looking for my first chicken coop

[tuner06]

Hi im Rob new to this website i've been doing lots of research on chickens and am ready to buy my first chicken and coop I've been looking on ebay and tractor supply. Not sure what is the best kind coop to get. Any help will be appreciated. I live in Maryland in Harford county in jarrettsville. The only place I have not looked is at the mill.

 

[Judy]

If I had to buy one, I'd buy a shed from Home Depot or the like and add a roost. You can use things like milk crates, plastic bins, 5 gallon buckets, etc. for nests. Most prebuilt coops are expensive and too small for more than 2 or 3 chickens, maybe 4 or 5 if they are large, and they don't let you store the feed or get inside to clean or check on the birds. They are also often not well ventilated, so you want a shed that you can cut a good hole in, and cover with hardware cloth for predator protection. They also often don't have enough air flow for summer, which is when chickens suffer from weather -- cold basicaally never bothers them, not in temperate areas. Another good option if you know of a decent handyman is choose a coop from our coops section and hire it built. The most common mistake new owners make is buying or building too small.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/163417/please-show-me-your-hot-weather-coops/0_20 a9most are probably enough protection from the elements for your area.)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

Good luck!

 

[earlyredrooster]

Hi im Rob new to this website i've been doing lots of research on chickens and am ready to buy my first chicken and coop I've been looking on ebay and tractor supply. Not sure what is the best kind coop to get. Any help will be appreciated. I live in Maryland in Harford county in jarrettsville. The only place I have not looked is at the mill.

I bought a coop from tsc. It was busted and split right out of the box, very very cheap material.