i too am new to both chickens and this site as a member, i have read here plenty of times before but never joined til today. Im in Goffstown and this is the first year i have had chickens. I did a ton of research before i built my first coop but i am told i did really well by chicken people and my chickens seem happy. i have 12 rhode island reds for eggs, 1 japanese bantam black/white just because my wife likes him, and soon to be raising a flock of meat chickens which is why im building a chicken tractor now. I always wanted chickens but my wife didn't, but she gave in when she saw their "cute little squeeking bodies" and i got the 12 on my birthday. now they are "her" chickens because she has claimed them and she wanted the rooster, boy how her outlook has changed.... I didn't want the chickens to be a huge chore and for us to get sick of them sort of speak so i designed the coop for efficiency and also build it reuseing alot of materials, it has a 35lb feeder i made for less than $10, a 5 gallon capacity waterer useing chicken watering nipples which will be heated by a bird bath heater in winter and they love it, and i made the floor of the coop a huge litter pan that slides out the side of the coop (4'X8' coop). i can literally not go to the coop for more than a week and they still have plenty of food and water and the floor isn't really messy at all, i built in alot of ventilation so it will stay dry. its wired for electricity for winter lighting, the auto coop door, the water heater, and the ip camera. the camera is nice because we can see the inside of the coop on our cell phones/computer like a nanny cam and make sure all 13 got inside before the door closed (it has night vision) and i can check the food level and the temperature from the big thermometer i put inside the coop. and attached is a 12'x12' dog kennel with ground and sky protection from predators. i like the coop and the chickens are soo easy now, i know when they start laying in a month or two i will have to go out and collect eggs but thats rewarding and i think it will be fun anyway. im glad to see soooooo many people are raising chickens!