New to chickens - Coop choice?

[netdog]

Hi

I'm new to chicken-raising. On a couple of acres. High desert, so predators include the occasional coyote, the rare lion and bear (I think there's only been one lion spotted in recent memory), and hawks, though they hover down over the valley generally.

I'm hoping I can get some good advice here about coops and runs. We eat a lot of eggs here (I have 2 per day and dogs will eat as many as I give them) so we'd like a fair amount of egg production. What is the best value coop and run these days that comes with a reasonable delivery time (i.e. by early June).

I've been looking at Urban Northern "Resort" and "New Retreat" with runs. I've also seen a number of less expensive coops and runs that actually look great as well.

I'll browse this forum as well, but thanks in advance for any insight from those you more experienced.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I honestly will never buy a prefab coop. The cheap ones are worthless and wont last very long and the ones that will last are ridiculously priced. We built our run and coop for under $1000. The run is 35x20 ft and the coop is 10x5. We only have 7 birds but I think the coop can hold 10 and the run can hold...a lot.

 

[aart]

I've been looking at Urban Northern "Resort" and "New Retreat" with runs. I've also seen a number of less expensive coops and runs that actually look great as well.

Junk, as most prefabs are.
Beware Urban Northern:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/1010548/?q=Urban+Northern&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

I'll browse this forum as well, but thanks in advance for any insight from those you more experienced.

Do a lot of browsing.
Prepared to be overwhelmed, it's like getting a sip of water out of a fire hose.
Keeping chickens can be simple, but preparing for them is not.
Links in my signature are good reads for the newbie.

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @netdog
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd first consider how many chickens you'd like to have, maximum, and build for more than that. Since egg production is important to you, keep in mind that layers will start slowing down as they age, so either you want to have a plan for replacing them every couple of years, or if you want to keep them and integrate more, consider that you'll need extra space to deal with integration.