Are chickens under the front porch, ultimately going to stink up the place!?

[Lazy Farmer]

My Jack Russell makes regular patrols under there.

If the doggie makes routine visits under there, less of a chance for a broody girl to create a privacy nest. That is a security breach. Hens need privacy and a secure location. Jack Russell chilling out under the porch makes the location not very advantageous for secret nesting purposes.

These were born under our deck. I thought a coon killed this hen. She appeared one day with these chicks. I placed them in a brooder. THEY SMELLED SO BAD! The rest of the nest must of rotted and got on them.

 

[Chickassan]

I've never had just plain old laying hens do that, games oh yes indeed! But no issues at all with ranging layers. I keep alot of spaced out and varied nesting spots though to keep the dissent at a minimum. I just added one a couple days ago since I caught my big cranky delaware sitting on a faverolles pecking her trying for her nest spot. Made no sense, added a fancy new box and the delaware took it immediately for herself crisis averted.

View attachment 1262888 Not always.. They might not feel like sharing a nest box one day or get bullied and deterred from using it/them.
Free ranging enables them to break old habits and create new ones. I have tons of contained birds who are forced to conform with routine. But my free will flock, between the 15ish of them, half will use the nesting boxes provided in a safe location and in ultra clean status.
But the ornery non conformant ladies will choose a new location each time there is a security breach. I find the nests, remove the eggs and that is the last time she will lay in that spot. It's a natural instinct for her to find a private nesting location with free range birds. Protecting her future offspring.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Darth Vader trying to find the secret rebel base of rogue hens!

 

[lazy gardener]

My flock hangs out under their coop. The coop is 10 x 12, and there is no way I could get under it, even if I had to. But, I can reach under it with a long handled rake. I've had to retrieve the occasional egg. And, I make it a practice to make sure to look under there at least 3 - 4 x/week. I have to almost stand on my head to do so. I was going to put a skirt around the whole coop to keep them out, but decided not to, b/c like OP, I decided it made sense to allow them that space for predator security, and weather protection when they did not want to go into the coop. Biggest risk is a rotten egg. Advantage: IMO, allowing them under the coop makes it less likely that a skunk, rat, mice would use that space for a hang out.

OP, if you keep an eye on that space, and can access it if needed to remove any eggs, or heaven forbid, a sick or dead bird, then you should be ok. If it does start to get smelly, you can then put down a good layer of sweet PDZ, and block it off.

 

[squadleader]

Yeah, most of the the porch openings, between the brick support columns, have a token covering of white plastic type trellis material, so the area under the porch is hard to check, or get a rake to.

There's 5 or six trellis pieces, I'm going to go old school, Jed Clampet style, and remove the trellis and put it in the shed.

I'll be able to check the area, get a rake under there, plus it'll provide more light, and less privacy, discouraging secret nest under there!

Connie I'm with you, I would have given any hen who didn't come to evening roll call as dead. Ha, I'll have to keep that in mind if one of my hens goes missing.

If I recall, it's 21 days for an egg to hatch, I surely would have given her up for dead after three weeks. What a cute surprise, and addition to the flock!