Coop Location

[Urbanwiscochickens]

The chickens my wife purchased feom work will be in tomorrow, I have a coop and run design I am going with however, I am stuck on a location. How far or close to your house is a comfortable distance to keep the coop? I have a full city block for a backyard, with the railroad running on one side. I am thinking close to my garage for use of the available electricity. If anyone is interested I can get pictures after work. Thanks for your input.

 

[[E]thernet]

A couple of meters away from the house is fine. Some councils might have a regulation on how the coop can be to a fence.

 

[Urbanwiscochickens]

I forgot to include that until after I made original post, ordinances says 2' from neighboring property line. With that being said, I have streets on 2 sides, railroad tracks on another, and an empty lot on the 4th side.

 

[Dmontgomery]

Coops can get smelly if not maintained properly. If you are able to keep it clean, put it as close to the house/garage as possible. If you don’t have the time to keep it cleaned out weekly, you will probably want more “breathing room”.
You don’t want to trudge thru a lot snow or rain to collect eggs every day. Make sure the area has good drainage (high ground).

 

[lazy gardener]

Before you spend time and money building your coop, do some research on the Woods open air style coop. This coop works well in all climates, including snow country. Also, do some research on deep litter management in both coop and run. This style of management will make your coop/run care super easy, eliminate odors, and provide a great amount of rich black compost for your gardens (or if you don't garden, you could even sell the stuff!) To do DLM successfully, I recommend a walk in style coop AND RUN! THe woods coop would give you coop/run in a single unit and the birds would benefit greatly from year round fresh air. Though, even if I was blessed with a Woods coop, I would still provide an extra run. Birds crave lots of space. Crowded birds are stressed birds. General recommendation is for AT LEAST 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. Ventilation: 1 s.f./bird or 10% of floor space, which ever number is greater.

As for location: A diagram of your lot, including compass orientation would be helpful. Generally: Some or a lot of shade is good. Windows and doors on South and East (especially if prevailing winds and storm patterns come from the west)

Far enough away from neighbors that chicken cackle and any transient poo odors will not be noticed. A privacy fence can help greatly. Close enough to house so that you don't have to do a lot of shoveling to go out to tend birds in a storm, and close enough so that you can easily run power to coop.

Check your building codes regarding size and "permanence of structure" so that you don't get zapped with a huge property tax bill increase.

 

[lazy gardener]

If at all possible avoid pre fab coops: over priced, falsely advertised, poorly built, and they do not meet the needs of the chicken OR the owner.

 

[Ridgerunner]

All other things even close to equal, my main consideration for coop and run is how well it drains. If the coop and/or run are wet they will stink. If they are dry they are tremendously easier to maintain. So look at the drainage and pick a dry spot.

Having electricity out there is a huge bonus. It gives you a lot of flexibility, which I find a tremendous bonus. Electricity does not trump drainage but would be a factor for me.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

You want to look into how the coop is positioned too, relative to the sun's directional course.

 

[50-45-1]

I wonder if you are inside city limits?make sure your local city ordinance allows them.
Are you getting chicks or full size chickens?
There is so much information on this site for coop design. You can go thru gallery and look at what other people have designed. There is also a thred about what people have reporposed for there coop. One thing i know for sure, most who get a few chickens will likely want more, so build bigger than you need now. A little extra room never hurts.
Dont use a part of your yard that you will need later, like for a garden spot or prime spot for that pool you have been dreaming about.
Our building code specified a maximum square footage above which we would need to purchase a building permit...so our coop is 4 inches below that limit.
Have fun.

 

[Urbanwiscochickens]

Yes, we are in city limits. Our ordinances state as long as it is moveable and not a permanent structure and under $2000 total cost including $60/ hour labor if built then its ok. Also must be 2' from neighboring property line.