Quicktent chicken run reviews?

[LB0002]

We are looking at this Quicktent for our chicken run. Does anyone have any reviews or experience to share?

The plan is to buy 2 of the 13 ft ones and place them back to back and run the wire continuously so it would be 26 feet with 2 doors. We will, of course, fortify the bottom half with thicker grade hardware cloth and a predator skirt, and have an electric fence around the area (bears). We plan to place our Eglu Pro inside the run for additional predator protection (we have ALL the predators!)

https://www.quictents.com/products/...6e08cd7450cbbdddc64c6cf2e8891f6d48747c6d56d2c

 

[nuthatched]

Looks good, but might he a little skimpy for bears unless the hotwire is HOT.
If you haven't haven't received the eglu coop yet, I'd recommend canceling that order, they aren't designed with chickens in mind.

 

[LB0002]

Looks good, but might he a little skimpy for bears unless the hotwire is HOT.
If you haven't haven't received the eglu coop yet, I'd recommend canceling that order, they aren't designed with chickens in mind.

We live in bear country and have several neighbors with coops, so we knew what we needed before we even got chicks from a predator deference perspective.

 

[Raubkatze]

This is what I have. I do not have chickens in it yet, and have only had it for about a month. However, since putting it up it has survived a light snow storm (3 inches) and two spring thunderstorms, including one that clocked in 80 mph winds. We lost limbs and some smaller trees (some people even lost roofs! ), but this thing did not budge. I did make some modifications to it like getting a tarp to cover the entire roof, and I have since added pavers to the interior edge and hardware cloth along the bottom.

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

We live in bear country and have several neighbors with coops, so we knew what we needed before we even got chicks from a predator deference perspective.

I live in VERY active bear country and we also have ALL the predators, and I agree with @nuthatched that the eglu coops are NOT predator proof, especially with bears. A friend tried it and a black bear tossed it over like he was opening a fast food box of chicken nuggets. If you're dealing with grizzlies, you're dealing with much stronger and more determined.

The run can help with protection, but a solid predator proof coop in a predation territory is a no-brainer.

It sounds like you're in an urban area, and if so, then you're likely more sheltered from major bear activity, but I'd not dismiss someone's very good advice regardless of your attained "predator deference perspective."

 

[LB0002]

I live in VERY active bear country and we also have ALL the predators, and I agree with @nuthatched that the eglu coops are NOT predator proof, especially with bears. A friend tried it and a black bear tossed it over like he was opening a fast food box of chicken nuggets. If you're dealing with grizzlies, you're dealing with much stronger and more determined.

The run can help with protection, but a solid predator proof coop in a predation territory is a no-brainer.

It sounds like you're in an urban area, and if so, then you're likely more sheltered from major bear activity, but I'd not dismiss someone's very good advice regardless of your attained "predator deference perspective."

We do not have Grizzlies, but we do have bears (unfortunately) well habituated to people that pass through daily. We will have a bear-strength electric fence, a secure run, and the eglu inside the run. Bears break into cars and homes here, so I am aware that there is nothing that is fool-proof. We are not urban - more rural/subsurban.

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

We do not have Grizzlies, but we do have bears (unfortunately) well habituated to people that pass through daily. We will have a bear-strength electric fence, a secure run, and the eglu inside the run. Bears break into cars and homes here, so I am aware that there is nothing that is fool-proof. We are not urban - more rural/subsurban.

Gotcha. Those eglu coops are interesting. Folks seem to either absolutely love them or absolutely hate them. I've only known one person who had one and, as I mentioned above, it didn't end well. But we live very rurally with some massive black bears that tend to do a lot of destruction when they come through.

I hope things go well for you. It sounds like you're putting some thought into it along with serious money, which is commendable. It's much more than a lot of people are doing right now, so keep us posted if you can!

 

[thecatumbrella]

One thing to keep in mind with a tarp roof is that any water runoff will soak into the run itself. The only dry areas will be in the very center. That's where we keep our food, dust baths, and broody/sick pens. I also have experience with the Omlet cube and would happy to talk to you about that, if you'd like.

 

[LB0002]

One thing to keep in mind with a tarp roof is that any water runoff will soak into the run itself. The only dry areas will be in the very center. That's where we keep our food, dust baths, and broody/sick pens. I also have experience with the Omlet cube and would happy to talk to you about that, if you'd like.

We are putting a polycarbonate panel roof on the run. The run is 26 ft long and the eglu will be inside. I am definitely open to feedback! My husband is very set on the eglu.

 

[thecatumbrella]

We are putting a polycarbonate panel roof on the run. The run is 26 ft long and the eglu will be inside. I am definitely open to feedback! My husband is very set on the eglu.

The biggest question is, how many birds do you plan to house in it?

I saw you mentioned the Eglu Pro (which I literally have in my basement... not sure if we'll use it yet). Each "roosting rack" realistically holds 4-6 bantams, 3-4 medium birds (like smaller hybrids or Eggers), or 2 large birds (like Orpingtons or Australorps). Omlet's numbers are cruel. They need to be able to space out from each other in the summer or they'll overheat.

Speaking of which, it absolutely cannot sit in the sun. Ever. You're keeping it under the run, which is good, but invest in some shade cloths and cover up the sides of the run that get blasted. Another tip I've used is to remove the built-in vents (they're only attached with philips head screws) and replace with hardware cloth cutouts for additional airflow. You can also remove the poop tray to let cool air up through the bottom. If you can blow a fan either through the nest box or the open bottom, it will keep them quite comfortable at night.

It also requires an all-season covered run (which again, it sounds like you'll have) because you can't just shut the birds in there when the weather's poor.

Finally, you need to monitor the humidity in winter. Ours did fine, but we were very mindful to keep good ventilation in the run and the Omlet itself.

All this to say, it's not a set and forget product. I think it's passable for use if you're willing to keep the number of occupants down and fuss over it in hot and cold weather. All the criticisms you'll hear are valid.

If you end up using that run, post a product review and let us know how it works out! I have the Omlet version, but am always looking for ways to give more space and keep the rain out.