Quick Answer: For most backyard keepers the choice between the Omlet Eglu Cube and the OverEZ chicken coop comes down to plastic versus wood. Buy the Eglu Cube (about $1,399) if you want the easiest cleaning and the strongest built-in security: its wipe-clean polyethylene deep-cleans in roughly 8 minutes (per Chicken Fans’ 2026 review), it has an anti-tunnel predator skirt and welded steel mesh, and it’s backed by a 10-year warranty — but it only holds about 6 large hens. Buy an OverEZ coop (from about $1,199 Small up to $4,199 Jumbo) if you keep a bigger flock or want a traditional walk-in wooden coop: the Large houses up to 15 hens and it’s Amish-built in the USA. Short version: Omlet for low-maintenance plastic and a small-to-medium flock, OverEZ for roomy walk-in wood and bigger flocks.
A coop is the most expensive single thing most backyard keepers buy, so getting it right matters. Two premium names dominate the shortlists at opposite ends of the material debate: Omlet’s Eglu Cube, a molded twin-wall plastic coop, and the OverEZ, an Amish-built wooden coop sold in five sizes. They aren’t priced identically and they don’t hold the same number of birds, so the right pick depends on your flock size, how much cleaning you’re willing to do, and whether you want a wipe-down plastic pod or a walk-in wooden house. We put them head to head on the specs that change your day-to-day keeping.
Omlet Eglu Cube vs OverEZ at a glance
| Spec | Omlet Eglu Cube | OverEZ Chicken Coop |
|---|---|---|
| Material | UV-stabilized twin-wall polyethylene | Amish-built wood (USA) |
| Capacity | Up to 6 large hens (8 medium / 10 bantam) | 5 (Small) to 30 (Jumbo) |
| Price | ~$1,399 (coop) | ~$1,199–$4,199 by size |
| Deep-clean time | ~8 min (smooth plastic, slide-out tray) | Longer — wood grain holds mites/moisture |
| Predator features | Steel mesh + anti-tunnel skirt + raccoon-proof handles | Solid treated wood; add run + hardware cloth |
| Access | Reach-in pod | Walk-in on larger sizes |
| Warranty | 10 years | Varies by retailer |
| Assembly | Kit; run and auto-door optional | Under 60 min with a screw gun |
The differences that decide it, by the numbers
- Capacity: ~6 large hens vs up to 15 (or 30). The Eglu Cube is rated for up to 6 large hens, 8 medium breeds, or 10 bantams. OverEZ scales far past that — Small up to 5, Medium up to 10, Large up to 15, XL up to 20, and Jumbo up to 30. If your flock will grow, OverEZ is the roomier platform; if you’re settled at a handful of hens, the Cube is plenty.
- Cleaning: ~8 minutes on the Eglu. According to Chicken Fans’ 2026 review, the smooth plastic Eglu Cube deep-cleans in about eight minutes thanks to wipe-down panels and a slide-out dropping tray. Wood coops like the OverEZ take longer to sanitize because the grain and joints give mites, lice, and ammonia-fixing bacteria places to hide — the single biggest lifestyle difference between the two.
- Price per bird. At about $1,399 the Eglu Cube sits between the OverEZ Small (
$1,199, 5 hens) and Medium ($1,599–$1,699, 10 hens). For a small flock they’re close; for 15+ birds the OverEZ Large (~$2,100–$2,199) houses far more chickens per dollar of capacity, since you can’t simply add hens to a single Cube. - Warranty: 10 years on the Omlet. Omlet backs the Eglu Cube with a 10-year warranty and its UV-stabilized polyethylene won’t rot, warp, or need repainting. OverEZ wood is treated for moisture resistance but, like any wooden coop, lasts longest with periodic re-treating — plastic is the lower-maintenance long-haul choice, wood the easier one to repair board-by-board.
- Predator-proofing out of the box. The Eglu Cube ships with welded steel mesh, an anti-tunnel skirt, and raccoon-resistant handles — Omlet has refined that design over roughly 20 years. The OverEZ is a solid wooden house, but as a coop-first structure you’ll usually pair it with a secure run and bury your own ½-inch hardware cloth.
Omlet Eglu Cube — best for easy cleaning and built-in security
Omlet Eglu Cube Chicken Coop
- Twin-wall insulated polyethylene stays cooler in summer and warmer in winter, and won't rot, warp, or need repainting.
- Wipe-clean panels and a slide-out dropping tray deep-clean in about 8 minutes (Chicken Fans), with nowhere for mites to hide.
- Predator-ready out of the box: welded steel mesh, anti-tunnel skirt, and raccoon-resistant door handles; backed by a 10-year warranty.
- Optional add-ons — automatic door (~$229) and walk-in run (~$1,349) — are sold separately, which adds to the total.
The Eglu Cube’s whole pitch is that it turns coop chores into a hose-down. The smooth polyethylene doesn’t absorb moisture, so droppings don’t stick and mites have no grain to burrow into — that’s why a full deep-clean lands around eight minutes instead of the scrub-and-scrape a wooden coop can demand. The twin-wall construction traps your hens’ body heat in winter without an electric heater, and the security hardware — steel mesh, dig skirt, raccoon-proof handles — comes standard rather than as a DIY afterthought. The trade-offs are capacity and total cost: one Cube tops out near 6 large hens, and the pieces that complete a hands-off setup (auto door, walk-in run) are extra.
OverEZ Chicken Coop — best for bigger flocks and walk-in wood
OverEZ Chicken Coop (Small to Jumbo)
- Amish-built in the USA from wood with moisture-resistant treated resin flooring and siding and radiant-barrier sheathing to stay cool in summer.
- Five sizes (Small 5 / Medium 10 / Large 15 / XL 20 / Jumbo 30 hens) scale to almost any backyard flock — larger models offer walk-in access.
- Assembles in under 60 minutes with just a screw gun, and individual boards are easy to repair or replace over time.
- Sold coop-first — plan to add a secure run and bury ½-inch hardware cloth for full predator-proofing.
OverEZ is the choice when you want a real wooden coop and room to grow. The Amish-built construction feels substantial, the treated resin flooring and radiant-barrier sheathing address wood’s classic weaknesses (moisture and summer heat), and the size range means you can match the coop to a 5-bird starter flock or a 30-bird homestead without cramming birds into a single pod. Larger sizes give you walk-in access for gathering eggs and cleaning without stooping. The honest caveats are wood’s: it will reward periodic re-treating, and because it’s coop-first you’ll build or buy the run and dig-defense yourself. In return you get more birds per dollar of housing and a coop you can repair one board at a time.
Which coop should you buy?
- Buy the Omlet Eglu Cube if you keep up to about 6 large hens, want the fastest weekly cleaning, and value predator hardware and a 10-year warranty built in. It’s the lowest-fuss coop to live with.
- Buy an OverEZ coop if you keep — or plan to keep — 10 or more hens, want a traditional walk-in wooden house, and don’t mind adding a run and periodic wood care. It’s the roomier, more expandable, more repairable option.
Whichever material you choose, the coop is only half the job. See our full best chicken coop roundup for more options across budgets, our guide to the best walk-in chicken coop if OverEZ’s larger sizes appeal, and the best chicken coop with a run for all-in-one setups. Harden either coop with ½-inch hardware cloth, add an automatic coop door (see our Run Chicken vs Omlet Autodoor comparison), and if you keep chickens through hard winters, check the best coops for cold weather.
The bottom line
The Omlet Eglu Cube and the OverEZ chicken coop are both premium buys that win for different keepers. The Cube is the easy-clean, secure, low-maintenance plastic pod — best when your flock is small-to-medium and you’d rather hose the coop down in eight minutes than scrub wood. The OverEZ is the roomy, expandable, repairable wooden house — best when you keep a bigger flock, want walk-in access, and don’t mind a run build and occasional wood care. Buy the Omlet Eglu Cube for minimal chores and 6 or fewer large hens; buy the OverEZ for 10-plus birds and traditional walk-in wood.