How far away from the house?

[BYOChickens]

OK, so I am looking at where I want to put the coop in my backyard and I need some input. How much fragrence will the coop give off? Looking at 4-6 birds and my wife is wondering how bad the girls will smell. How often do you clean out the coop? Will having the coop in the middle of the backyard make those BBQ days unbearable??? Need some help on how far away I should locate this coop (in feet). Thanks.

 

[welasharon]

Mine is about 10 feet from the front of the house. I converted an arbor. My run is covered and is sand so there is no smell at all.
sharon

 

[kla37]

We have 8 chickens about 30 ft from the house. It doesn't smell, not bad anyway. We clean the coop once a week, and rake the run every week too. It really isn't smelly, it's not like large animal smell, like cattle. YOur nose may be a good way to determine when it's time to clean it out!

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Do you live in the city limits? If so, check the code for how far they should be from residential structures. Most cities/towns have ordinances for that.

Chickens really don't smell if they are kept right and kept in a clean environment.

 

[kentucky jay]

my coop is 87 yards from my house ......not by choice , but it is working out well ! i dont always wanna get up at sunrise !! roos can get loud in the morning .... i can hear my neighbors and he is at least 2 football fields away !!!!!! the smell aint bad yet , (this summer will be my first) . i have a well ventilated ( maybe over ventilated) coop . i clean my coop every 2 weeks (new hay and scrape everything hard clean !) the more often you clean it the less it will smell .......its when you let it go for a while that it realy starts to stink !!!!! good luck and keep us posted on your progress !!

 

[elmo]

If there's any part of your yard that tends to flood or collect water when it rains, that's definitely not where you should put your coop. Pick your highest, driest ground, and think about roofing your run. Dry chicken poop is pretty much odorless, but wet chicken poop tends to stink after a while.

Our nine bantams are housed in a small urban backyard, right next to our house. I have sand in most of our runs and am in the process of roofing and converting to sand with our third and largest run. I clean out the poop trays nightly and do a quick spot clean up in the runs daily. There's no trace of any odor whatsoever.

 

[HEChicken]

Keep in mind other considerations too - like weather. If you live in a cold climate you are not going to want to traipse a long way first thing each morning to tend to the flock. Likewise, if you work hours that have you returning home after dark on a regular basis, you won't want to walk a long way in the dark to take care of them.

I don't notice much odor. Mine have a coop they sleep in and they free-range the backyard all day. Most of the year the floor of my coop is linoleum and I clean it out once a week or so. This winter I laid straw down about 4" thick and am letting it absorb the poop instead. When I stick my head in the coop I can smell a little odor (though its not strong) but from outside the coop I don't notice any.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Quote:
A coop wont give off any smell if it is kept clean and dry. I cleaned my tractor every day during the summer, turning over the shavings and adding de and shavings as necessary. Did a complete strip and new bedding just prior to the first snow. The tractor is parked now and i have about 6 inches of shavings in there right now. I freshen each week by adding shavings and keep it turned over so the poop drys out well.

We have 8 girls in a 4x8 tractor and they dont smell. Housekeeping is key. I did a major cleaning before the snow came and will do another full cleanout in the spring. The girls spend almost all day in their run (even now in winter) and I keep the run cleaned out for them this winter. We move the tractor around the yard during the rest of the year so no problems with the lawn being destroyed.

If you are building a permanent coop, consider drainage and shade very carefully. Any spots that collect water or are damp are not good places to build. Any spot that gets full sun all day long can also be a problem if you live in a warm climate. I almost lost one of my girls this summer because she didnt handle the heat well.

As far as how far away from the house, consider whether you will have to haul water and feed out during the wintertime. If you dont have a warmer for waterers, you will have to go out more often. If you are running an extension cord out to the coop, consider how far you have to run it.

Good luck and have fun. I hope that chicken math doesnt get you like it got me!!!!

 

[new chick 203]

We tidy the coop daily so no smell at all. Does it snow where you are? We have been hit hard with snow this year and you don't want to put it any farther away than you are willing to dig.

 

[WhySayWhat]

We're building our coop and run onto the side of our house. We're enclosing under the back deck (which is on the second floor) to give them a sheltered 12'x15' run that will also house their coop (building a 4'x6'x5' pallet coop). For us it's more of a "where can we build to make it safe for the chickens" question, since we have multiple predators including neighbor cats and crows. The area we picked is no where near our bedrooms or kitchen, which are all upstairs, but is where we spend a good portion of our days so we'll be able to see what's going on and keep them safe.