Backyard chicken coop advice sought. NJ here.

[froggie71]

We looked on CL for a coop before we got our chicks. Thought we had a great deal. The guy never came through. So if it seems too good to be true it probably is. We ended up having to build our own. It's not pretty up close, but it does the job. We got a lot of culled wood from Lowe's, a friend gave us shingles, used left over flooring inside, and I found a gallon of outdoor paint for $5 at Lowe's in the "oops" section. Turned out to be a family project as everyone pitched in to help. Good luck with your search

 

[elmo]

The wire on that coop isn't predator proof; you need openings no greater than 1/2" by 1/2" to keep your chickens safe. Chicken wire only keeps chickens in, it doesn't keep predators out.

I agree with the other posters here about ventilation; prebuilt coops rarely have enough. And finally, think about how you're going to clean the thing out. The easier it is to clean, the more frequently you'll do it, and that will be good for your birds' health, too.

 

[Bookworm chick]

Hi from another NJ member. I'm from Salem County.

We converted our "garden" shed into the coop. We currently only have 6 bantams (with plans of adding maybe 2-3 more bantam hens. I have in the past seen chicken coops advertised on SJ Craigs List under farm and garden. There's a guy that builds them. Also, in our area there's a guy (Vassalo) that's been in the lawn shed business for years and could probably build you something or you could check them out and get ideas for making your own.

 

[chick1000]

Hey friend,

Thanks to the link:

http://www.knock-out-deals.net/prod...en-coop-chicken-house-hen-house-rabbit-cage-2

I went ahead an bought this coop from the website. Just got it 2 days ago. Comes with picture step-by-step instructions. I purt it together right away. I love it. Ready for my first set of chickens.

Anyone has info on how to handle winter for the chickens. Do I need a heater for the coop?

Thank you,

Maria

 

[patandchickens]

No, as long as you keep the coop dry and well-ventilated you are very, very unlikely to need any sort of electric heat in NJ. If you *do* start getting frostbite at those temperatures, it's because you've got humidity problems in the coop.

Of course it never hurts to have power available -- handy for a heated waterer or waterer base, if nothing else

-- just in case.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[r3rjr]

Yahoo, my 1st post!!!

This is the same coop as you posted in your first post.. A little lower in price... I had mine since May in NE Ohio. Will have 3 Barred Rocks. (now 5 weeks old)

http://wholesalechickencoops.com/chickencoop.html

 

[SimplyForties]

Welcome r3rjr! Nice setup

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