The Eglu is a modern, stylish, and incredibly well-thought-out chicken coop. It holds up well, includes everything you need, and is perfect for a small flock.
In many ways, the Omlet Eglu Cube Chicken Coop is the iPhone of chicken coops. Unlike wooden coops, it doesn't require much upkeep or maintenance. Omlet offers their own accessories, and they're great. As long as you stick within the Eglu ecosystem, everything will work simply, easily, and reliably. But if you want to get really into the design and building of the coop, you'd better look elsewhere.
There's an Eglu in my backyard right now, and my three chickens are happily clucking away in it working on tomorrow's breakfast. To assemble this guide, I tested many coops in our yard. But the ease of use, great design, simple cleaning, and aesthetics of the Eglu are why we chose it as a permanent home for our feathered friends.
I love the removable floor of the roosting section, which pulls out in a second, and thanks to its plastic construction and clever grille design, I can easily pressure-wash it. There's also a very secure lock on the back of the nesting/roosting area which allows me to easily access the laying box and check on the chickens at night.
Our chickens appreciate the shade from the cover on the run, and on days when we can't let them out, they are able to stretch their legs in the generously sized run. We have the Eglu Cube, a model that is ample in size for our three birds and gives us the option of using the included wheels to move the run around the yard to get our girls more shade or reduce the impact of their grazing.
The predator-proofing of the coop is a great benefit — a neighbor recently had a possum dig its way into his run, but the long nit tunneling skirt on the Eglu run has kept our coop safe so far. Although the bear population where I live is low, it seems that the Eglu is even impervious to bear attack. The secure locking on the run isn't easily pulled open, unlike the doors on some wooden coops, and the metal-on-metal closure also means that your doors won't swell or contract in different weather conditions ( this was a frustration with wooden coops I tested). Because the run is made of a steel mesh, rather than netting attached to a wooden frame, there's no need to replace netting as the fastening on the frame comes off or the wood warps.
My wife and I put the coop together in an afternoon. It wasn't a 15-minute affair, but if you can handle an Ikea table, you are more than qualified for this. The instructions were clear, and all parts were clearly labeled. Everything is well made, and tolerances are tight. There aren't gaps, and all the doors swing perfectly shut.
The nontraditional looks of the Eglu might not be for everyone, but I think the coop looks great. It certainly looks better than our last wooden chicken coop, which did not take kindly to a particularly wet winter and began to develop leak. Other wood coop users have suffered from mite problems, which can be hard to eradicate.
One Eglu coop buyer said, "After moving from wooden coops to these amazing coops, my hens have been so much happier and laying eggs more frequently. So easy to put together with clear instructions. A well thought out design. Wood was ok but this design is so much easier to maintain."
The Eglu Cube isn't cheap, but it will require a lot less maintenance and replacement than a wooden coop, and it should keep your flock safe from just about everything.
Pros: Secure, durable, easy to clean and use
Cons: Nontraditional appearance