don't have any hostas, do you??? It's not that they can never be let out, as it's very fun to watch them puttering about, foraging and enjoying themselves. You just don't want to let them run amuck on their own all day.

I'd say, look at lots of coop pictures and see what you like. If you still want an Eglu, go ahead and get it. If you want to get something else, that's good too. You should look at a lot of pictures of chicken breeds, also. You might just decide that you need more like four, five or six chickens, to get all that you want. That will effect your coop choice, too.

I'll try to put together some links later, but I really need to get out of here!

I forgot to add, having chickens is fabulous! Congratulations!

 

[brooster]

If you are not worried about price, and are not a good carpenter try www.henspa.com although prices are not exactly cheap they have some nice houses.

 

[fallenweeble]

hi sogal!
i'm a newbie too!
well, i'm not really a "handy" type of gal either but i decided that i would just "learn as i went" and, honestly, the results are turning out very nicely! don't be afraid to try something new. i've been building a "three-stage" area for my chickens using the following tools:

-a jigsaw (but you could even use a hand-saw or some other basic saw-tool, all i've made are straight cuts so the "jig" aspect has gone unused).
-a very basic electric sander
-an electric drill/screwdriver
-a hammer
-a manual staple-gun
+ two saw-horses

(if you or your hubby don't own these items perhaps a kind neighbor might lend them to you?)

remember, simple doesn't have to be unsightly! i bought the cheapest "wanes coating" (i KNOW i surely spelled that wrong, forgive me!) in order to give some of the coop surfaces a "fancy" look and it worked! you don't have to do an elaborate design to make it look pretty.

do you have any existing buildings or architecture that you could use as a starting point? i sectioned off one end of my porch and then added a chicken "yard" to that.
in order to "beautify" the whole thing i ordered a few old tin signs with chicken themes off of ebay - old style signs that say things like "chicken co-op" etc. and i hung those up on the porch coop to make it look whimsical and old-tymey.

if you don't have any existing architecture perhaps you could check craig's list and other local papers to find someone selling a storage shed or some other similiar type small building for cheap and use that as your starting point!

and remember, if all else fails, a good coat of left-over but pretty paint will make ANYTHING look great! (hint - just don't buy the "remainder" day-glo pink).

good luck!
f. weeble