Given the affordable price, eco-friendly construction as well as the solid protection, this chicken coop from New Age Pet is recommended for anyone that needs a durable house to place their chickens outside
New Age Pet ecoFLEX Fontana Chicken Barn, Jumbo
- Added by MaritaMamma
- Create date
Large chicken coop, eco friendly materials, easy to assemble, some modification needed
Waited to review this product until having it for two years. First the summary, then all the details. 
Summary: This is a good basic coop but it does need some modification because the design is just not that great. It's easy to modify with a drill, a saw and screws/zip ties. Assembly is a little complicated but doable if you follow the instructions. Parts break easily so you may need to glue some back together or ask the company for replacements. Has held up really well over two years. Fairly easy to clean. Houses 6-8 large hens. Overall a good item for someone without a lot of construction skills who doesn't want to spend a fortune.
Details!
I bought this coop two years ago when I was just starting out getting my first chickens (Goldie, Blackie, Fluffy, and Pretty Girl
). The price was okay, and I was already building a large run so I didn't want to build something else from scratch!
I knew at some point I'd want to expand my flock so I bought something bigger than I needed. This product advertises as housing 8-10 chickens (or 6-8 chickens depending on which part of the page you're reading) and for large chickens like mine (Orpingtons and Easter Eggers) I wouldn't go above 8.
Assembly:
Other reviewers on Amazon have had parts arrive broken--I only had one piece arrive with a tiny corner broken, so everything was still useable.
It took several hours to put the coop together following the instructions (I was working by myself). I did something wrong and had to backtrack at one point--the order and orientation of how you put the pieces together really matters! Read, read, read. Also there are a lot of parts so stay organized! I spread everything out on the lawn on a nice day and that worked well.
Just be aware that there are some modifications you'll want to do before putting the roof on! See the red text below for which ones those are.
Once assembled, the whole thing is pretty light. It's made out of this eco-plastic material and the walls are actually hollow, so it's easy to move if you have two people. It's not super sturdy though but it's stable enough to move gently.
Problems with the design and how I fixed them:
How it's held up:
Hope that helps you! Overall I definitely recommend this coop as a starting point.
Summary: This is a good basic coop but it does need some modification because the design is just not that great. It's easy to modify with a drill, a saw and screws/zip ties. Assembly is a little complicated but doable if you follow the instructions. Parts break easily so you may need to glue some back together or ask the company for replacements. Has held up really well over two years. Fairly easy to clean. Houses 6-8 large hens. Overall a good item for someone without a lot of construction skills who doesn't want to spend a fortune.
Details!
I bought this coop two years ago when I was just starting out getting my first chickens (Goldie, Blackie, Fluffy, and Pretty Girl
). The price was okay, and I was already building a large run so I didn't want to build something else from scratch!I knew at some point I'd want to expand my flock so I bought something bigger than I needed. This product advertises as housing 8-10 chickens (or 6-8 chickens depending on which part of the page you're reading) and for large chickens like mine (Orpingtons and Easter Eggers) I wouldn't go above 8.
Assembly:
Other reviewers on Amazon have had parts arrive broken--I only had one piece arrive with a tiny corner broken, so everything was still useable.
It took several hours to put the coop together following the instructions (I was working by myself). I did something wrong and had to backtrack at one point--the order and orientation of how you put the pieces together really matters! Read, read, read. Also there are a lot of parts so stay organized! I spread everything out on the lawn on a nice day and that worked well.
Just be aware that there are some modifications you'll want to do before putting the roof on! See the red text below for which ones those are.
Once assembled, the whole thing is pretty light. It's made out of this eco-plastic material and the walls are actually hollow, so it's easy to move if you have two people. It's not super sturdy though but it's stable enough to move gently.
Problems with the design and how I fixed them:
Ventilation
The biggest problem with this coop is that there isn't nearly enough ventilation. Luckily the material is really, really easy to drill and saw through--much easier than wood!
My solution was to drill/saw a rectangular window in one side of the coop. I zip-tied some half-inch welded wire across the opening and voila! Ventilation. The only problem was that my birds decided all the little shavings were food. I doubt it was good for them, but they didn't die, so oh well.
View attachment 1733301
It also provides some light to your birds--otherwise the entire thing is completely dark when the door's closed!
In the winter I duct-tape a piece of clear plastic over the opening to give them a little more weather protection.
It looks like they've changed the design since I bought it to include even less ventilation--not sure what they're thinking but it's still easy to modify.
My solution was to drill/saw a rectangular window in one side of the coop. I zip-tied some half-inch welded wire across the opening and voila! Ventilation. The only problem was that my birds decided all the little shavings were food. I doubt it was good for them, but they didn't die, so oh well.
View attachment 1733301
It also provides some light to your birds--otherwise the entire thing is completely dark when the door's closed!
In the winter I duct-tape a piece of clear plastic over the opening to give them a little more weather protection.
It looks like they've changed the design since I bought it to include even less ventilation--not sure what they're thinking but it's still easy to modify.
Roost bars
The roost bars that this coop comes with are useless and probably bad for your chicken's feet. They're too low to the ground, too narrow and they have sharp corners.
I took some 2x4 scrap pieces and drilled them onto the inner sides of the coop. Then I sanded down the corners of a long 2x4, and drilled it onto the scrap pieces to form a new roost. Do this before attaching the roof!!
View attachment 1733329
If I ever add more chickens I'll need to take the roof off and add another roost bar. One roost across the widest point of this coop can fit six large birds, but only if they're okay being a bit cozy.
The roost bars that this coop comes with are useless and probably bad for your chicken's feet. They're too low to the ground, too narrow and they have sharp corners.
I took some 2x4 scrap pieces and drilled them onto the inner sides of the coop. Then I sanded down the corners of a long 2x4, and drilled it onto the scrap pieces to form a new roost. Do this before attaching the roof!!
View attachment 1733329
If I ever add more chickens I'll need to take the roof off and add another roost bar. One roost across the widest point of this coop can fit six large birds, but only if they're okay being a bit cozy.
Holes in the floor
This coop comes with holes in the four corners of the floor so you can hose down the inside and let the water drain out. However, the holes are easily big enough for mice or snakes to get in, and for bedding to fall out.
I drilled some holes around the... well, the other holes, cut some pieces of half-inch welded wire so I could fold them into the corners, grabbed my trusty zip-ties (I'm not fancy when it comes to construction), and zip-tied that welded wire in place. Definitely do this before putting the roof on!!
View attachment 1733332
This solution has held up really well. I don't keep food in the coop so it's not that tempting for rodents, but I haven't had any snakes or any bedding spills.
This coop comes with holes in the four corners of the floor so you can hose down the inside and let the water drain out. However, the holes are easily big enough for mice or snakes to get in, and for bedding to fall out.
I drilled some holes around the... well, the other holes, cut some pieces of half-inch welded wire so I could fold them into the corners, grabbed my trusty zip-ties (I'm not fancy when it comes to construction), and zip-tied that welded wire in place. Definitely do this before putting the roof on!!
View attachment 1733332
This solution has held up really well. I don't keep food in the coop so it's not that tempting for rodents, but I haven't had any snakes or any bedding spills.
Height off the ground
I forget why, but the general advice is to keep your coop off the ground. So I put mine on four cinderblocks. The chickens hollowed out the space underneath the coop and now when it's too hot, too cold, too rainy, or too scary in the world, they hang out under there.
I forget why, but the general advice is to keep your coop off the ground. So I put mine on four cinderblocks. The chickens hollowed out the space underneath the coop and now when it's too hot, too cold, too rainy, or too scary in the world, they hang out under there.
Ramp too slippery
The problem with lifting this coop off the ground is then the ramp is at a steeper angle than it's supposed to be, and it's too slippery for the chickens to get up. Even after propping the ramp up with some bricks, it was still too slippery for them. So I bought a piece of turf grass on Amazon and (you guessed it) drilled some holes and zip-tied it onto the ramp. Did my birds try to eat the grass? Yes. Did they die? Nope. And now they can get up and down the ramp just fine.
View attachment 1733333
Door doesn't lock
The door comes with a rotating bar that lets you close it, but this is hardly secure against anything that might want to eat your birds. So I turned to my trusty zip-ties again and attached a basic latch that I secure with a carabiner.
View attachment 1733330
I was planning on doing the same thing to the nest box lid, which secures with a plastic screw. The plastic around the screw broke after about a year, but I haven't gotten around to adding a new latch yet since their surrounding run is fairly secure.
The problem with lifting this coop off the ground is then the ramp is at a steeper angle than it's supposed to be, and it's too slippery for the chickens to get up. Even after propping the ramp up with some bricks, it was still too slippery for them. So I bought a piece of turf grass on Amazon and (you guessed it) drilled some holes and zip-tied it onto the ramp. Did my birds try to eat the grass? Yes. Did they die? Nope. And now they can get up and down the ramp just fine.
View attachment 1733333
Door doesn't lock
The door comes with a rotating bar that lets you close it, but this is hardly secure against anything that might want to eat your birds. So I turned to my trusty zip-ties again and attached a basic latch that I secure with a carabiner.
View attachment 1733330
I was planning on doing the same thing to the nest box lid, which secures with a plastic screw. The plastic around the screw broke after about a year, but I haven't gotten around to adding a new latch yet since their surrounding run is fairly secure.
How it's held up:
Cleaning:
This can't compare to the coops with a hinged side, but it's a lot easier to clean than I thought it would be! A standard-sized shovel fits through the front door, and it's actually not very hard to just scoop all the bedding out that way. I dump clean bedding in through the next boxes.
I use a kind of fake-deep-litter method with my birds, where I scoop out the poop piles under the roost bar every two weeks or so and just pile more and more bedding in there until it's too gross and I remove everything. A total clean-out happens maybe three times a year. This works just with only four birds.
I've never actually power washed it or hosed it off like the advertisements say. It just hasn't needed it yet (plus my hose doesn't reach).
This can't compare to the coops with a hinged side, but it's a lot easier to clean than I thought it would be! A standard-sized shovel fits through the front door, and it's actually not very hard to just scoop all the bedding out that way. I dump clean bedding in through the next boxes.
I use a kind of fake-deep-litter method with my birds, where I scoop out the poop piles under the roost bar every two weeks or so and just pile more and more bedding in there until it's too gross and I remove everything. A total clean-out happens maybe three times a year. This works just with only four birds.
I've never actually power washed it or hosed it off like the advertisements say. It just hasn't needed it yet (plus my hose doesn't reach).
Weather proof:
This coop will not rot on you--that's definitely a plus. But it's not totally rain-proof, especially during a really heavy downpour. The roof and walls are made up of slats that just slide together, and if the rain is determined enough it can get in. I also get rain in down one side of the nest boxes, but none of these issues are bad enough that I've actually got out the calk and tried to seal anything.
These little gaps also mean it's a pretty cold coop in the winter. It will get below freezing in there without much trouble. (Which does make it easy to scoop the poop.) So if you live in a colder part of the country, you might need some extra mods, or just a different coop.
This coop will not rot on you--that's definitely a plus. But it's not totally rain-proof, especially during a really heavy downpour. The roof and walls are made up of slats that just slide together, and if the rain is determined enough it can get in. I also get rain in down one side of the nest boxes, but none of these issues are bad enough that I've actually got out the calk and tried to seal anything.
These little gaps also mean it's a pretty cold coop in the winter. It will get below freezing in there without much trouble. (Which does make it easy to scoop the poop.) So if you live in a colder part of the country, you might need some extra mods, or just a different coop.
Chicken proof:
This coop gets an A+. Everything's held up great. The chickens love to stand on the roof to preen, and they poop up there and do all sorts of things and it's totally fine.
This coop gets an A+. Everything's held up great. The chickens love to stand on the roof to preen, and they poop up there and do all sorts of things and it's totally fine.
Pests:
I've had no pest problems in the coop. I do think that if I ever got mites it would be a nightmare, just because the walls are hollow, but I do use DE (diatomaceous earth) in with the bedding for this reason, and I give my birds plenty of options for dust bathing.
I've had no pest problems in the coop. I do think that if I ever got mites it would be a nightmare, just because the walls are hollow, but I do use DE (diatomaceous earth) in with the bedding for this reason, and I give my birds plenty of options for dust bathing.
Hope that helps you! Overall I definitely recommend this coop as a starting point.
- Purchase Date
- Spring 2017
CHlCKEN
Hi, I’m interested in this coop but can’t find pics of the interior! Do you mind sharing a few?