Plastic coop made by Omlet called "Eglu"

[4chickens]

"Eglu" coop by Omlet: has anyone tried this?

We have four chicks, two weeks old (2 Americaunas, 1 RIR, 1 Plymouth Rock).

We have raccoons in our yard.

We have no time.

This seems like such a simple solution, but the coop itself seems small (2'8" x 2'8") for four chickens and so does the run (7' long, 2'8" wide at one end and 5' wide at the other). (We plan to let the birds out in the yard when we can watch them, but we want to minimize the time they spend wandering around the yard for now, because we don't want the neighbors to see them . We think they'll object to chickens in their neighborhood, even though it's legal to have four chickens.)

The company sells special stakes to hold the run down, but we still worry that a raccoon could just dig the stakes out; also that a raccoon could un-latch the top.

I've even been contemplating putting the Eglu inside our family-room at night and then carrying it right outside our family-room and attaching it to the cage. Don't know, though, how easy it is to attach the coop to the cage.

Would really like to hear from someone who has tried this coop.

 

[d.k]

* I loved the eglu when I first saw it. BUT, they quoted it at $85O Plus Shipping. WAY too rich for my bloodline. Having been on BYC awhile now, and learning what hazards chickens are up against, I wouldn't give that run a second glance. Still think the eglu is cute, though.

 

[mudshark]

Well I hate it but half the fun for me is building stuff so am biased. If I was buying for that money I'd want something more substantial and I think its only big enough for 2 or perhaps 3 hens. Having said that my hens love running about flapping their wings which I don't think they could do in a run that size so would want to have them free-ranging a lot of the time.

 

[Cetawin]

In my opinion, it is way over priced and does not give adequate protection from predators or extreme temperatures.

You would be better off building a simple coop and run so you do not have to worry about those raccoons

 

[SeaChick]

I think it's adorable and a great solution for 2 hens that are allowed out for a lot of yard time.... but IMHO it is WAY too small for 4 (maybe if bantam sized.)

The company does have a new model that is much larger, which they say can take like 6 hens, and it (to me) looks like it would be OK for 4 hens , again, if they were allowed out to excercise. However, I beleive the bigger model is only available in Europe so far.

Have you considered framing in a corner of your garage for the henhouse and adding an attached run? That is what we did and it definitely took less time than building a free-standing coop. Here is our coop page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1766-Our_Garage_Coop

Another option is to buy a premade shed and do some minor conversions. Freinds of ours just got a great shed on Craigslist for $500, paid a bit more to have it moved to their yard, and they only needed to add roost and nest boxes, and build the run. If you only have a small # of chickens, you couls also look into converting a cheap Lowes playhouse (use the search feature on this board to look up several threads on that subject)

Good luck!

 

[lurky]

You would be wise to call your local High schools to see if the wood shop can build you a coop for that price.
Then it would have some room for the birds. I saw on VT craigslist recently where a high school wood shop had an awesome chicken coop for sale for less than $500 and it was amazing!!!!

 

[Anny]

When I first saw the Eglu I loved it, but it is very small. I would say many 2 banta could live in it. They came out with a new coop the Cube, but it's not availible in the US.

Their coops are nice but not $800 plus nice. You could buy a nicer pre-fab wooden coop at that price.

If price isn't an issue then pre fab is an ok way to go, but I think there are many better prefab coops out their that are not the Eglu. Check out the thread I started a lil while ago called "Pre-fab coops"

 

[ticks]

at that prcie you are better of getting this
http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/catalog/2030.html

that is the Chick-N-Barn!

 

[lurky]

Quote:
I cannot speak for that specific coop, but i bought a similar type and it was totally generic. It leaked.......
It should never be exposed to the elements. Unless someone had one and said it was great, I think those were made to look nice and make the sale. But i think there is someone who will build you a nice coop.

 

[FloridaChickenChick]

It was the Eglu site that got me interested in chickens a couple of years ago! But I think it would be too small to house even three chickens.