Coop Against Fence?

[slomerrills]

Thank you all for helping me on my first couple of posts. I have never know a site to be so kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. WIth incredibly prompt responses to boot! I have torn down one side of my L-shape area. The area is in a corner bordered by fencing. One side is 4'x11'. the other section adds an additional 4x 5.5'. In the center of the square is an orange tree I want to keep bountiful, hence the L-shape. Should I maintain a gap between the coop and the fence? If I have boarding up on this side right next to the fence, so the chickens don't destroy the fence, can I still get adequate ventilation on the other sides of the coop? I'm thinking to put the coop on the 4x11 side. I will have 4 chickens. So the coop should be 4x7. The rest can be the run. I will elevate the coop to add so extra run space, by 18". Is this a good plan? I have help today (thank God!!!) and am trying to beat tomorrow's rain.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Who legally owns/maintains the fence? If it's shared with a neighbor it may be problematic to build anything INTO the fence.

I assume if you leave a gap, there's enough space in the gap for you to get in for maintenance?

 

[3KillerBs]

I have the same question, is it your fence? If it is your fence, do you have ready access to the other side of the fence?

If you leave a gap you'll want to be able to walk in there with a weed whacker or to push your mower through for regular maintenance.

 

[aart]

No matter who owns the fence,
I would advise leaving a 2-3' gap between for maintenance on fence and coop.
Not to mention adding predator protection, like an anti-dig apron.
Probably good to check into set backs for building anything, especially a chicken coop, next to a property line.

 

[K0k0shka]

One more vote for leaving a maintenance space between the fence and the chicken structures. And absolutely check your town laws regarding setbacks if this is a property line. Get it in writing from the town authorities if you can't find anything definitive. I'm serious, no phone calls, have them send you a letter with the word of the law written down. I had a horrible experience last summer with town laws that were vague and a neighbor who tried to go after me full force. It got ugly. Don't build anything anywhere near a property line until you have the okay from the town written on paper (I had called the town and they had told me okay, later said not okay, said I should've asked to have it written down the first time because now I can't prove who said what...)

P.S. It doesn't matter if your current neighbor is "nice". Mine seemed "nice" at first too. Also, people move. There's no guarantee that the next owner will be okay with it even if the current one is. Plan for the long run unless you want to move your coop at some point (did that, not fun).