Coop Location

[Pnwchicks]

The paver location gets my vote, as long as it meets the minimum setback (as the first location does not). As long as the chickens stay in a contained run with appropriate litter (or you supervise when they're out, and scoop up poop as you go) there shouldn't be an issue with odor, disease, etc.

Thank you for the info! It seems the paver location has a lot more pros than the side yard!

 

[Pnwchicks]

vegetable garden and chicken coop go together naturally! easy to store coop compost and apply to yard. you may consider let the chickens into the garden during off season, they'd love that!

That's a great idea! I was also thinking that our garden has a drip line...I could probably branch off of that and add some misters to help keep the chickens cool in the summer. The advantages to the paver area are adding up quickly!!

 

[Sally PB]

My husband's project car is in the photo but that will be moved

The first thing I thought of with that picture is, "What kind of oil/transmission fluid/brake fluid/etc has leaked from the car into the ground?"

I do prefer being able to watch them while I'm out working in the garden and doing yard work. And you make a great point about the compost, it would be convenient being so close to the garden!

Yes!

Currently the paver area is built up on about 6 inches of compact rock so there is great drainage. The side of the house does get more runoff from the house gutters and is overall more uneven/damp ground. The positives are definitely starting to add up for the paver area!

Compact rock... as in gravel...? Gravel can be a good thing for drainage, but if chicken poop settles down in there, it may stink. Also, gravel can be very hard on chickens' feet.

 

[Pnwchicks]

The first thing I thought of with that picture is, "What kind of oil/transmission fluid/brake fluid/etc has leaked from the car into the ground?"

Yes!

Compact rock... as in gravel...? Gravel can be a good thing for drainage, but if chicken poop settles down in there, it may stink. Also, gravel can be very hard on chickens' feet.

There isn't an engine in the car yet, it's just the body sitting there until we tow it to my dad's shop so they can work on it But that is a good thought if there was an engine!!

Yes, it is gravel that was plate compacted but we were planning on digging down to remove about 4 inches of the gravel in the run area then replacing it with sand and litter on top of that. Outside of the run will stay gravel and pavers so we should have good drainage surrounding the coop/run!

 

[Sally PB]

replacing it with sand and litter on top of that

Wood chips would be a much better choice. It drains well, it "works" well with chicken poop (composts and doesn't stink), and you can often get them for free from an arborist who needs to get rid of them.

DON'T buy the bagged wood chips at the store. They're often treated or dyed, and you don't want any of those chemicals in your run.

 

[Pnwchicks]

Wood chips would be a much better choice. It drains well, it "works" well with chicken poop (composts and doesn't stink), and you can often get them for free from an arborist who needs to get rid of them.

DON'T buy the bagged wood chips at the store. They're often treated or dyed, and you don't want any of those chemicals in your run.

Wood chips sound like a great choice! Thank you for the info!

 

[Sally PB]

Wood chips sound like a great choice!

A lot of people consider it the "gold standard" for a chicken run.

They take a while to break down, but then they turn into great compost too. A lot of us dig the excess out of the run on a regular basis (once/twice a year) for our gardens. I'll be doing that soon.

 

[HowIsItDone]

Welcome to BYC!

I would use the area between garden and play area. No matter where you put it, you’re going to have to maintain their space. It’s quite easy really; add straw and leaves and non poisonous yard clippings to their run, which will help cover the poop and allow the chickens themselves to mix everything up and make you some lovely compost for your garden. Having sun will help dry things out, so fewer flies, and your chickens will enjoy it on cold days. You can encourage them to scratch around in it if you toss some scratch or food out for them. They really are wonderful helpers.

Also useful are fly traps, the yellow sticky ones work best. I don’t use them every year, but some years flies are worse than others, it really depends on the rain.

Would chickens eat flies if they could catch them?

 

[HowIsItDone]

Hello everyone!

I'm in Eastern Washington and starting a small backyard flock of 5 this Spring. I'm hoping for some input on coop location!

I originally planned to build on our side yard. It's a 15ftx25ft area between our house and our neighbors garage. My husband's project car is in the photo but that will be moved Technically, in our area, the coop needs to be 25' from a neighbors dwelling. It would be less than that from the neighbors garage so I would have to consider that. We do have a dog and this would seperate the "chicken yard" from the "dog yard". I feel like the chickens would be very well protected with the 6 ft fence and an enclosed run off the coop but I'm concerned about a lack of sunlight in the winter in this area. I would also not be able to see the chickens at all from our main yard or the house.

My second choice is on a patio area that is 12ftx20ft that separates our kids play area and my fenced garden. We would take out the pavers and build the coop/enclosed run in this area. I could see the coop from the house and would have easy access to water since the garden is right there. Throwing garden treats right over the fence would also be a nice bonus! My concern is that I've never had chickens but I've heard they are a bit messy and poop a lot. Since this coop would be right against my garden and just feet from my kids play area I'm concerned with odor, disease, pests, etc being in our common area.

Any input would be much appreciated! The build plan is a 4x8 coop with a 60 sq ft attached covered run.

Thanks!!

I love your post!
I need to ask this too.

I've got two spots that are less than perfect, and I want to build a forever coop/run on a concrete base. (Concrete for the coop, and not the run? Not sure yet)

One is harder to see from the house, but if I trimmed the bottom of a 30' cedar, I'd have a good view from the kitchen.
This spot gets more sunlight in winter, and has shade trees for summer.
But it's at lower elevation, and may be more damp.
The neighbor has a big dog.
South side.

The other is across the driveway looking out from the front door, behind two pines, closer to the road. No deciduous trees for summer shade.
It looks level, and dry, but less protected from winter (North) winds, which seem relentless some days
It is closer to a water supply.
It's furthest from the neighbors big dog.
Northeast side.

I'm at a new place, trying to observe the climate, and the Kitchen View option sounds better for the chickens, assuming it doesn't flood there in a normal year. We didn't get much snow this year, so I don't know what to expect.

All opinions welcome!

 

[HowIsItDone]

A lot of people consider it the "gold standard" for a chicken run.

They take a while to break down, but then they turn into great compost too. A lot of us dig the excess out of the run on a regular basis (once/twice a year) for our gardens. I'll be doing that soon.

Do you have to let it sit for a while, or can you add it to the garden fresh?