“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.”
“This is my second snap lock chicken coop. Have had the first one for over a year and it looks just as good as the day I received it. Bought a second one to accommodate a second crop of chickens. Product is easy to assemble and very easy to clean. It will easily house 8 full grown chickens. I put a bag of small rocks in the base, under the trays, to give it more weight. Because we live in an area of high winds we wrapped a rope around the outside and tied the coop down to our run which has fence posts driven into the ground. I would not hesitate to purchase this product again.”
“Love the coop. Easy to put together by yourself. I put it on cinderblocks instead of building the platform. Worked great. Only issue i have with the coop is the design to pop out the poop deck area. Doesn't pop out easy. Actually extremely hard. Thought it was the cinderblocks it was resting on. Move it to the ground. Nope It's the damn design. It will be impossible to remove in winter. Plus the poop trays are too big for the area. Bubbles up on one side.
easy fixes the company should address but they don't. trays actually need to fit and how about a slide doors for the poop trays.”
“I love my Formex Large Chicken Coop. I was worried about putting it together but the snap lock system was just that - a snap. The clearly written instructions were easy to follow and made assembly a breeze. The coop looks great, is so easy to clean and the chickens seem to love it. I did not purchase the door opener but I plan to purchase it in the near future.”
“We have no chickens at this time but have assemble the coop for when they arrive. This was easy to put together. Though the box arrived with an end open which caused some coners of the coop to be damaged it still put together easily and working condition. I waited to long during the pandemic to make a return. I could do with out one side of the nest boxes to house food and water. Or I am thinking of just hanging the food and water container on either side of the entrance of the nest box. I have plans to install a LED strip light and a fan at the gable. So much to do to outfit the coop for our chickens before they arrive.”
