Coop at the end of our house? Still needing feedback.

We have a very long farmhouse and have a very large shed at the end of it. We are planning on converting part of it to coop this weekend. This is really a good spot for several reasons. We won't need to spend much to convert it. We can get to it right from the house without going outside, which is key in the winter. Our dogs and cats will be able to help keep predators away as their is a pet door from the house into the shed.

Any flaws in this plan, as in smells, etc?

Thanks.

sounds like a good place!

smell - if you use PDZ (sprinkle over bedding it removes the amonia smell)
I buy from agway

I had mine in front of the living room windows, and never noticed a smell. Good luck, sounds like a nice spot!!!

The dogs won't be in direct contact with the chickens though...I'd be leery if they were.

I like the idea of easy access in winter. Have you considered a predator-proof cleanup chute to an outside bin for those awful snow days? We have challenging winters too.

As long as you are extra-good on sanitation and coop ventilation I see no problem. I would be tempted to warn "but you will have more mice in your house", except htat if you're in an old farmhouse you already probably have enough mice in the walls and cabinets that a few more won't matter <g>

Have fun,

Pat

A couple of thoughts...

There is the potential for a lot of dust to end up in your living area. You need venting in the hen house, as well as floor litter. I would be concerned that every time you open the door to the hen house, that fine dust and feathers will waft into your home.

Smell? You will have to replace litter more frequently, and there is the potential from smells to come from the outside run area, via the chicken door.

I suppose that if you have a good seal on the door between your shed and the house, and always close that door before opening the door to the hen house, you could prevent some of these problems. You may have to remove the pet door though. That also may prevent your pets from constantly harassing the hens. I know that when your chickens first arrive, your cats, and dogs will be "very" interested in the birds, and will probably be out scratching and sniffing at the coop door regularly. I know my dog when given the opportunity, will stand at the door to the coop, sniffing, whining, and even licking the door.

I did the same thing. I was going to convert a shed farther out on the acre then decided to keep them close. I will connect their run to the back gate so they can get out to free range when I am around.

Well Id take this post with a grain of salt
The friend who has encouraged me and is taking me under hios wing in this new found love of farming chicken has an incredible set up 100% efficiently ran ...that being said it still has a semi strong smell to it ..and that is why I decided not to put it to close to the house
And im sure you can do as other have said and clean it more often ..but part of the apeal for me is the ease and mininum involvment

And make sure you have some good shoe cleaning mats or take those shoes off, cuz its amazing how far you can track that litter!

Not a bad idea at all. My setup is similar, it's about 25 ft. from my house added onto an existing outbuilding. In the summer you will have a little bit of a smell but it's not too bad. If you make sure your floor stays dry you shouldn't have many problems with odor at all. Good Luck!