The ‘Eglu Go Up’ chicken coop made Omlet is the best, most versatile coop on the market. It’s ideal whether you have a flock in the city or are rural homesteaders like us.
The coop is perfect for small flocks, holding up to 4 medium sized chickens and comes with the most well thought out and predator proof run we could physically find. The run was designed just for these coops seamlessly and safely fitting straight onto the coop with no gaps – anywhere, forming the most secure chicken coop and run out there.
Shop Omlet Eglu Go Up directly here: www.omlet.us
You can opt for the wheels package, meaning just one person can move the whole coop and run in seconds to a fresh patch of grass, without the need to remove the chickens first. Moving is totally hassle free and actually works just like a chicken tractor. This was a huge tick in our box.
For the Go Up Coop with stand and wheels, plus the longest run @ 9ft, you are looking at over $700. So we want to make sure before committing, that this coop is completely the one for you and up to the task. This is an honest review to help make your mind up!
I’ve said this before – but ill say it again. I just don’t trust ‘all’ online reviews. I think there alot of fake reviews, where people are paid by the manufacturer to say how amazing something is. Or more commonly people review things straight after receiving the product. To then only complain if there are missing items or if delivery took longer than expected or if it was damaged in transit.
No one ever comes back online and writes a review about a chicken coop after 2-3+ years of owning one…so I decided to!
We have had x2 MK1 & x1 MK 2 Eglu Cubes [the larger version of the Eglu Go Up] and x1 Omlet Eglu Go Up. All purchased with runs & we have an Omlet Walk In Run for our Dorkings too.
Now i’m no expert, (I am a 4th generation farmer/chicken keeper) but I feel qualified enough to talk about the product confidently, after spending between 3-4 thousands bucks with Omlet.
Am I Biased? – Hell No! I’ve made way more chicken coops than I’ve ever bought, all by myself in the farm workshop/garage and the truth is I hate buying what I can’t make myself!
I know what works and what doesn’t work after 80+ years of keeping chickens on our farm and I don’t spend a dime without running through this checklist list I’ve put together below. Think of it as mandatory chicken coop criteria.
I was hung up about plastic coops for far too long before finally ‘converting’ and reaping the rewards. If you aren’t sold on plastic yet – you should be.
Here are the reasons why the Omlet Eglu Go Up outperforms all other wooden chickens coops:
Plastic Vs Wood
Ventilation
This point is not understood by the vast majority of people. Ventilation is crucial, which is why it has made point number one on my list.
Actually it’s not that it’s not understood it’s actually misunderstood because we are not talking about a draught.
Chickens in a draught will become sick very quickly regardless of the coop temperature and regardless of the ambient temperature for a number of reasons.
To explain this is simple and reverts back to high school physics. Heat travels from hot to cold. So if it’s hotter outside than inside; hot air will be trying to escape – most people think of it as cold air trying to get in and that’s actually wrong. The same is true with moisture as it travels from high to low.
Why this is relevant to chicken coops is chickens can suffer from heat stress very easily and the consequences can be dire. So regardless of the climate where you live, even if it’s the snowy provinces of northern Canada your chicken coop will still require adequate, well positioned ventilation.
Now the same is true in reverse if it is colder inside the coop than outside, hot air will flow in from the outside allowing the coop to warm. This won’t be made possible if you have inadequate ventilation or worse – none at all!
Coming back onto moisture, within any coop there can be a build up of moisture. You have to be able to vent this moisture. Also chicken poop contains ammonia and high levels of this can cause respiratory problems for birds. This is made worse when combined with heat and moisture.
Omlet Go Up Ventilation
Huge tick in the box – they have got it bang on the money here’s why.
Firstly the vents are designed to be draught free; meaning your chickens are totally safe from being sat there all night long in a draught and catching colds.
Secondly the placement – vents at the top of the coop mean any surplus hot air can be removed (because heat rises) and when cooler air enters the coop it enters from the top (cold air falls) and sinks – providing the whole coop with a cooling process.
Here’s where opting for the ‘UP’ (on a stand) version of the coop makes more sense, as it keeps the base of the coop off the floor. This will help with air circulation and cooling but also it won’t absorb any temperature from the ground; whether that’s hot in the summer or cold in the winter.
So to recap ventilation is extremely important for 4 reasons:
- Removal or hot air (and replenishment of fresh air).
- Removal of moisture.
- Ammonia (found in high levels in chicken poop) removal.
Plastic Doesn’t Rot
That’s as plainly as I can put it. Wood rots and there aint a darn thing you can do about it. Sure every year, we sand the wooden coops back and apply a pre coat varnish and an overcoat. To then repeat the process all again next year. But that only slows down the aging process; it doesn’t stop it.
Plus it all takes up valuable time and who enjoys doing chores. But it’s not only that; it’s also the cost. These wood waterproofing treatments aren’t cheap, at around $50+ a tin! They have to be animal friendly ‘paints’ too, else you’ll make your chickens sick.
The roof gets it bad as it has to contend with the sun and rain (of the two id say the sun actually does more damage to a chicken coop roof) but the coop floor is the worse. Trust me it will need replacing every couple of years even if it is marine grade hardwood like we used.
By getting an Omlet plastic chicken coop, or any plastic chicken coop for that matter, you just skip all this nonsense and only get the fun stuff. Plus chickens get health issues associated with damp or rotting wood as they are very prone to respiratory problems. With a plastic coop you get to avoid this.
Takeaway Point: Wood rots so don’t bother with it, save yourself the constant & expensive coop DIY plus any respiratory issues by going plastic.
Longevity
Plastic chicken coops will outlast wooden chicken coops by a factor of roughly 3:1. And that’s a conservative estimate. So when you put that into actual dollar terms what we’re saying is the Omlet Elgu Go Up should outlive any wooden coop by about three times.
This is important because when we try to work out ‘like for like costs’ we need to do this looking at the total cost of ownership. So, because we are going to get 3 times the lifespan from a plastic coop versus a wooden one this dramatically brings down the ‘real’ price of our coop to 1/3rd.
Takeaway Point: Plastic coops far outlast wooden ones (3:1) meaning we get more bang for our buck when considering the total cost of ownership for the Omlet Go UP.
Cleaning
Probably the biggest point for everyone is cleaning. How easy is it to clean a plastic Omlet Eglu Go Up chicken coop – REALLY EASY!
The removable litter tray just slides out the back of the coop and it can be emptied, wiped down and replaced in seconds.
Being totally plastic, all the floor, sides and roof can be wiped down or sprayed down with a pressure hose for a yearly deep clean in no time at all.
It just makes life so much easier – this will probably be the point that swings it for anyone currently with a wooden coop.
Cleaning out our wooden coop was a pain, it took so long and was back breaking trying to learn over with a brush to get into every nook and cranny.
With the Go Up the whole rear of the coop can be removed safely meaning you have full access.
Benefits Of The Omlet Eglu Go Up
Predator Proof
If the cleaning didn’t do it for you then this will – it’s the most secure coop and run package on the market. Hands down. The chickens lay the eggs and it’s our job to give them food, water and somewhere to live. That somewhere to live needs to be completely predator-proof!
As we found out you don’t get any second chances. We had a fox get into our old chicken coop one night, it killed everything and I only took one chicken, it was really upsetting and it’s heartbreaking if you have kids. You have to get it right the first time.
The beauty of plastic is that it won’t bend or flex like wood will. Typically where animals try to gain access into the coop is by ripping off siding panels or going through a window.
You obviously then have none of these issues with the Omlet Go Up and our chickens have remained totally safe in this coop.
The Coop
Everything is completely secure and lockable meaning you have zero problems. Opting for the ‘Go Up’ [i.e with a stand] will mean that chickens will have somewhere to relax under the coop in the shade during hot summers and take a dust bath. It will also stay dry under there too which is a bonus as chickens don’t like getting wet.
Omlet Go Up Run & Extension
The coops are fantastic but the runs in my view are even better as they are made from a very strong steel mesh that is welded together. The key bit here is that it’s welded together and not just ‘wound together’ like some chicken wire is.
The run is then coated in PPE making it look really smart but it also keeps it from ageing.
Omlet have another two BIG unique selling points with their runs:
- Anti dig skirt – this is so cool and no other coops we found has this. It’s basically extra wire mesh that the run is made out of, placed flat along the floor just outside the run and round the coop. That skirt completely stops any animals from being able to dig underneath and gain access. This was (yet another) huge tick in our box.
- Available in #2 different sizes – 6ft & 9ft. This is great as you can tailor the run to your needs. You can actually then even extend the run 1m at a time so it’s fully customizable. My view is if you can, go a little larger than you need, your chickens will love you for it but the more space you can give them the better. It makes for happier hens with less infighting and friction.
- Omlet have a ‘Walk-In Chicken Coop Run’ which is compatible with the Omlet Eglu Go Up. This again is available in 3 different sizes, great if you have more space, want larger breeds or have Bantams that will require a bit more ‘vertical’ run space.
Twin Walled Insulation
People think ventilation works counter-intuitively to insulation; this is not true. You absolutely have to have ventilation but also insulation for the colder winter months.
The Go Up is popular because it’s one of the only twin walled chicken coops. It works just like a ‘Thermos’ keeping everything cool if it’s hot outside or keeping something warm if it’s cold out. It’s this reason why the coop is absolutely fine in temperature below 14F and preferred to wooden coops across parts of Canada.
You Can Fit An Omlet Go Up Automatic Door
Omlet state this is the world’s best automatic chicken coop door! Certainly a big claim. If early mornings aren’t your thing, consider adding to your coop. For us it wasn’t the early mornings, it was actually the fear of forgetting to close them in at night!
The Good Reviews
I’ve said before that good reviews online are very easy to fake – but Omlet has 17,000 excellent ‘verified’ reviews – which you can’t fake.
Alternatives To The Go Up
There aren’t many alternatives available; I think the fact that the Omlet range is so good has put alot of manufacturers off from competing.
SnapLock have a plastic coop and I have reviewed it before, but I didn’t think it was good. Don’t get me wrong it has all the benefits that any plastic coop has compared to wood. BUT the SnapLock USP is the very reason we don’t like it, as it’s not very predator proof.
If it can be snapped it can be unsnapped. Like I said before you don’t get a second chance with predators.
Also the SnapLock reviews are not very good with users reporting flimsy panels and gaps at the corners. It doesn’t come with a run and costs MORE than the Omlet Go Up so why bother…
Go Up Dimensions
Go Up Cons
I have owned this coop for 3+ years and during that time the sun has slightly faded the color on the roof but it’s hardly noticeable. The roost bars are still in very very good condition and we haven’t had a single breakage.
One point I should make is this coop is not suitable for extra large chicken breeds like Brahma’s or Jersey Giants.We have a Brahma rooster and he’s a big guy – and he wouldn’t even fit through the door of this coop!
This coop is great for small bantams right up to larger breeds like Buff Orpingtons but nothing bigger, is my opinion.
How Many Chickens Can You Fit In A Omlet Eglu Go Up
Omlet state that the Eglu Go Up is built perfectly for:
- Up to 4 medium sized chickens [like Gingernut Rangers]
- Up to 3 larger breeds [like Orpingtons]
Bigger Coop Upgrade: Should You?
Ask anyone who keeps chickens, if you start with 2 you will end up with 4 – minimum. So if you want 3-4 you will end up with 6-8! Honestly. They are great fun, easy to keep and provide you fresh eggs every day whats not to like…
Upgrading now would mean your current chickens have more space and it would give you the option, should you want to get more chickens.
The next coop, size wise in the Omlet range is the Omlet Eglu Cube, suitable for up to 6-8 medium sized chickens or 10 Bantams. It’s an awesome coop, we have 2 of them as previously stated. The run is bigger too and the more space you give chickens the better. Remember happy chickens lay the best eggs.
Check the prices of the larger Eglu Cube here directly on Omlet’s website.
Is The Omlet ‘Eglu Go Up’ Worth It?
If you’re looking for the best designed, safest plastic chicken coop and run on the market for up to 4 chickens – this is it.
It’s been put through its paces on our farm from 19-95+F and works superbly year after year. The alternatives are imported coops, poorly made that aren’t sturdy and therefore won’t last as long. So don’t waste your money on anything other than this coop.
If you have prolonged periods under 14F i’d recommend the coop blanket as an optional extra it will make a big difference in winter and keeps ours laying longer.
With a 2 year warranty and 30 day money back ‘no quibble’ guarantee you can buy with confidence, as far as we are aware no one else offers this. If Omlet stands behind their products you can too.
Included extras when you purchase the Omlet Eglu Go Up are the Feeder, Drinker & Enclosure Shade.