An absolute stealth coop issue

[sumu]

Hello all!

Our city allows up to 4 hens per household but with the OK of all neighbors. We live in an expensive upscale neighborhood and one neighbor refused to sign permission, thinking I was going to erect a chicken coop in the front yard. I was never even able to discuss it with him. Undaunted, I am bound and determined to prove to him that he will NEVER see a "chicken coop", and that I can have 3 chickens he will never detect or hear or smell. Our lot is almost 3/4 of an acre but it is mostly visible from that neighbor's house. there are plenty of bushes and plantings I can use to hide fencing, runs, etc. so I can landscape to hide some of the chicken space.

My idea is to make a coop out of a horizontal storage shed or perhaps a small vertical one with a minimum of 32 cubic ft (about 12 sq ft of floor). (Adaptation of which is discussion for another time)

My problem is the run.
1) if I get the smaller storage shed it will fit under a window against the house and I can devise and attached run. No problem.

2) If I get the larger shed, it has to go against the garage wall, but there can be no attached run because the coop would sit on a paved pathway that leads to a patio. Across the walkway is a place for an adequate run.

How do I get the chickens to the run? This run is also camouflaged, hidden in bushes, painted green, whatever and undetectable from the neighbor's house.

I plan to set this all up and (without chickens) dare him to detect the coop and run.

Any suggestions?

Thank you for any help and suggestion you have.

Suzanne

 

[Nyowpotopop]

A trail of treats tends to get birds from place A to place B pretty easy. Consider planting climbing vines on the run to help make it "decorative".

 

[DanEP]

All you need for 4 chickens is a 4x4 coop and remember chickens are short so a coop 3 ft tall will work. I would add the nest boxes outside the coop tho for more room inside. Also the run could be the same height but needs to be 40 square feet say 4 x10 or 3 x 14 and could be hidden behind bushes if needed. While this is not as easy to work with as a tall coop and run it would work.

 

[Life is Good!]

You can also use 'chicken pathways' - think mini-hoop tunnels for a garden (like to start plants with in cool springtime). Here's a link to one that's attached to a raised bed - http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/8377/mini-hoop-house

If you make it detachable, moveable - you could simply set it up in position, open the appropriate doors (on coop and on run), then 'lure' the chickens through it using something wonderful like grapes or mealworms - the first few times, they'll be hesitant, but after a while, they'll get the drill. Then, close the doors and remove the tunnel for the day. To lure them to bed, reverse the above.

I've used these to get chickens to my garden beds. They look kinda funny running through a tunnel made of chicken wire and reinforced with oversized croquet hoops! But it works!

 

[joan1708]

IMO. Your most likely not going to want to mess with more than opening or closing a door in the morning and evening to move birds. So I think tunnels may work, I've seen some nice ones on this website, but I don't think you'll be happy with herding chickens.

I also have to hide my birds. I made sure my coop/run is behind a fence, under tall bushes, not visible from any neighbors window or roofs. There is a story of a lady in seattle who was turned in when a neighbor saw her coup while working on his roof. I did ask all my neighbors and they all said OK but I live in an HOA in a city with way too restrictive chicken laws.

While your trying to convince your neighbor your coop will not be visible, I think you will also have to assure him you will not attract rats/mice/predators by leaving feed out at night, will use hardware cloth and not chicken wire. You will make your fences strong enough to keep out roaming neighborhood dogs. You won't be threatening neighbors with shooting their dogs because they got in your yard and killed your chickens.

There is so much nonsense out there I understand why communities and cities are so unnecessarily anti-backyard chickens. Sorry I got on my soapbox.

 

[sumu]

Right you are about herding chickens!
There is no question of leaving any kind of food out at night. We are on the outer edges of the city and field mice, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, skunks, racoons, the odd possum, hawks, falcons, turkey vultures and now displaced deer are ever-present. We have one helluva hunter cat who can even bring down bats and red squirrels;she always leaves us "gifts" by the doorway and on the patio every morning, so I am not too concerned about the rodents. I will of course provide strong chain fencing and cover to keep out the predators. Something like a dog kennel without a floor.
Oh, and the closer neighbors are animal lovers, signed the consent and will not nark on me. I guess I have to be resigned to a tiny coop then.

Thanks, Joan!

 

[sumu]

Great idea - I had kind of envisioned something like this in lieu of a pasture setup, but had no idea how to construct it.

Thanks!

 

[suzyQlou]

Unless the neighbor is a totally unreasonable one, I think I'd go talk to him. You say you didn't get a chance to do that yet?

I would draw up some cute plans, stop by with a dozen cookies, and see if he'll reconsider. Ask if there's anything he'd like to see changed. Be flexible. See if he's willing to sign up for a trial period.

It's going to be awfully hard to keep chickens silent on 3/4 acres. And even well managed chickens will stink a little in wet weather. But if you can address his major concerns (50 stinky chickens in the front yard) I bet you can convince him. And it will be less stressful for you down the line. If you go ahead without his permission, it may lead to resentment on his part, and a big battle.

 

[Coop de Grille]

Unless the neighbor is a totally unreasonable one, I think I'd go talk to him. You say you didn't get a chance to do that yet?

I would draw up some cute plans, stop by with a dozen cookies, and see if he'll reconsider. Ask if there's anything he'd like to see changed. Be flexible. See if he's willing to sign up for a trial period.

It's going to be awfully hard to keep chickens silent on 3/4 acres. And even well managed chickens will stink a little in wet weather. But if you can address his major concerns (50 stinky chickens in the front yard) I bet you can convince him. And it will be less stressful for you down the line. If you go ahead without his permission, it may lead to resentment on his part, and a big battle.

I agree with Suzy. Get permission or you might have to deal with a lot of BS in the future. I live on 4 acres and all my neighbors around me have minimum the same number of acreage. I can hear my neighbors chickens and they can hear mine. I don't keep roosters, but a laying hen's (or four) egg song can be heard for many acres. I'm pretty new to keeping chickens but I cannot imagine chickens being quiet enough for a neighbor 3/4's of an acre away. Especially if they are on the lookout for an illegal coop.

 

[sumu]

I agree with you both, suzyQlou and Coup. I did go over with the consent form to sign and pix of my original coop design to show them; they refused to sign, stating that this was the city (it's not really, but whatever) and chickens look trashy (they really can in a front yard, sorry). I mentioned that people a few blocks away had them and she said that they were the ones who got them dead set against chickens and they thought it was awful.

Do 3 hens really make that much noise? With a tall barrier of trees and bushes, and growth between us, not to mention the great distance between our houses, and the noise of their barking terrier? In addition there will be bushes and shrubs around the outside run area.

Be that as it may, I only plan to set the whole thing up and then ask him again.

That said, how do I install a closing pop door in a resin/plastic shed? I have no tools to speak of but can ask around or rent. Any ideas?

Thanks