Plastic coop made by Omlet called "Eglu"

[Nupine]

Cute, but some people have houses that cost less than that.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I really don't think it's worth the price they were quoting. When I first seen it I was thinking "OH that has to be around 80 bucks or so...but then more looking I seen they wanted almost 700! That was just nuts to me! We built an 8x8 coop with insulation and nice roof for 600.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, go bigger and go safer. That's a lot of money for something so small. I'd go for like a small wood shed or dog house you can close up at night and don't have to worry about coons rolling them around in the plastic hutch. Which I can imagine if they can tip garbage cans and such.

 

[bigmike&nan]

Quote:
I don't think the Eglu is that great a choice: it's very small for even TWO normal sized chickens, if you had to get something quickly the Chic N Barn is a better choice but I saw one at our local Agway and was amazed how thin and frail it is - it IS cute and has some nice little details but it is embarasingly overpriced for what it made of, but most pre-made coops are.

I was lucky our neighbor is a great carpenter and helped me build ours (heck, I HELPED HIM... lol), the idea of contacting the local high school wood shop is pretty good. A lot of Garden Supply places have sheds for sale, the people come out and build them on your property. Last time I got one was in 2000 and it was $400.00 - a man showed up and had it all knocked together in about 2 hours. It was 6 ft by 8 ft by 7 ft high.

Good luck, be sure you give your chickens a lot more room than you will think they need - manufacturers quote wwaaaaayyyy too many birds can be kept in their products.

 

[taratrip]

I have read several posts on here trying to get ideas and SEVERAL people have said what CRAP those chick n barns are and that they shouldnt even be exposed to the weather. My design practically changes everyday but I think I'm sticking with one now. I bought the lowes playhouse and it is actually pretty sturdy and building my run next to it attached. i thought about the whole shed idea but NJ's prices are so much higher than anywhere else and a basic 8x6 shed is around $2000! Even though we could use a shed and get the kids bikes out of the gargage and maybe use the garage for our vehicles I just didnt have the money to put out right now. Maybe in the future that could be an option!

 

[speckledhen]

To help with perspective a bit, we built an 8x20 coop (original 8x8 plus 12' addition later) for right at $800 using a few recycled materials.

 

[NHN]

Quote:
Can you tell me how to attach latches and make it more secure?

 

[Anny]

The coop looks super cute but it's very pricey and not very much space.

 

[ksalvagno]

I have an Eglu. I have 3 Golden Buffs to put into it. They are supposed to be about 4 pounds. You wouldn't want to put more than 3 medium size birds in it. The idea is to let them in the run full time as well as the Eglu. You would be better off with the Cube. While it is pricey, you can just hose it off. It has a pull out tray to get rid of the manure. Extremely easy maintenance. It is supposed to be fine for winter. The cube is available in the US. You can go to www.omlet.us and read more about it.

My husband works about 70 hours a week and my business is 24x7 from April to November. So we have no time build and no time to be bothered with a lot of clean up. We also need our place to look VERY clean when customers come to pick up or drop off animals.

Your lifestyle and how much time for cleanup do need to be taken into consideration. For some buying the more expensive item is worth it, for others it is not. You spend it one way or another. Either you put the money out front or you spend that money in the time you take to build the coop and have to clean it up later. For us time is money and when we look at what we make an hour and what kind of time things would take us to do, usually it is easier/cheaper to buy.

It is great when you have the time and the skills to build things or modify things but not everyone has the time or the knowledge. You also have to really look at how cleanup will need to be handled. Plus the Eglu or the Cube will last forever and never need more than a powerwashing.

I can fully understand the opinions of most that it is overpriced and there are other options out there but you really have to think about what is best for your individual situation.

 

[mountaintopchicken]

If I could buy an eglu for $100 I would buy it for breeding projects. I would use it for a pair of large fowl or a trio of bantams.

But at the price they want for it? No way. I bought a sturdy, well designed 6x8' wooden coop made by a local builder for only about $100 more than they want for the eglu. Delivery was included.