Omlet: Coops, Runs and Housing Animals Properly

Omlet makes plastic chicken coops, walk-in runs and housing for rabbits, guinea pigs and other small pets, and is best known for its Eglu coops. Housing live animals is not an ordinary purchase: undersize it and the animals suffer, so the sizing guidance matters more than the styling.

An Omlet order goes well when you size the coop and run to the flock you will actually keep, make the setup secure against predators, and buy the pieces you need in one delivery.

Choosing between the Omlet Eglu coops

The Omlet Eglu range runs from compact coops for a small flock in a small garden to larger models for more birds. Names have included the Eglu Go, Eglu Go Up, Eglu Cube and Eglu Pro; check the current Omlet line-up, as models change.

The smaller Omlet coops suit a handful of bantams or small hens. The raised designs lift the house onto legs, which leaves shaded space underneath and makes cleaning easier on your back.

The larger Omlet coops are built for bigger flocks and bigger breeds. If there is any chance you will add birds later, starting with the larger coop costs less than replacing a small one.

Each Eglu is designed to connect to an Omlet run, so choose the coop and run together rather than treating the run as an extra.

Size for fewer birds than the maximum

Coop capacity figures, Omlet's included, are maximums rather than recommendations. A coop rated for a certain number of hens holds them; it does not necessarily house them comfortably.

Buy for fewer birds than the rating, or buy the next Omlet size up for the flock you have. Overcrowding causes feather pecking, bullying and disease, and it is the most common welfare problem in back-garden keeping.

The coop is for sleeping and laying; the run is where birds spend the day and needs far more room per bird. Omlet runs can usually be extended in sections, so size the run to the flock rather than accepting the length that comes in the box.

Check local guidance on space per bird. It varies by country and is sometimes a legal requirement rather than advice.

Predator proofing is the safety spec

This is where cheap housing fails and animals die.

Foxes dig. An Omlet run needs its anti-dig skirt laid flat around the perimeter and pegged down, or a mesh base. A run sitting on soil with open edges is not secure.

Foxes also reach through and pull. Mesh type matters: chicken wire keeps chickens in but does not keep a determined fox out, and weld mesh does. Check the mesh spec on the Omlet product page, and if you add a run from elsewhere, check that one too.

Check that doors have two-step or lockable catches. Foxes and raccoons open simple latches.

Rats come for feed rather than birds. Store feed in sealed metal containers and do not leave food in the run overnight.

The Omlet Autodoor and dusk

The single most common way birds are lost is a coop left open at dusk. An automatic door closes that gap.

Omlet sells the Autodoor, which has offered both timer and light-sensor modes for opening and closing the pop hole. It fits Omlet coops and, with the right mounting kit, many wooden ones; check compatibility for your coop before ordering.

An automatic door is only as good as its setup. Set the closing time late enough that every bird is in, watch the first few evenings, and keep an eye on the batteries.

Why plastic housing has real advantages

The main one is red mite. Mites live in the crevices of wooden coops and are very hard to eradicate once established. A plastic Omlet coop has far fewer places for them to hide and can be washed down properly.

Plastic also does not rot, does not need treating every year, and can be pressure washed.

The trade-offs: plastic can be lighter than timber, so anchoring an Omlet coop in an exposed garden is worth checking. Omlet describes its Eglu coops as twin-walled for insulation, but siting still counts: some shade in summer and shelter from the prevailing wind in winter.

Ventilation without draught is the balance to get right. Damp, stuffy housing causes respiratory disease; a direct draught on roosting birds does the same.

Before you buy at all

Check your local rules. Some areas restrict poultry keeping, many prohibit cockerels, and some require registration above a certain flock size.

Budget for ongoing costs beyond the Omlet order: feed, bedding, mite treatment, and a vet who treats poultry, which not all do.

Where the Omlet savings are

Omlet's live codes sit at a consistent 10%, most of them single-use:

All three give 10% off storewide, so any working Omlet code gives the same result. Several are generated per customer and may already be spent; test them at checkout and keep whichever is accepted.

Because the discount is a percentage, it is worth most on the biggest single order. A coop, run, extension and Autodoor bought together save more than the same items spread over three Omlet orders, and one large delivery usually beats several.

Check whether a code applies to items already reduced in an Omlet sale; codes are commonly excluded from sale prices.

Do not economise by undersizing. An Omlet coop bought one size too small gets replaced, not made to work.

Common questions

How many birds for an Omlet coop?

Fewer than the maximum rating, and check run space separately; that is where they spend the day.

Is a plastic Omlet coop better than wood?

For red mite and cleaning, yes. Watch ventilation, positioning and anchoring.

What stops foxes?

An anti-dig skirt or mesh base, weld mesh rather than chicken wire, and two-step catches.

Does the Omlet Autodoor fit a wooden coop?

Often, with the right mounting kit. Check compatibility for your coop on the Omlet site.