Space between well and coop

[HowIsItDone]

Hi everyone,

I have a shallow well, and my township recommends that I place the coop (that I'm going to build) 100' away.

What are your thoughts? What distance is safe? Would 75' be okay? Even less?

I plan on no more than 5-6 chickens. Coop and run will be 6' X 10-12'.

How close is your well?

 

[HowIsItDone]

What does 100' look like?


I'm not sure if we've had them further than 50' from the well at any of the places we've lived. But my foot guessing is without a frame of reference. Especially not football references.

12" equals 1 foot.
Did I say it wrong?
I'm Canadian. Forgive me.

 

[SourRoses]

They set a maximum for sq ft per hen in the run?!

 

[Ted Brown]

@HowIsItDone

Concrete is excellent at deterring critters that burrow (eg rats, ...) but also inspect your shed carefully for holes larger than 1/2".

The single picture is limiting. Looks to me like you will need to open up soffits to provide appropriate ventilation. Add pics that are close up, you will get good advice.

 

[aart]

I think so, but is 100' really necessary?

I'd love to find out that 50' would be okay.

I'd bet that if you were putting in a new well that 100' would be 'rule'.

 

[HowIsItDone]

My guess is that they are saying 100' to be safe, more so for their protection than yours. I say this because if it were truly 100' in the ordinance, they would have said it MUST be 100' from the well. Check the ordinance of the place you live.

Then if you decide to put the coop closer to the well, and get e-coli, you will need to bleach the well regularly. I used to test annually for E-Coli when I had a well and small farm. The well was about 200' from the buildings the animals were housed in, and there was no pasture near the well. Had goats, Pigs, Chickens and Ducks.

I did get e-coli positive once. Me and the family were alot younger back then and I do not recall getting sick.

Good luck whichever you decide. Hope this helps.

You're right! I looked it up again, and the minimum is 15 Meters. 50' feet.
100' was a suggestion.

Thanks for your help.

 

[HowIsItDone]

My guess is that they are saying 100' to be safe, more so for their protection than yours. I say this because if it were truly 100' in the ordinance, they would have said it MUST be 100' from the well. Check the ordinance of the place you live.

Then if you decide to put the coop closer to the well, and get e-coli, you will need to bleach the well regularly. I used to test annually for E-Coli when I had a well and small farm. The well was about 200' from the buildings the animals were housed in, and there was no pasture near the well. Had goats, Pigs, Chickens and Ducks.

I did get e-coli positive once. Me and the family were alot younger back then and I do not recall getting sick.

Good luck whichever you decide. Hope this helps.

I found it.
50 feet. Plus I am not allowed to have kangaroos, elephants, or pigeons.

Thanks for helping me search.

 

[HowIsItDone]

Update:

We re-measured, and realized that the existing 8' X 10' shed on a concrete foundation is 50' (feet) from the well.

We are going to rebuild the roof (...Which should be replaced anyway. The structure itself is in good shape), and make one side wall higher, (or the other side lower) so that the whole roof slopes in one direction for rain collection, and build the run behind it, with a roof extension covering the run as well.

I need to replace the windows and perhaps add more, and add dryer type vents, high on the walls, all covered in hardware cloth.
Is that enough air?.. I'm leaning towards adding more ventilation at the top.

Summer can be +30c, and winter can be -20c.

Tagging @Ted Brown, because we discussed the concrete base, and you were helpful on that subject. You explained that I didn't need one, but if I had one...

 

[Demarvell]

My suggestion, as I don't have a shallow well, (200 feet down), is build an earthen dam around the well and the coop/run. This will keep any accidental flooding from putting caca in your well.

 

[Jimmy W]

They are probably concerned due to E-Coli getting in your well water.