[beth123]

I having been looking at the Eglu chicken coops on ebay, is it wise to buy a second had chicken coop or would I be better with a new one? Also which is best a plastic or wooden coop?

Thanks

[alancane]

If I was to buy a secondhand coop it would be an eglu, because it is plastic and can be cleaned/disenfected etc. My personal opinion is that wood in joints etc can harbour many a thing like red mite and so I would only buy a brand new wooden one.

I think you will find opinion will be quite divided on the wood vs plastic coop and neither will be wrong. For the price of a secondhand eglu, you could most probably buy a brand new decent wooden one.

The main things to consider are:

*  Is it clean/undamaged, free from mites etc?
*  How secure is it for my ladies?
*  Is there enough room for them? Is it big enough?
*  What else do I need to do when I buy this coop i.e. adapt for your needs, build a larger
    run.

I hope this might help you or apologies if it has added to your confusion! How many ladies will you be getting?

[evie2]

Hi Beth, the upside of buying an second hand Eglu is that it's plastic so you can give it a good clean before using it. 

My coop is wooden and i have a second hand wooden coop being delivered tomorrow but I know the person, it's just over 6 months old and it's been scoured and treated. 

Check the sellers returns policy, if it's second hand you will probably have to fetch it and if it doesn't  match the description you don't have to buy it.



 

[beth123]

Thanks for the advice, I think in the end I will go for a new coop to ensure that it is free from mites etc.  I'm hoping to have 3 chickens but at the moment I'm struggling to find a supplier as my local one has only 2 different breeds.  The first being Silkie and the second he just described as a hen.  The coops they sell are unbelievably over priced and thats why I turned to the internet  I've never kept chickens before so I'm trying to gather as much information as possible.

[alancane]

Beth - have you had a look at the suppliers that are on this site?

http://www.poultry.allotment-garden.org/

I found mine from this site and they were only 5 miles away from me and are superb, but they don't advertise. So if I didn't find this website and forum, I would never have found them. 

[bantam novice]

Good luck with your new girls whichever you go for in the end 

[evie2]

What area are you in, Beth

[beth123]

Thank you for the advice, we're in Yorkshire and I've just had a quick look at the list of suppliers and there is quite a few close by.  The difficult bit will be deciding which breed to go for.

Thanks again.

[Khususi]

Hi there,

Another thing to bear in mind with an Eglu is I believe they are not big enough for large breeds such as Orps & Cochins although  I would suggest you double check this on the Omlet site...