Hen house?

Lew Zealand

Helper
With that and a crafted Mayonnaise Machine (Farming Level 2) you have a dependable daily income, especially with 2 or 3 hens in there. It's all about what balance you're looking for. The 4,000g you buy the Coop for could go to other things like the Backpack upgrade if you don't have it yet, or even an upgraded Fishing Rod.

However, if you like the Farming aspect of the game most of all, then the Coop is the ideal first way to expand from Vegetable to Animal Husbandry! Also you'll finish the Building a Coop quest for a small amount of g.
 

Hill Myna

Farmer
My order of big purchases in the early game typically go like this:

Day 3: Fiberglass Rod and some Bait
Day 4: Large Backpack
Day 7: Upgrade Pickaxe to Copper
Day 11: Upgrade Pickaxe to Steel
Day 13: 20-40 Strawberry Seeds, plant 20 on the Speed-Gro from the Spring Crops Bundle
Day 18: A Coop* with 1 Brown Chicken, 3 White Chickens
Day 20: Harvest the first Strawberries, upgrade Axe to Copper
Day 24: Upgrade Axe to Steel
Final Days: Big Barn, Deluxe Backpack, the first few Vault Bundles, depending on what I'm aiming for. Making sure I save at least 10,000G for Summer Crops (100 Hops with Melons and Blueberries in between, plus a few others)

*Like @Lew Zealand said, the Coop is great because the Mayonnaise Machine recipe is unlocked at Farming Level 2, whereas the Cheese Press recipe "needed" for Cows comes at Farming Level 6.

But I started playing Stardew more than one and half years ago, so I've developed a route for the early game that I find works for me. These are in no way requirements, just how I like to play the game!

Hope this helps, have fun!
 

Lew Zealand

Helper
I’d also like to recommend building a silo before building a coop so you can store up hay for rainy days, and aren’t left having to buy hay from Marnie. In my opinion it’s easier that way, and a silo is cheap to build.
Yes this! I have now 3x in a row forgotten to buy the Silo first and find myself running to Robin the day after to hurriedly put one in!
 
If you want to build your coop before you have a silo, you can plant wheat to get hay all through summer and fall. It gives you cushion time before winter and good income from the eggs /mayo.
 
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