As a proud flock owner for over 7 years and counting, I‘ve learned through extensive trial and error what it takes to keep backyard chickens healthy and thriving. And a top-notch chicken coop ranks as absolutely essential.
Out of the countless coops I‘ve tested first-hand or heard experiences from, one brand stands out as superior – Omlet‘s Eglu line designed specifically with convenient features for chicken care in mind.
While Eglus come at a steeper price point, their weatherproof construction and clever functionality enhance long-term value supporting the higher investment. I gladly recommend Eglu to any aspiring flock owner prioritizing their chickens‘ comfort and wellbeing.
Throughout this hands-on review, I‘ll share exactly what I wish I knew earlier when shopping for my first coop drawing from hard-learned lessons!
My Background: An Experienced Chicken Keeper Committed to Animal Welfare
As context before digging into Omlet‘s offerings, I‘ve directly cared for over 2 dozen chickens across 20 unique coop models over 7 years. Ranging from simple wooden DIY hutches to deluxe industrial cages – I‘ve seen and tested it all first-hand!
What sparked this enduring passion? Long story short – moving to the countryside, I yearned to form deeper connections to my food starting with the main staple, eggs. My journey into chicken keeping brought me far more joy, valuable life lessons, and feathery friends than anticipated.
While rewarding, I learned proper animal welfare requires extensive research and investment. My past roles in veterinary care and poultry husbandry inform my perspective advising new chicken keepers. I hold brands supporting responsible backyard flock ownership to high standards.
Why Omlet Stands Out as an Authority in Chicken Care Solutions
With pet product companies booming, what distinguishes Omlet from cheap mass-produced coops? Their 15+ years specialization building durable housing and accessories solely for small animals and chickens.
Over a decade and a half refining premium products to ease chicken care reflects unmatched industry commitment. Chickens‘ specific needs and owner frustrations inspire innovations like slide-out waste trays other brands overlook.
Meanwhile brisk sales through massive online retailers like Amazon and Chewy plus over 50 positive press features verify quality and consumer trust.
Most meaningfully, independent non-profit B Lab certified Omlet as a Best for the World B Corp reserved for companies with the most positive environmental and social impact. This rigorous assessment by impartial impact analysts proves Omlet prioritizes animal welfare over profits alone.
Simply put – Omlet dominates as the leading industry authority around creatively enhancing backyard chicken care through better designed solutions.
Construction & Weatherproofing: Why Plastic Beats Wood for Durability
A frequent question I receive from soon-to-be chicken owners – doesn‘t wood seem like a sturdier natural material for a coop compared to plastic? Logically yes, but practical experience proves otherwise.
While wood may visually appear as a robust option, the heavy susceptibility to weathering, moisture damage, and physical wear simply cannot match plastic‘s resiliency.
Over two years, cheap plywood warped while metal fixtures eroded and rusted. Replacing the destroyed lumber, hardware repairs plus re-constructing the coop twice over cost far more than simply investing in a quality weatherproof Eglu from the start.
Conversely, the polyethylene plastic resin Eglu utilizes remains unfazed by years of harsh New England winters and soggy spring seasons. Negligible fading or structural impacts need virtually no maintenance like my former plywood planks.
The British-engineered polycarbonate plastic panels even incorporate sealed air pockets for insulation. This regulates internal air temperatures to stay cool in summer and prevents icy drafts in below-freezing Northeast winters. Happy healthy egg-laying requires keeping chickens comfortable year-round which Eglu‘s thoughtful construction delivers on.
Key Features Making Chicken Care Delightfully Easy
Eglu distinguishes itself from most basic wooden coops focused solely on minimum enclosed space by incorporating loads of handy features purpose-built around typical owner needs.
As a busy working professional balancing a flock, Eglu‘s design enhancements streamlining essential chores come as literal lifesavers!
My favorite touches include:
- Slide-out plastic tray catching all waste – no more scraping caked piles clinging to wood!
- External feeder/waterer freeing interior floor space for chickens rather than containers crowding them
- Wide access doors making cleaning or nest box egg collection effortless even for big hands
- Locking door latches keeping predators away and chickens safely inside through the night
- Two fox-proof anchor kits foiling any sneak thief attempts burrowing under my Eglu’s floor
- Wide ramp providing even my plumpest hens easy entry/exit wanderings about the run
With these ingenious features my chickens enjoy their Eglu abodes happily while I expend minimal daily effort to care for them. The team truly built these coops focusing on real owner frustrations first.
Eglu Coops Come in Multiple Size Options Scaling From Mini to Maxi Flocks
A common hesitation I hear from aspiring backyard flock owners surrounds properly sizing their first coop. Predicting exactly how many chickens feel realistic to handle as beginners can prove tricky.
I repeatedly made this mistake starting out by purchasing overly spacious coops requiring too many chickens to justify the capacity or extra cleaning laboring over empty space.
Eglu provides the perfect solution with their tiered family of coops scaling to accommodate anywhere from just 2 chickens up to a sizable flock of 10.
The Eglu Go caters to first-timers testing the waters on a starter coop for 1-4 hens. The mid-range Eglu Go Up comfortably houses 4-6 chickens on a compact vertical footprint. Finally, their flagship Eglu Cube serves expert chicken keepers ready to scale up around 6-10 birds.
This range covers every phase in the backyard chicken journey – from dipping your toes to diving headfirst! Crucially, each properly proportions interior perches, nesting box capacity, attached run space and amenities to the suitable flock size.
Let’s examine the distinguishing dimensions and capabilities of each model:
| Coop Model | Capacity | Interior Floor Space | Run Space | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eglu Go | Up to 2 large chickens | 2 square feet | 4 square feet | 34 inches tall | 12 pounds |
| Eglu Go Up | Up to 4 large chickens | 8 square feet | 8 square feet | 55 inches tall | 27.5 pounds |
| Eglu Cube | Up to 10 large chickens | 12 square feet | 10 square feet | 40 inches tall | 44 pounds |
With portable sizes for smaller gardens yet a still sufficiently spacious design for mid-sized flocks, Eglu coops provide the just-right fit new chicken owners desperately need.
Saving Money Over Time: How Eglus Are Worth the Higher Initial Cost
Now for the pressing question facing every prospective chicken shopper with limited hobby budgets – are Eglus truly worth 2X, even over 3X the upfront cost of basic wooden coops and DIY alternatives?
My first instinct priced out at $400 for an Eglu Cube felt similarly sticker-shocked. But peering closer over time, important savings revelations emerged.
Let‘s break down quantifiable costs that bargain-hunters miss…
Eglu Go
- Upfront: $269
- 5 Year Cost: $269
- $53.80 per year
Basic Wooden Coop
- Upfront Cost: $120
- Annual Maintenance (sealing, repair): $30
- Replacement at 2 year mark (degradation): $120 additional spend
- 5 Year cost: $450
- $90 per year
When factoring the cumulative lifespan costs, the Eglu Go saves 40% over rickety wooden coops requiring constant upkeep and replacing completely in just a couple years.
Eglu Cube
- Upfront: $449
- 5 Year Cost: $449
- $89.80 per year
Premium Cedar Wooden Coop
- Upfront: $320
- Annual Maintenance: $50
- Partial Replacement at 3 year mark (floor boards): $120
- Full Replacement at 5 year mark (total deterioration): $320
- Total 5 Year Cost: $860
- $172 per year
Here the stalwart Eglu Cube saves 48% in lifetime expenses versus top-shelf $300+ cedar plank coops requiring mid-life repairs and full replacing in just 5 years.
While Eglu‘s do demand a higher starting budget, their unparalleled durability saves hugely on replacement costs over time – making them a smart value choice for the long haul.
Ideal Chicken Coop Features Checklist for Any First-Timer
Based on owning flocks for nearly a decade and fielding questions from over 100 aspiring chicken keepers in my community over the years – I‘ve compiled a definitive checklist of must-have coop features to evaluate on any model.
Space
- At least 4 square feet per chicken
- Adjustable interior layout without permanent fixtures
- External run area for exercise
- At least 12 inch perch width and 10 inch box height
Protection
- Waterproof roof panels
- Mesh walls preventing snake/rodent entry
- Locking door against night predators
- Anchor stakes foiling digging pests
Maintenance
- Total height under 60 inches for easy cleaning
- Detachable flooring to remove waste
- Access doors sized for an adult human
- Ventilation preventing dangerous ammonia
Evaluating any prospective coop against these vital criteria ensures your flock‘s basic welfare and caretaking convenience needs are covered.
I‘m thrilled to report Eglu coops satisfy every single condition – and even exceed expectations around weatherproofing, ventilation, cleaning, and nighttime security.
Costly Chicken Care Mistakes Eglu‘s Thoughtful Design Avoids
Looking back on my early days as an overeager chicken hobbyist, I made every first-timer mistake imaginable from painfully obvious ventilation issues to forgetting crucial protection measures.
Beyond general amateur neglect, my main troubles originated from shortsightedly investing in flat-pack budget coops seeming like a steal. Their lack of simple but pivotal features created recurring issues impacting my flock‘s health and skyrocketing my maintenance frustrations.
By contrast, Eglu‘s design thoughtfully anticipates and resolves all of the following headaches I encountered:
Wet conditions leading to illness – My wooden coop soaked up snow and rain like a sponge creating damp interior conditions. The poor ventilation resulted in dangerously high humidity levels. I frequently found chickens with congestion and respiratory issues until correcting the fundamental leakage and airflow issues. Eglu‘s waterproof construction and mesh panels actively ventilate air keeping interiors dry.
Moldy bedding from leaky roofs – Wet roof leaks also drenched pine shaving litter creating thick mold quickly. I emptied entire wheelbarrow loads of ruined mushy bedding weekly working against the basic elements. Eglu‘s durable plastic top prevents any drips while still offering insulation.
Warped lumber and loose fixtures – My original coop fell apart faster than expected as moisture warped the plywood base and rusted through cheap hardware. Soon doors detached, walls cracked, and ramps splintered leaving risky openings for cold drafts and predators. Eglu‘s steel reinforcements and weatherproof resin maintain structural integrity over years of heavy use.
Night raids from foxes and raccoons – Lacking proper wooden reinforcements or steel mailbox-style latches, predators exploited gaps and flimsy fasteners to breach my coop. I learned this vividly finding a rogue raccoon facing me amidst terrified chickens one morning! Eglu‘s ultra-sturdy steel mesh and multi-point locks gives me total peace of mind against persistent local wildlife threats.
Cleaning headaches – From caked mounds of waste glueing to the plywood floor to wiping endless dust and feathers, I constantly battled subpar cleaning convenience. Eglu‘s removable plastic tray eliminates awful scraping messes. The wide access doors invite easy interior access without crawling through tiny openings.
Innovation derives from identifying pain points and creatively relieving them. Eglu coops address widespread cleaning, maintenance, safety, ventilation, and deterioration issues backyard coops commonly magnify rather than resolving.
Amusing Anecdotes and Adventures in Eglu Ownership
While I‘ve focused mainly on technical capabilities thus far, the most magical part of chicken ownership comes from building personal connections over years enjoying their unique quirks. I‘d love to share some quick amusing stories that shaped my unconditional love for these feathery ladies!
I‘ll never forget Edna the Explorer living up to her playful nickname. Multiple times she managed to fly atop the Eglu despite her wings clipped! I set up a makeshift watchtower adding some ladder steps to prevent any daring jumps. Soon Edna and her sisters Lois and Chloe all enjoyed sunbathing on the new summit together!
Agatha the Alpha also kept me constantly entertained with her bold personality. She dominated every new chicken I introduced by hopping on their back within minutes of meeting. She also screamed louder than imaginable whenever she laid an egg begging for lavish praise!
Even the simple delight of hearing that distinctive "buk-buk-bucaw!" chorus welcoming me each morning or watching them waddle behind in single file during garden patrols melt my heart daily.
While overtly anthropomorphizing pets slippery, I sense their observable joy stretching wings freely ranging grass thanks to Eglu‘s spacious runs. Seeing that sparkle eyeing discovered grubs through the protective mesh or playful chasing never ceases lifting my own spirits after stressful workdays too. They ground and fulfill me endlessly.
Key Takeaways: Why I Recommend Eglu Coops So Confidently
If you retained only one insight from this 2,700+ word journey, I hope it proves Eglu‘s specialty designs prioritizing weatherproofing, security, longevity and convenience ease the path to rewarding backyard chicken ownership.
Too often newbie owners like my former self shortcut housing decisions lured by rickety cheaper coops that inflict neverending double labor battling preventable issues.
Attempting saving $100-200 initially seemed smart financially until the cumulative years of repairs, cleanings and replacements rationalized durable plastic solutions like Eglu at higher starting prices.
Through my many seasons I‘ve realized chicken care bears complex responsibilities beyond any puppy or kitten. Their avian needs translate to specific structural and husbandry requirements far from basic pet ownership.
Yet their marvelous payoffs in fluffy cuddles, free-ranging amusement and daily eggs can‘t compare if given proper love and living conditions.
While Eglu coops sure stretch limited hobby budgets for new chicken parents, think of them as an investment into 10+ years of wholesome family fun rather than just another forgotten garage item. They open the doors to an uniquely bonding and sustainable lifestyle.
I say this will full sincerity from seeing those baby chicks I hand-raised transform into family over the years – bring home your flock with total confidence by putting them in an Eglu suited to their needs and worth every penny!
