Best location for a coop?

[bikerchicky]

I am in the process of creating a coop out of an old chain link dog pen and wanted to locate it next to the pump house. With 3-5 chickens I figued that would be a good location as the pump house would protect them on one side from weather and wind, and it's rather close to trees for shade in the afternoon and morning sun. The husband feels that is too close to the well and could contaminate the water. Has anyone dealt with a coop near a pump house? If so, what did you do to manage the poop drain off into the well?

Thanks.

 

[math ace]

Three hours and no one has responded to this yet ? ?

OK, I will WADE in where others fear to go... LOL...

I don't know how deep they dig wells where you are at, but I would think the well would be way too deep to ever have to fear contamination from the chicken poo.

In my coops, I put hay on the ground and then remove the hay AND poops weekly. The whole layer of hay and poop is transferred to my compost pile. Later on, I transfer the hay and poop to my garden. As far as the dirt in my runs... the chickens will quickly destroy all grass that you have in the pen. You too will have nothing but dirt. I add fresh dirt to the runs about once every 18 months. I have yet to figure out where the dirt goes, but it disappears over time. When I see the level of dirt getting below the bottom frame of the run, I bring in enough dirt to raise it up the 4" on the 2 x 4.

Maybe someone else can explain where the dirt disappears too...

Anyways, I would not worry about that contaminating the well water either because the wells are dung so deep and I don't overcrowd my runs so mother nature gets a chance to do her thing with the poo AND I let my girls get out and free range a lot. I get more worried, much more worried, about where the girls are leaving their land mines when free ranging... I hate having to watch where I am stepping!

When the girls become excessively friendly, they hang out at the back door looking for treats. Then I have to deal with land mines as soon as I step off the back steps - YUCK...

 

[oletymer]

I think the chickens slowing eat it with there scratching all day

 

[fried green eggs]

For just a few birds - I wouldn't worry at all about it being too close to your well unless, you have a very very shallow well. I would put down course sand in the run as it drains well and requires little maintenance. The course sand will give the birds natural gravel and they love dust baths in it. I also have sand inside the coops instead of shavings as it is much easier to sift to clean and last.

 

[bikerchicky]

Thanks for the input. I will bring this up to the husband and also let him know my ideas for drainage. We have large granite pieces from broken counter tops that I was considering using as a base for my coop (to help prevent predators as well as drainage). If I do that and put sand/gravel over it, and place the pieces so they drian away from the pump house, perhaps this will appease him.

 

[Smoochie]

If the well is deep it should not be a problem. I would cover the run (tarp, plywood, poly, anything) to keep it drier and put down base material followed by horse wood pellets (not soaked). This way the poop will not run downstream into the ground when it rains.. For extra protection.

 

[math ace]

You may want to try to get some opinions from the folks that are in the area that you live in. Each region of the US has their own issues, unique issues, when it comes to chicken husbandry. Issues range from predators, to worms / parasites, to climate issues, to the terrain itself. All effect how you build your coop and the issues to keep in mind while building it. For instance, I live in SUNNY Florida. This morning our temps were in the 30's. However, this is not the common weather issue for us. We have more chickens dropping dead from heat related issues than we ever will the cold. In our environment, we are mostly concerned about keeping the birds cool. Check in your state's thread and see if there are special issues in your area of the US that could effect the coop placement.