Burn pile distance from chickens?

[Jen H]

Hi! This is our first batch of chickens. Ours are in their outside enclosure and coop now and are about 10 weeks old. We have a spot where we had burned yard waste in the past (we are in a rural area) about 30 feet from the chickens. My husband wants to burn today, so I wanted to check to see how far away the chickens should be from the burn pile...any help with this would be appreciated. We were thinking about putting a sheet to cover the side closest to the burn pile to help protect them from drifting smoke as well. Typically when we burn, the pile is about 3 feet high and about 4x4. We will add to that as it burns down so the fire doesn't get too big, but because we feed in things gradually, it means we are usually burning for 4-5 hours. Thanks for any helpful hints you have.

 

[Jen H]

What did you end up doing?

I would assume it's best for chickens to be out of the smoke, so wind patterns probably make a big difference to how close is "safe" for the fire to the chicken pen.

We kept an eye on the wind and put a sheet over the side closest to the fire to shield them from the smoke. They seemed to do just fine.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I would think they would avoid the burn area. As long as it doesn't get too hot for them it is probably ok.
I burn but my chickens aren't confined to a pen near it. They move away from the spot.

 

[NatJ]

What did you end up doing?

I would assume it's best for chickens to be out of the smoke, so wind patterns probably make a big difference to how close is "safe" for the fire to the chicken pen.

 

[David61]

Blowing smoke would be my concern.