Plastic, portable, easy coop ideas? Help.

[Eggsitter]

Hi all,

Before I sink a mortgage payment into an Eglu, or Snap Lock, are there any other plastic coop options out there? I have looked and looked, but see very little in the USA.

The UK seems to have a lot of options for plastic coops, but hardly any here in the USA. Have I missed any in the Eglu SnapLock category? I have searched for used ones, but can't find any.

I understand Pottery Barn is about to get some new plastic coops, but I can imagine the price of those: TWO mortgage payments.

I am leaning to the Eglu go because for almost the same price as the SnapLock, I can get a run. I am not sure how hard it is to attach and detach the run from the Eglu Go.

I am in southern Maine, need a coop I can easily detach from a run and bring inside my storage shed in bad weather.

We will have 4 bantam Old English who LOVE TO FLY. The EgluGo run is really low

We talked to a gal at Tractor Supply yesterday who told us that chickens don't like to move in the winter. They will "happily" stay trapped in a dark tiny coop full of chicken poop all winter and never complain. They don't need light, she said. That's not our way of keeping chickens.

I am getting my info from people who are treating chickens like livestock, not pets. I need advice on having happy chickens, and am finding all of the advice confusing because of the different mindsets. Some think chickens as livestock. Some want to live off the grid and don't want to spend a dime on their chickens. But for us, these chickens are our pets. Even if they never laid an egg, they are important to us.

Is there a plastic coop (I need it EASY to keep clean, I need to be able to pick it up by myself or maybe with my 12 yo son) that chickens would be HAPPY in? Hurry, they are growing fast!

I want everyone to know, that I am not handy. I don't have hardly any tools and want something affordable, ready to go and easy to clean. If these chickens add to my stress (single mom) then I can't take them on. I am sure there is a way to do this.

Here's what we set up now as a brooder, I got a bird cage on clearance for now, sitting on a big plastic tub for 8 of the month-old chicks, half of whom are going back to the parents' owner.

 

[ChicKat]

good for you -- for getting chicks and for thinking ahead.

I agree that the prices are high for Eglu's and even Snaplocks..... they are both insulated and easy to clean.

I have an Eglu Cube, had a GO that I traded for an extra large computer monitor (I think the value was about what I paid for it - so "resale" value may be something to consider) and I have and use an Eglu Classic the first Eglu that came on the market--looking a bit like an outer space pod----and very rounded. I got my classic on Ebay, but they aren't even being shipped to the USA any longer. Eglus hardly ever come up on ebay, because people tend to keep them. There's one currently (or there was) for sale in California..(a cube) for 1,200. Used.

Some alternatives in the do-it-yourself market...may be people who have converted plastic dog-houses. You still would have the wash-off and no-need-to-paint advantages, you wouldn't have the insulating properties of the high-dollar coops. Here is a link on a dog crate coop----- It would be moveable..and the retrofitting isn't too hard IMO. (go for it---you CAN do this!! :O) )

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2007-09-01/Easy-Backyard-Chicken-Coops.aspx

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2007-04-01/Portable-Chicken-Mini-coop-Plan.aspx

There used to be better pictures/photos with these articles or maybe there were other articles, but the idea is there. Reverse the roof on the dog house so the front opening is smaller. A door will/may be needed to close them in at night. Now the hole in the back that was previously the top part of the front door is your access to the nest box area....You will need to arrange for something for your chickens to be able to lay eggs in. A safe secure door will also have to be fashioned for that.

The one big drawback of this arrangement--- that I'm not sure anyone has thought through is cleaning the floor of the coop. Eglu and SnapLock both have trays you can pull out and dispose of the accumulated poop without disturbing your chickens AND without having to go into the run in the case of Eglu. And as you pointed out---- there isn't a run with SnapLock......


Runs can be fashioned. You are right too that it probably wouldn't be pleasant to put the chickens in darkness for the winter. And they may be more cold hardy than we think.....so perhaps if their housing is situated in a sheltered area---they could be outdoors except for the most bitterly cold times of the winter.
ETA - here are some photos...
http://redbayfarm.com/chicken_tractor.html
these dog houses used to be everywhere in red with beige roof---now I see them in blue. You may also put a request for pictures on BYC of people who have converted these dog houses for pictures and tips---I bet there are a lot of them --and maybe a BYC member would have one to show. :O)

Hope that you find a way to get the chicken housing that you want.

 

[Eggsitter]

Thank you so much for your guidance. I am so worried about making an investment and finding out I made a mistake. The eglu go might be the ticket, since they are in such high demand.

There is an insulated dog house with a solar powered fan and heated floor that is great. Getting eggs and cleaning it though, would not be so great.

The eggs might not be an issue since I am learning that out of 8 chicks, we have seven roosters. Can you believe it?

I might just bite the bullett and get the Eglu Go with the run. Wonder if there is a stand-up run to go with the Go. That would be ideal.

 

[ChicKat]

I agree with you....... you can always have resale value in an Eglu--- they are practically in-destructible.....and having an attached run is really safe etc.

I added an extra 3-meters to my GO run---and then was frustrated that I couldn't get into parts of it. I have a posting on reconfiguring the run --if you want a link....but then that is more investment. Bigger run....etc. Eglu does make walk-in-runs...but the prices are pretty astronomical, and I don't know if they sell them to the overseas market. This is the one that is gone now....but here's a link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...n-for-eglu-go-owners-more-access#post_6943547

Here is also something to think about.....if you have access to a feed/farm store you could get cattle panels and using that for structure you could build your own "walk-in-run". It would probably require some 2x4's and a strong person to help with the construction.

Here's a link to that arrangement:

http://www.plamondon.com/hoophouse.pdf

Hardware cloth would be needed to keep predators away from the chickens--another expense...but I suspect in the long run - the cost would be cheaper than the Eglu and the sweat-equity would pay back in having a run you could stand in ....and --- your birds could fly to perches/roosts/branches that you could install.

If you can find a sturdy old table -- like an old farm table or kitchen table, you can put your "coop" up off the ground. (be it dog house, free standing Eglu or other arrangement) A "chicken ladder" would be needed for easy chicken access..... I saw such a table at a garage sale that would be perfect...but didn't know at that time I was looking for one. LOL......

Now that heated solar dog house sounds pretty deluxe. I wonder if you could modify it a bit for your chickens...... I know that there are a lot of creative ways that you could house your chickens. Use that dog house with a way to pull out the poop---like a board that would fit inside the door way -- or a tray or a drawer, and some kind of egg basket....you're on your way.

OH MY GOSH......all those roosters. Pretty but no good for eggs, and too many for the one poor hen. Hope that you can find good homes for them -- Those are awful odds!

 

[memphis]

I love my Eglu! And so do the chickens. Super easy to clean and wheel around. I did get the run extension. I've had the Eglu about a year with no issues. It's well insulated. Stays cool enough in some of our 100 degree days and stayed cozy in winter. Plenty of ventilation. I have 4 large Speckled Sussex living in it. They do free range when I'm home. The best part for me is how easy it is to clean!

 

[Eggsitter]

thanks for the input.

We have the 7 roosters and 1 HEN (I still cant believe that) in my dog's wire crate, and we can move that around the yard without the tray, and they have access to grass, while being 100 percent safe in the crate. At night we put in the tray and some wood shavings and bring them into our unheated sunroom. I can't leave them outside, they are only a month old.

We can keep the two we end up with in the unheated sunroom in the winter, and on days they can't get outside because of hurricanes, snowstorms or whatever Maine weather brings, we can let them scratch around in the woodshavings in the sunroom while contained in the crate. Two won't cause too much mess, and it is a pretty indestructible sunroom that we don't use in winter, with laminate flooring.

So for winter, I am thinking an eglu go for a coop and attach it to the wire crate with bungee cords or something now, outside. I just saw another crate on Freecycle that we can keep indoors with the tray for the days they can't get out. I would easily be able to bring the eglu go indoors and attach it to the crate on my porch with bungee cords, and they could have some exercise inside the crate on the porch if they want.

We can also get a plastic dog crate and wrap it with insulation for the winter on the porch.

I have no problem buying some woodshavings and some topsoil and putting it on the tray for them. We have an old clay flowerpot they are using for a dustbath with some sand and topsoil there now.

It would be easy to just buy the eglu go and run right now, but we have only been keeping chicks for a month, and I am really not sure how things will go and what we will need in the future. Going through a winter will give me a better idea of what we need.

I think that is my issue. I am trying to plan ahead for something I have no clue about. So I am worried I'll make the wrong decision and spend $600. But I know an eglu would sell if I got it and didn't use it.

Eglu's customer service here in the USA is really lacking imho.

 

[ChicKat]

Good strategy,

I agree with you 100%.

I had an issue with Eglu customer service...when my 'cube' was damaged in shipping, they didn't even respond with an 'I'm so sorry'. It would have been nice. I sent them photos and asked the best advice...no reply. It wasn't bad damage...mostly cosmetic and a place where it looks like a forklift shoved a prong through one of the sides. It did make it harder to assemble.... I patched the hole with sail tape--- and hopefully retain the insulation properties. Trouble is they have unique, albiet pricey, superb product. (I have also bought things from the UK.....and am on the omlet forum.

That is one of the reasons that subsequently, I bought a Snap Lock---and I haven't put it into service yet, although it was easy to assemble and I liked the people there on the phone..... Here it is just too hot where I have it, so I have to both move it and get a run for it (Probably cattle panels, since I already have them on hand).....

I feel so empathetic with you. I got the GO after a lot of research -- (with the run)..... and I was very pleased with it for all the reasons eglu owners are pleased. When I first got chickens I wasn't sure of the direction that the chicken keeping experience would take...I got 1-laying hen and 2 point of lay pullets. (didn't have the raising chicks mentality and wasn't patient). I didn't know how much I would get into it......and I got --- obsessed. ;O) it happens. It is rewarding and relaxing to keep chickens. It also is --- something that ties you down.

I hope that your cockerel is docile--- otherwise it may be beneficial to exchange him for a female chick to keep your other chick company........... good luck!

 

[Fishbone]

This might also help with your decision.

http://www.polydome.com/PolyDome.html
A few calf nursery's were for sale on Craig's List for $90 each...didn't last long at that price!

Make a hoop coop run, or buy a used dog run, they come up for sale on Craig's List often

Ventilation is the key to success with animals.
That's ONE reason why bird coops are elevated off the ground, moisture from the ground doesn't evaporate in the coop!

 

[Eggsitter]

Thanks for the help. I just ordered the Snap Lock. For the winter we will keep it with the wire dog crate for "a run" on our three-season porch. If it is nice during the winter, we will build some kind of easy chicken tractor to put on our garden plot in the sunshine. If it is lousy weather, I have no problem with two chickens and a snaplock attached to a wire dog crate on my porch with some shavings. It is chilly out there, but not windy or frigid. They should be fine, it is all windows with two skylights.

I don't care how great the Eglu's are, the customer service was awful. I finally was able to get someone, who couldn't answer any questions. I wanted to see the clearance of the roost with the ceiling, but she had no way to show me. That's nuts.

SnapLock w free shipping from Chickens for Backyards.

Making our way through, still in denial that we have only one hen lol.

 

[jahphotogal]

I'm not handy at all, but I made a nice, moveable plastic hoop coop, based on plans from Mother Earth News. Look at my blog (link in my siggie) for pictures. Mine is bigger than the original plans because I started wtih 6 full-size hens (now I have 5) an the original plan is for 4 full size - perfect for you.

Here's a link to the info I used.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/do-it-yourself/portable-chicken-coop-zm0z12amzmat.aspx