“Love it followed the plans for the legs and frame before I ever had the coop in my possession, it set right up there like it was part of the coop. Cleaning is so easy just slide the tray out. I did use 4x4s for the legs for no other reason than I think it looks better the coop absolutely does not need it but it's so big it would look like it had chicken legs on 2x4s. I have not pulled the trigger to upgrade to the automatic door but its a really cool idea.”
“Love this coop, fairly easy to assemble & very easy to clean. Chickens will need additional fenced space to roam, but coop is great for nighttime protection from predators.”
“This is my second Formex coop....I bought the small one and decided to get more chickens. I can't say enough great things about the product-super easy to put together (no tools necessary except the palm of your hand.) Very easy to clean. I've had my small one for 3 years and it is in great condition.”
“Easy to snap together. Easy to clean. But very dark inside, so we used a little battery light you can attach anywhere the first days to help the chickens be comfortable going into it.”
“My seven Cinnamon Queen girls and one big boy have been in our large snap lock for 3 1/2 weeks and I am thrilled with it, as are they. Please remember, this is just a bedroom it is not a whole house it is not a coop. There is plenty of room at night for my standard-sized hens and Russel. We actually could hold two more standard-sized hens in there, though I feel that with eight it gives everybody room. This is just for sleeping. The chickens should be put in at dusk and let out first thing in the morning. The coop is well-made, but yes there is the issue of poops dropping into the front edges of the nest boxes, thus the loss of a star. It just takes a few seconds with a vinegar soaked paper towel to clean things up, but I wish it weren‚Äôt necessary. Clean out is easy, access inside is easy, and the ventilation quite nice. Super easy to wipe down inside and out. It really was a snap to put it together and my husband built the stand making it much easier on the back. I think it works really well for nighttime only housing. I‚Äôm glad we bought it.”
“Purchased a little over 2 years ago and very happy with my purchase.i had my handyman build a platform about 3 feet off ground which makes it even easier to clean, no bending over. It looks the same it did the day we put it together and I feel my chicks are safe and secure.”
“We did a lot of research on coops before we got our flock, including talking to friends that also kept chickens.
One thing everyone agreed on was the pre-build wooden coops are trash and need modified right out of the box, and degrade in less than 3 years. We new we didn't want a 'disposable' coop (which is what most pre-builts amount to), and we didn't have the time or resources during a pandemic to build out own that would suit our cold winters in Northwest ohio.
With that in mind, we liked the idea of this coop despite it's very high price point.
It was easy to put together, which was nice. It also included plans to built a stand.YOU MUST PUT IT ON A STAND. The base is too flimsy to support the wieght of the empty coop let alone with birds and litter. this is problem #1
Problem #2: Be prepared to file down edges and seems. Even with a rubber mallet we had to file down plastic seems to get the interlocking joints to fit.I already had files on hand from my job, but be prepared if you don't.
Problem #3: Roosting bars are loose and fall out. You'll need to modify them out of the box. When I confronted the manufacturer about it they just told me to drill holes and use screws to fix them in place. It's a design flaw they don't seem inclined to do anything about.
Problem #4: It leaks. We get water that collects under the liter pans. The manufacturer told us the coop needed to be completely level to keep leaking to a minimum and even then there may be water under the liter pans. It's a health hazard for the birds. We were told to just drill extra holes in the plastic bottom. However, this is sure to compromise the integrity of the base.
Problem #5: Gaps. There are small gaps in the snap-together panels. Considering you should have a draft-free coop, this will be a problem in winter. We are most likely going to have to wrap the coop in insulating material to cut down the drafts through the gaps.
Problem #6. The next box pans slide out about 2 inches all the time. I'm going to add non-skid material under them to prevent this, but it's another design flaw.
Problem #7: Roost bar placement. If you use the lowest roost bar, the birds poop in the nest boxes all night. Their butts hang right into the nest box, so be prepared to clean them more frequently. The solution to this is to not use the roost bar placement closest to the nest boxes.
Problem #8: It's NOT Raccoon proof. It's a plastic coop, so if a tenacious raccoon wants to chew through the vents, they could do so in a few hours (this is my assumption, we haven't had it happen).
Problem #9: Defective Parts. We had a nest box lid that collected water in the plastic void out of the box. The manufacturer DID send a free replacement set of lids, but now we are checking the coop weekly to make sure something else isn't defective.
THINGS WE DO LIKE:
1. This coop is super easy to clean. Everything slides out and we just dump the litter right into the compost bin. If it's extra dirty, we spray it down with the hose.
2. It's light. So if one person needed to move it they could (but 2 is easier due to size).
3. It won't rot, so there is little maintenance needed.
4. Eggs are super easy to collect. The nest boxes are easy to get into, and if you use the stand design you don't even have to bend over.
5. It looks nice for a pre-fabricated coop. Our neighbor even likes the look.
CONCLUSION:
Would I recommend this coop at it's current price-point? No, probably not. It's very expensive for what you get, and the whole point of it is to have a coop built for you and basically ready to go without needing to be handy. For this price we expected to get this coop, pop it together, and go. Instead we have spent countless hours modifying it to make it work or make it better for our birds with numerous calls to the manufacturer (including getting replacement parts). Honestly, if you like the idea of this coop and are handy with tools (or know someone that is) you would be better off buying a used kids' plastic playhouse and modifying it to your flock's needs. It'll be cheaper, and will pretty much be the same thing in the end.”
