Backyard chickens are having a massive moment. It isn't just about the eggs anymore. It's about the aesthetic, the lifestyle, and honestly, the weirdly high-status symbol of having a designer coop that looks better than some people’s guest houses. That brings us to The Coop on Shark Tank, a pitch that walked into the tank during Season 14 and immediately sparked a debate about luxury vs. necessity.
Most people think Shark Tank is just about the product. It’s not. It’s about the person and the price tag. When AJ and Kirsten Forbes walked onto that carpet, they weren't selling a cheap wooden box from a big-box hardware store. They were selling a high-end, $2,000-plus piece of backyard architecture.
It was polarizing.
The sharks reacted exactly how you'd expect. Some loved the design; others choked on the price. But what really happened behind the scenes? And why, despite the massive "backyard chicken" trend, did they walk away without a check?
What Exactly Is The Coop on Shark Tank?
Basically, it’s the "Crate & Barrel" of chicken coops.
If you've ever tried to clean a standard chicken coop, you know it’s a nightmare. It's cramped, it smells, and you're usually covered in dust within five minutes. The Coop was designed to fix that. It’s made of dual-walled recyclable plastic, which is a huge deal because red mites—the absolute bane of a chicken keeper's existence—struggle to live in plastic compared to porous wood.
The Pitch Details
AJ and Kirsten entered seeking $600,000 for 10% of their business. That’s a $6 million valuation. For a company selling chicken coops.
You could practically see Kevin O'Leary’s eyes popping out of his head.
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The product itself is sleek. It features built-in cameras, automatic doors, and a "poop tray" system that makes cleaning take about thirty seconds. Kirsten explained that they wanted to make chicken keeping "approachable" for the modern suburban family. They weren't targeting farmers. They were targeting the person who lives in a cul-de-sac and wants fresh organic eggs without the "farm" grime.
The Brutal Reality of the Numbers
Let's talk money because that’s where things got sticky.
The Coop retails for roughly $2,000 to $2,500 depending on the configuration. To the average person, that sounds insane. You can buy a wooden coop at Tractor Supply for $300. But AJ argued that those cheap coops rot in two years. Theirs is built to last a decade or more.
At the time of filming, they had done about $700,000 in sales over a relatively short period. That’s not nothing. It proves there is a market for high-end poultry housing. People spend thousands on Peloton bikes and designer dog beds, so why not chickens?
Why the Sharks Said No
- Lori Greiner felt it was too niche. She’s the "Queen of QVC," and a $2,000 chicken coop doesn't exactly scream "mass market impulse buy."
- Kevin O'Leary hated the valuation. He’s a numbers guy, and a $6 million valuation for a company that is essentially shipping large, heavy boxes across the country (which is a logistics nightmare) didn't sit right with him.
- Mark Cuban saw the shipping costs as a deal-breaker. When your product is that big, the cost to move it from the factory to the customer's backyard eats your margins alive.
- Daymond John and Barbara Corcoran also bowed out, citing the high price point and the difficulty of scaling such a specific luxury item.
It was a clean sweep of "I'm out."
The "After Shark Tank" Bounce
Just because you don't get a deal doesn't mean you fail.
The "Shark Tank Effect" is real. After the episode aired, The Coop on Shark Tank saw a massive spike in interest. Honestly, the timing was perfect. Egg prices were skyrocketing at the grocery store, and everyone was suddenly googling "how to raise chickens."
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They’ve leaned hard into the tech side of things. They offer an app that lets you check on your hens from your phone. That’s the "stickiness" that keeps modern consumers engaged. They didn't just stay a coop company; they became a tech-enabled lifestyle brand for the "modern homesteader."
Is a $2,000 Coop Actually Worth It?
This is the question everyone asks.
If you are looking for a return on investment (ROI) based solely on egg production, the answer is a hard no. You would have to eat thousands of eggs to make up the difference between a $300 coop and a $2,000 one.
But that's not why people buy it.
The Maintenance Factor
Wood coops are a pain. They warp. They need painting. They harbor parasites.
The Coop is power-washable. You literally spray it down, and it's new again. For a busy parent or a professional who wants the "hobby" without the "drudgery," that's where the value lies.
Predator Protection
Chickens are basically "nature's chicken nuggets." Everything wants to eat them—raccoons, hawks, foxes, the neighbor's dog. Most cheap coops use "chicken wire," which a raccoon can rip through like paper. The Coop on Shark Tank uses heavy-duty welded wire and a locking mechanism that is much harder for predators to bypass.
The Logistics Nightmare
The biggest hurdle for the company—and the reason the Sharks were hesitant—is shipping.
Shipping a 200-pound plastic house is expensive. If a customer receives a piece that’s cracked or missing, the cost to replace it and reship it is astronomical. This is the "hidden" cost of the business that AJ and Kirsten have had to manage as they grow.
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They’ve had to streamline their assembly process. The coop ships flat-packed, and according to most reviews, it takes about an hour to put together. Compare that to some wooden kits that have 400 screws and require a carpentry degree, and you start to see why people pay the premium.
Misconceptions About the Brand
People often think they were the first to do plastic coops. They weren't. Omlet, a UK-based company, has been doing plastic coops for years.
However, The Coop went for a more "American Modern" aesthetic. While Omlet coops look a bit like spaceships or futuristic pods, The Coop looks like a miniature version of a modern farmhouse. It’s an aesthetic choice that fits perfectly in an Instagram-ready backyard.
Another misconception is that the Sharks hated the product. They didn't. They actually praised the design and the branding. Their issue was entirely with the business model—specifically the valuation and the difficulty of scaling a high-ticket, bulky item in a volatile economy.
Actionable Insights for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
If you’re watching The Coop on Shark Tank and thinking about starting your own luxury hardware or "hobbyist" brand, here is what you should take away from their journey:
- Solve a "Dirty" Problem: People will pay a massive premium to avoid tasks they hate. In this case, it’s cleaning chicken poop. If your product removes a "gross" or "tedious" part of a hobby, you can charge more than the baseline commodity price.
- Aesthetic is a Feature: In the age of social media, how a product looks in a backyard is just as important as how it functions. Design isn't "extra"; it's a core value proposition.
- Know Your Shipping Margins: If you are selling large physical goods, your biggest enemy isn't your competitor—it's FedEx and UPS. You must factor in "last-mile" delivery and potential damage returns into your pricing from day one.
- The "No" Isn't the End: Walking away without a deal is often better than taking a bad deal or giving up too much equity early on. The Forbes' used the TV exposure as a springboard to build their own community without answering to a Shark.
- Target the "New" Demographic: Don't try to sell to the old-school experts who have been doing it the "hard way" for 40 years. They will never buy your luxury version. Target the newcomers who have more money than time and want an easy entry point into the hobby.
The story of The Coop is a classic example of a "great product, difficult business." They’ve managed to carve out a niche in the suburban homesteading market by focusing on the 1% of chicken keepers who want the best and are willing to pay for it. Whether they eventually become a household name or remain a high-end boutique brand, they’ve proven that even the most "boring" industries—like farm equipment—are ripe for a luxury disruption.
Next Steps for Future Chicken Keepers
If you're considering getting chickens and looking at The Coop, start by checking your local zoning laws. Many suburbs allow hens but have strict rules on coop placement and size. Once you know you're legal, weigh the "Time vs. Money" trade-off. If you enjoy DIY and don't mind the maintenance, a wooden coop is fine. If you want a "set it and forget it" experience with high-tech monitoring, the investment in a plastic, tech-enabled system like The Coop is usually the better long-term play for your sanity.