PoultryTalk.com

Traditional coops Vs Plastic coops good and bad things i’m sure can be said about both.

The main thing about the wooden variety obviously is that red mites love them! And with good reason they have lots of wonderful crevices, but they look natural they are almost a part of the garden as soon as they are in situ.

Then of course there is the Omlet Eglu, they are plastic and wire, but of course, not so many places for the mites to hide in, and if they do they are very much more easily washed off. But of course for what they are WOW! They are expensive!

So there we have the dilemma that faces us all, a bit of possible inconvenience for a natural finish at a price that is probably affordable or a more contemporary look at but at a cost.

Personally i’d only ever go for the wooden and therefore more natural looking one’s, some may say they are a bit prosaic, but I think that’s actually what i like about them.

So what are yours like? Do you paint them? Did you make it yourself? Accompanying photo’s would be good.

TC

I have always had wood until just this week when I finally saved enough money to buy myself a greenfrog recycled plastic hen loft. Although I love the look of the wooden trad ones, they do have their downside, like you said, red mite, once you got them, its a job and a half to get rid of the little blighters, no matter how well you clean, disinfect and powder you hen house, they are so tiny that they get up under the roof felt and once that happens the only thing to do would be to rip the lot off. Plus in heavy spells of rain they can start to get damp and eventually rot.

I haven't had my plastic one long enough to really comment but what I know already is that I can take the lot apart quickly to clean out and the sun will dry it very quickly, it doesn't suffer from damp or redmite (touch wood haha), it will probably last a good 20 years. I've been told that they stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter but I'm yet to find these things out for myself. Mine is a lovely natural green colour and blends into my garden lovely.

As someone thats new to chicken keeping, When i was looking for a coop, what really put me off the plastic ones were the cost, I like the look of both and both can other something to the look of your garden. Still as someone who is new i can not really offer a lot of info which way or the other. Im looking forward to reading what others think.

What i will say is that if you wonted to or needed too sell your coop then a plastic one would be easyer to clean out and safer for the 2nd user as all nastys could be killed a lot more easy, Grems can bed down into wood but not with plastic. So over the next few years there might be a very good second hand market opeing up in used plastic coops/hen houses.

I don't own a plastic coop but would e very interested to try one and I like the look of the GreenFrog ones. They are not much more expensive than a good quality wooden coop and will last much longer.

The red mite consideration is a big plus in their favour.

There are some very 'affordable' coops on the market, a lot have felt on the roof which is a problem and from my own experience they are made of soft light wood that splits and warps, thus they last maybe 2-3 years max, even if you paint them like I do. A big problem is moving them to new ground, they crack and the screws pop out of the wood. I think the good quality wooden houses are a very much better investment.

It then comes down to looks. I think the plastic coops have a way to go to look as good in the garden but as demand increases it will be very interesting to see new designs coming on the market.

As a builder of hen houses I can say that traditional wooden houses wins hands down.Wood gets bad press because of home made coops,often converted sheds with felt roofs with lots of hidey places.Theres nothing wrong with conversions,or self build projects,as long as you eliminate potential problems.We build our houses with agricultural roofing,removable perches,and flush fitting floors,so theres nowhere for the pests to hide.And lets face it,they are so much kinder on the eye than a lump of plastic which we have replaced on many occasions over the years.KEEP IT TRADITIONAL.
www.woodenart.org.uk

i've just looked at wooden art coops have to say lovely coops i'd pick one over plastic anyday i know what i'll be buying for my next coop when i have saved up some money and mine has broke!

I love wooden coops
I like the idea of recycled plastic coops
I think there is a place for them both if the cost of the plastic coops comes down....
I would buy one so much easier to clean disinfect etc
but do the birds like them? what are the perches like?

From our experience of customers with plastic,they tell us that it's a good way to get into chicken keeping,but find its a bit of a chore to keep clean as it has to be dismantled to clean properly.Most people who purchase plasic,gain experience and decide that wood is the way to go,and kinder on the eye.

I've got mostly wooden coops and one eglu and have to say the wooden ones are so much easier to clean! The eglu has bits that need to be unscrewed to clean and whilst this means mr fox definitely cannot get in, it also means it's much more hassle when I want to get in!
As for red mite we've always been able to eradicate them quickly with a hoselock (or similar) sprayer and some bartoline creosote subsitute from B&Q, however, there is the fact that I've had no red mite in the eglu at all in the years I've had it.
I've got wooden houses that have lasted around 12 years and to be honest had they not ended up in the wet as duck houses would last a fair bit longer. Plus they are nicer to look at :)

There are many people who swear by the wooden houses, and I am one of them. I have had experience using both plastic and wooden arks, and I am defenatly up for wooden. When i was using the eglu, as chaz said, its a nightmare to clean! Anothre pointer with the plastic hen houses is the fact that the shavings/straw are only used for their droppings, now at this time of year, the birds need a good amount of shavings in their hen houses (2inches deep) if they don't have access to a perch at night. That leads me onto the perches.... they in my mind are useless! They arent high enough off the ground, the birds are simply sitting on the plastic floor, sitting in their own mess. With the wooden hen houses, I think they are so much easier to clean, and better designed. Plastic hen houses also tend to be too expensive for what they are. A wooden hen house of good structure with a house and run big enough for 3 hens you could find at around £200-250, whereas the plastic hen houses tend to be more like £300-350...

The only element i like about the plastic hen houses is the fact that you can simply hose them down... getting rid of all redmite (hopefully!) Finally, the wooden hen houses also have a better apperance!