And the wheels, attached to a piece that acts as a lever and tilts the coop at an angle, allow for chicken tenders like me to ask my husband to easily reposition the henhouse at any time—which is likely welcome news for those who free-range their flock on grass and regularly need fresh pasture for the girls to scratch. The wheels make moving the coop easy in comparison to coops without wheels; I just couldn’t muscle it myself.
At the time we introduced our flock to the Eglu Pro, the Phoenix area was experiencing what seemed like unending heat, setting a new record of 117 degrees Fahrenheit in late September. In that kind of heat, any type of coop is going to be toasty, so we’re well-practiced at making sure the girls have water to splash in and shade to tuck under.
While the Eglu Pro coop incorporates twin-wall insulation, utilizes UV-stabilized polyethylene, and was designed to allow for cross-flow ventilation, we wanted to further mitigate heat-related discomfort. What I loved about the coop’s design is it gave us the option to remove a back panel from the roosting area to allow for additional airflow to keep the girls as cool as possible.
Photograph: Lisa Abelar
A hot breeze was better than no breeze, we figured.
In a more rural setting, with more active predators, this might be frowned upon. We do live in a state that is home to coyotes, after all. But our coop is positioned inside a fenced garden area, kept securely separated from our pack of three blue heelers and a single border collie. It’s clear, though, that the Eglu Pro was designed with protection in mind.
If you’re the type to close up your coop at night, a single swinging panel acts as a door at the top of the ladder. And the door to access the nesting box has a push-and-turn application to its knob, offering extra security. A fogged panel allows daylight to enter come morning, and an app-based, smart-door feature allows you to control security and set a wake-up call. These smart features are an upgrade to the basic set we received.
Taking It Easy
Backyard chickens, like any bird, make a mess. But we found that cleaning that mess is insanely easy with the Eglu Pro’s design. Sliding panels beneath the nesting boxes and the roost are super easy to remove, spray off, and slide right back in. It takes minutes.
Cleaning our previous coop, made with wood and metal, was a chore no one wanted to do. And using a hose was out of the question. Also, our current boss chicken likes to hang out on the coop’s roof at night, so we love that we’re able to easily spray away any evidence of her moonlit escapades.
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