If you search on the Internet or Ebay for a chicken coop, or even visit your local pet store, you'll likely stumble across one of the various styles of timber chicken coops available for sale. Many potential chicken coop owners question whether or not these types of imported chicken coops are worth purchasing. We all want to get value for money with any purchase we make, but are these coops really as terrific as the sellers claim they are?

So let's address the most important aspects when looking to buy a chicken coop. You may have other criteria when looking to purchase a chicken coop, but these seem to be the most common areas of consideration.

1. A product that will achieve what it's intended for - i.e. you can actually house chickens happily in the coop

2. Durability/ longevity - a product that will not deteriorate in the short term

3. Pleasing to the eye - a product that looks physically appealing

4. Value for money - is the product worth the money you've paid for it

Can these chicken coops successfully house chickens?

Customers of these coops have found that the area inside these types of coops is generally very limited and is not suitable for the number of chickens that the sellers claim these coops can house. Most of the photos on the Internet do NOT feature chickens inside the coop. If this were done you'd quickly see how small the coops are in comparison to an average-sized backyard chicken.

Buyers of these chicken coops have also found that the dimensions provided by many sellers are exaggerated, with the overall length that is stated including the external nesting box. Additionally the section under the housing area is so close to the ground that this area cannot be accessed by the chickens at all, which means there's even less area for the chickens to scratch!

Customers have also found that the perches inside these chicken coops are positioned too low to the floor, resulting in the chickens sleeping on the higher placed nesting box.

How long will these coops last?

Unfortunately, one of the most commonly mentioned issues about these coops is that they warp and fall apart very quickly. Complaints include: roof leaking ('asphalt' simply peels away over time), nesting box leaking, latches rusting, rain getting in the window and the coop warping after wet weather.

If you don't want it to fall apart in less than a year, you'd need to spend an additional $100 or more to protect it from the weather, as soon as you take it out of the box. You'd need to apply many coats of marine-grade varnish and also silicon all the gaps in the framework.

"I have a smaller sized one and they are terrible. The first time in the rain it warped and I'm not able to open the house area door anymore and have to lift other door to get it back into the frame properly now. The colour kind of leeched straight out of it, and the latches and hinges rusted straight away. It literally didn't hold up a week!" says a dissatisfied owner of these chicken coops.

Do these coops look nice?

One of the top reasons why customers purchase these coops is because of their attractive styling. With a little ladder going up to the sleeping section and a window to view the chickens, it seems like an cute addition to your backyard. While purchasing a chicken coop that actually looks nice is an important consideration for many, this needs to be weighed up with the other important, practical factors.

Value for money?

If you've got value for money, it means that you've got a product that is proportional in quality to the money you've paid for it If you're only wanting to spend a small amount on a chicken coop and don't need it to last for many years, then perhaps these coops are value for money, because you essentially get what you pay for. If, however, you're wanting something durable and well made that will house your chickens for many, many years, a timber chicken coop may not be the way to go. Re-sell value is something to consider if you're not sure if you'll keep your chickens for many years.

Are all of these styles of coops made in China?

A final point worth noting is that some Australian resellers don't make it clear that their products are made in China. While as a seller they may be based in Australia and their product is said to be 'designed in Australia' this doesn't mean that the product is manufactured in Australia. These coops are most likely made in the same factory in China as the rest of these styles of coops.