Give me a viable Eglu Cube alternative

[LilLee]

Hello all,
First time chicken owner here. I plan on purchasing chicks this spring. I am researching coops and getting ready to hit purchase for an Eglu cube. But- I am not thrilled by the $ or the fact that it’s a giant bright hulking piece of plastic. Here is what I need- is there a viable alternative out there??

1) Movable. Not chicken tractor level movable, but currently my plan is to move it about twice a year: (further out by the garden in the summer, closer to the house in the winter). We just moved into a new construction house, and so are still planning the garden out. I do not want to invest $$$ at this time to build an permanent coop since those plans are still being made. Our land is VERY steep- it will be challenge to find level land and I like the way the Eglu cube run can be separated from the coop. I have looked into PVC hoop coops as well, and think that could also be an interesting option. Crazy?

2) Easy-ish to build. We don’t have many tools. I’m just a lady who thinks she can do anything by watching some YouTube videos. If a viable option were to present itself but is too complicated for me to build, I could look into hiring someone but would prefer not to go that route.

3) My husband is less than thrilled with my chicken dreams, so I would like to not involve him. Ie, I don’t want to ask him to build it for me, I don’t want to ask him to clean it, and I don’t even want to ask him to move it for me. So- Eglu cube looks manageable for me.

4) Needs to house 4-6 birds.
5) We are in Vermont so needs to be ready for rough winters.
6) Predators: we have them. I saw a bear in our driveway last fall. We see fox prints regularly in the snow. I see hawks perching on tree branches. Is this a chicken death trap? (For the record, the reason my husband doesn’t want to get chickens is because he think they will all just die)

What do you think? Should I just buy the Eglu cube and call it a day? Should I just let my Little House on the Prairie dreams go and buy eggs from the farm down the road?

Thanks!

 

[CanadaEh]

any prefab coop is good... mostly as a cute backyard decoration but very hard to manage chickens in them and unlikely at manufacture stated capacity.
If the looks don't matter, get yourself a small shed for free off craigslist. You will need some minimal DIY skills to make nest boxes and roosts, but the options are endless compared to smallish prefab.

 

[Boise-girls]

From what I've read on BYC, if you have bears, you'll need hot wires regardless of the pen you use.

I have two connected 8x8 universal poultry pens from Tractor Supply, which I think might be a little sturdier than the Eglu (but I might be wrong). You'd need to add predator proofing to either one. If you're not ready to commit to a solid shed or similar, it sounds like your coop will need to be inside a very secure run.

While I wouldn't relish disassembling our pen and moving it around, it would be feasible. My sister and I, both seniors, assembled ours fairly easily. It comes in panels that you bolt together, and is pretty solid.

The Eglu coops are supposed to be better than the dollhouse type pre-fab, but seem awfully small to me. (I have a cute, worthless dollhouse coop you can have if you want to come to Boise. I ended up buying a shed. )

Have you checked out the Formex large snap-lock coop? No personal experience with it, but I'd probably be more inclined to go that route than the Eglu. Again, no actual experience with either one - you might do a search on BYC to find people who have them.

 

[aart]

any prefab coop is good

Sorry but......Most prefabs are junk for multiple reasons.

 

[CanadaEh]

any prefab coop is good... mostly as a cute backyard decoration but very hard to manage chickens in them and unlikely at manufacture stated capacity.

Sorry but......Most prefabs are junk for multiple reasons.

is not it what I said? hint: cute decoration, hard to manage, overstated capacity

 

[Iluveggers]

If you have to get a prefab, the Over EZ M/L coop is pricy but probably the best built option. (Would need added ventilation). You would need to attach a run to it. I second the idea of converting a wooden shed. Lots of space and only need to cut out a chicken door and add roosts. Would also give you space for #chickenmath Happens to the best of us.

 

[aart]

is not it what I said? hint: cute decoration, hard to manage, overstated capacity

Gotcha.......I wanted to be more clear

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since you just moved in maybe hold off an extra year to better consider your options, as a more secure and permanent structure would do recommended due to predators, weather, and number of birds. Tractors or other moveable coops do best on flat ground, and may be problematic if you have lots of snow simply because they don't usually sit up very high, plus if you really have bear activity the Eglu by itself is just something for it to topple over.

 

[LilLee]

Sigh…I really don’t want to wait a year, but yes- I can see the reason. I am planning to have hot wires, as yes, I saw a bear in our driveway in the fall. At the very least, I plan on surrounding the whole thing with solar powered movable poultry netting.

I have looked at the snap lock coop but those sit directly on the ground, which I don’t love. The eglu appeals to me because it comes with the stand and a run (and I’d plan on modifying the run with hardware cloth to be more predator proof).

I think what I’m really looking for is a coop that isn’t a tractor but isn’t a big shed- something in between, where moving it is a possibility with just two people, no machines needed. I’ll keep researching, thank you!!!

Also- I searched Craigslist/FB for sheds and I didn’t see any. I appreciate all your ideas!

 

[Iluveggers]

These coops are interesting and movable…I glanced quickly so it’s not a recommendation just an option to research.

http://www.ranch-coop.com/large-chicken-coop-B.html