Coop right against house?

[Jamalt1]

Does anyone have a coop that is right up against their house? We are going to get 6 chicks in a couple of months and am planning the coop and run. I have an area outside of our finished basement where we could put the coop and run. That way we could watch the chickens from the windows in the basement and the kitchen windows upstairs. We have a friend who does this and the chickens come right up to the window (they throw scraps into the run from that window). I love the idea of being able to see them, but I am concerned about the smell. We have a deck that is right above and next to the place where it would be. Alternatively, I could put it about 40 feet from the house. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Curlyginger]

Mine isn't directly against the house, but is only 10 feet from it. I use a poop board with Sweet PDZ and I scoop it like a litter box every day and scoop up any visible poop in the coop. I completely clean it out every week. The run has been the biggest challenge in keeping down the smell. This summer, I am going to rake it out weekly, maybe put down a thick layer of sand. It hasn't been in issue with all of the cold we've been having (I live in Massachusetts), but I anticipate more of a challenge when the weather warms up (this will be my 2nd summer with the chickens). Overall, it has been good. Best of luck!

 

[Watermelon123]

I would check your laws. Because by law, my coop can't be whithin 100 feet from my house.

Good luck!

 

[justplainbatty]

Yah, you might want to check the laws and consider that if the coop catches on fire, it can spread to your house or if your house catches fire it'll get your chickens too. Best of luck! Welcome to our flock!

 

[Jamalt1]

Good advice. Thank you. I think I'll go with the a little distance from the house.

 

[justplainbatty]

Good advice. Thank you. I think I'll go with the a little distance from the house.

Happy chickening!

 

[speedy2020]

I would refer away from the house at lease few feet for various reasons (smell, attract rat to under house, may damage or need to paint the house later)..

 

[yellowchicks]

We almost put our coop right outside of our kitchen window because that's where we had the temporary setup on a concrete patio. We could look out the window any time to see the live chicken TV, it was so much fun!

However, after much thought, we decided to move the coop 75 ft away from the house to be against the backyard fence. (Our town has no setback regulation, but you should check your local ordinance). We also double check with our neighbors to make sure they are OK with having a chicken coop near the common fence line. We now can see our chickens from multiple windows inside the house.

The biggest revelation was that although our coop doesn't smell (I clean it daily and the run has a roof to stay dry, further reduce the smell), it can get extremely dusty. The chickens are constantly scratching, kicking up a dust storm especially after their dust bath, there is dust everywhere inside the coop and in the run. I mop down every surface with apple cider vinegar water monthly. Had we put the coop against the house, the dust level would have affect the indoor air quality when the windows are opened. So if possible, don't put the coop against the house.

 

[Happy Dad]

We put ours on the south side of the house. It works great to block the north winds in the winter. No window to look at them through though as this is also against the attached garage. I will post more pictures in the coop forums this Spring after I finish all of the trim work. I was able to get just enought done for the chooks to move in before winter set in.

 

[enola]

I love to hear a rooster crow.... My boyfriend is disabled. So we put a chicken coop in our garden, very near our living room window, so he could watch the chickens without going outside. They are 12 feet from the window. Everything was fine tuntil the rooster started crowing.......

I love to hear a rooster crow....... If he is on the other side of the pasture!!