Coop Placement? - pic heavy

[nmr]

Hi all! I'm just getting into backyard chickens and we are picking up 4 chicks (Prairie Bluebell, Gold Laced Wyandotte, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Americana) next weekend. In our city, the limit is 6 chickens without a permit---which we at some point plan to apply for, but not until we're 100% on placement, drainage, etc. (all that info needs to be included in the permit application).

That said, I'm obsessing about getting a coop (I know we have 8-10 weeks before they go out, but I want things ready asap). I'm torn between trying to build a pallet coop (that will be inside an enclosed run) and buying one of those kits off Amazon until we can afford to buy a quality coop.

My husband and I just bought a house with 2 acres, it's triangular shaped and surrounded by woods/wetlands on two sides, the highway on one side (approx. 879ft and separated by a 4ft fence) and a residential road in the front.

The house is set back quite a ways from the street (more than 250 ft from nearest neighbors) and has a lot of trees, mostly pines but also a few oaks so we are not 100% sure what the tree coverage will look like when the rest of the trees are full of leaves.

That said, my current thoughts are to place the coop along the side of the property that abuts the highway, mostly to block the view of the highway and because it's close enough to the house that it'll be less of a drag going out in weather. This particular side also has a lot of usable land that we can clear out to expand the run and is on a slight slope---which I'm hoping would help with drainage.

.

It's hard to tell, but there is significant space between my property and the fence that marks the property line. There is even 1000+ feet from the fence to the highway.

My second thought is to put the coop on the other side of our workshop (and pull out the bush next to it). It'll be a little more a pain to get to in snow, but it's also guaranteed more sunlight.

This is just a rough sketch of the area around the house. The patio is off-limits, husband has big plans for that space.

I'm wondering what others think, I'm also wondering about drainage and how to handle that.

Thanks!!!
Natasha

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC!
Where are you located in general? You can (and should ) update your profile with that information so it displays with all of your posts.

I strongly advise against buying a pre-fab. They NEVER EVER house as many birds as they claim. If you are thinking about a pallet coop, you have the skills to build. I'd get the pallets ASAP and get going. You will want to move the chicks out much sooner than 8 weeks. More like 4 weeks. Better still would be to brood them directly in the new coop but that obviously isn't possible if you are getting them in a week. There are some really good coop articles for using pallets to build. You can get some great ideas there.

As long as you place your coop and run on high ground, it will drain. Shade is very important in the heat of summer but having some access to sun is also important as the birds love to sun bathe.

I would place the coop where you have easy access to run power to it. You will want that in the winter when you have to run heaters to keep the water thawed out. I also run seedling heat mats in my nest boxes to keep the eggs from freezing. And it's very nice to have lights in the coop when you have to work with the flock at night or early morning.

 

[nmr]

Hi! I'm outside Boston.

In between both sides of where I'm thinking about putting the coop is our workshop, which has electrical outlets inside and out. I'm just going over my city's bylaws and it seems the coop has to be a minimum of 25 ft away from the house. We don't live in the workshop so I think closer to that is fine.

Getting pallets isn't an issue my school gets like 10-15 every week and no one does anything with them. And they're the pressure treated kind

Thanks for the input!!!

 

[nmr]

Is composting a sufficient waste management plan? I know chicken poo is black gold for gardeners and we definitely plan to have some sort of garden.

The permit application for 7+ chickens wants:
-a manure management plan (composting?)

-a feed management plan (I thought we'd keep the feed in airtight containers in the garage or the workshop)

-a pest management plan (coop raised on cinderblocks?)

-and a plan for deceased animals (bury?)

 

[DobieLover]

Is composting a sufficient waste management plan? I know chicken poo is black gold for gardeners and we definitely plan to have some sort of garden.

The permit application for 7+ chickens wants:
-a manure management plan (composting?)

-a feed management plan (I thought we'd keep the feed in airtight containers in the garage or the workshop)

-a pest management plan (coop raised on cinderblocks?)

-and a plan for deceased animals (bury?)

All the plans sound feasible except for pest management. The best pest management is ensure there are no openings greater than 1/2" in the coop or run and to take up feed at night.
Elevating the coop without enclosing the underside in 1/2" hardware cloth with a 2 foot predator apron will allow pests to burrow under the coop.

 

[nmr]

All the plans sound feasible except for pest management. The best pest management is ensure there are no openings greater than 1/2" in the coop or run and to take up feed at night.
Elevating the coop without enclosing the underside in 1/2" hardware cloth with a 2 foot predator apron will allow pests to burrow under the coop.

Good to know! So, is there really any benefit to raised over not raised?




Thanks!

 

[DobieLover]

Good to know! So, is there really any benefit to raised over not raised?




Thanks!

If I was starting from scratch building a pallet coop, I'd put down about 6" of crusher run or driveway base that was 1 foot larger than my coop footprint all the way around then I'd run a plate compactor over it to settle it and level it out. Then I'd lay out 2 pressure treated 4x4s (rated for ground contact) parallel for skids and build my floor framing on top of that.
I had a raised floor coop I could not walk in. It was horrible for me to work in. I converted a shed that sits on the ground. Much better but it's slightly out of level.
I completely enclosed under the coop to keep mice away.

 

[nmr]

If I was starting from scratch building a pallet coop, I'd put down about 6" of crusher run or driveway base that was 1 foot larger than my coop footprint all the way around then I'd run a plate compactor over it to settle it and level it out. Then I'd lay out 2 pressure treated 4x4s (rated for ground contact) parallel for skids and build my floor framing on top of that.
I had a raised floor coop I could not walk in. It was horrible for me to work in. I converted a shed that sits on the ground. Much better but it's slightly out of level.
I completely enclosed under the coop to keep mice away.

My ultimate goal is a walk-in shed/coop of some sort.

 

[Ridgerunner]

As far as locating the coop and run my main criteria is drainage. A wet coop and run is a problem, a dry one is much easier to manage. A coop or run that stays wet is likely to stink, can be unhealthy, and it's just no fun tromping around in mud. If water drains to it or stands you probably will have issues.

You mention drainage several times, sounds like you understand that. When the weather sets in wet it's really challenging to keep it dry, even a covered run will have rain or snow blow in from the side. But if you have good drainage that situation is a lot easier to mange. I'll include a link that may help you decide how to build it. The lady that wrote that article said she lived in a swamp in Ontario.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop.47807/

My second criteria is convenience to you. You will be going out there at least twice a day to feed, water, gather eggs, lock them up at night, let them out in the morning, whatever. If you have to wade through water to get there, well that gets old. You'll be carrying stuff. Where will you be storing feed? Where will you get your water. Will you be doing some of that in the dark? Some people have strong opinions about shade or sun or the coop should face a certain direction. As far as I'm concerned you and the chickens can deal with all that stuff wherever you put it. The easier and more convenient it is for you the better job you will do dealing with it.

Electricity is a huge convenience. Having a light so you can see at night is really nice. In Massachusetts you will need to provide thawed water in winter. There are different ways to do that, not everybody uses heated water. But electricity gives you that option.

You might follow the link in my signature to get some of my thoughts on space. I don't give you magic numbers per chicken but it's more of things to think about. I always encourage you to go big instead of small. I find the more I crowd them the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the more flexibility I have to deal with issues that pop up. That's for both the coop and run. If you notice, these are as much to reduce my stress levels as it is for the chickens' benefit.

The permit application for 7+ chickens wants:

That is an interesting list, and pretty well thought out. All those things are important. I don't know how detailed you have to get with those explanations.

-a manure management plan (composting?)

Composting is how I handle mine. I use droppings boards to collect pure poop and put that on my compost pile. If the poop gets too thick on the compost pile it can draw flies and smell. So you may need to turn it to mix it up. I often cover mine with a thick layer of grass trimmings to keep flies away and smell down.

I empty my coop bedding once every three or four years in the fall and spread that stuff on my garden. By spring planting time it has broken down sufficiently so it's not a problem. Your coop will be a lot smaller and you will likely have to empty it out more often, maybe to a compost pile.

Some people use the Deep Litter Method and turn their coop floor or run into a compost pile. The DLM needs to be managed like a compost pile so you'll maybe need to go into that a bit.

-a feed management plan (I thought we'd keep the feed in airtight containers in the garage or the workshop)

This should be part of your pest management plan. In general feed needs to stay dry so it doesn't mold and needs to stay out of direct sunlight or it loses nutrient value. You also want it to be fairly fresh. You do not want pests such as rodents, raccoons, possums, deer, or weevils to get in it. Storing it in a metal garbage can with a tight fitting lid works pretty well, but test the lid before you take the can and lid home from the store. Not all fit the same.

-a pest management plan (coop raised on cinderblocks?)

Chicken feed will attract certain pests. You can try enclosing everything in hardware cloth to keep everything out but the bigger your coop and run are the harder that is to achieve. Doors or gates, windows, corners, and joints can provide a weak point. Some people manage that but it can be challenging. Chickens often spill feed when they are eating. That spilled feed can attract rodents even if you lock the feed up at night. Locking the feed up at night would sound good on the permit application, probably don't need to go any further.

There are ways you can build a coop to minimize the chances of a mouse building a nest in it. Chickens will eat mice if they can catch them but many coops provide safe places for them to build a nest, hollow walls for example. That's one reason to not insulate the coop.

In my opinion, if you build an elevated coop it needs to be elevated enough for the chickens to be able to access it so they keep mice and such pests away. Or build it on the ground as a floor provides a safe place underneath for mice to nest.

Various pests, not limited to mice or rats, are attracted to clutter, like trash piles or overgrown areas. Keeping the coop/run area clear of brush, tall grass, or trash will help with pest management.

-and a plan for deceased animals (bury?)

In your situation, probably bury. Dogs, foxes, or coyotes may dig up a buried chicken if they can smell it. When I bury in my orchard I put wire mesh over that area weighted down with pavers for a couple of weeks to keep critters from digging it up. Usually I bury it in the garden, which is fenced to keep critters out.

It's very possible your town has specific rules about trash pick-up and dead animal disposal. It might be beneficial to know what those are before you put in your permit application. What will you do with a dead chicken if your ground is frozen so you can't bury it?

I don't know how detailed your permit application needs to be or if they even have anyone looking at it that actually knows what they are doing. I don't know if it is better to be very simple or pretty detailed. Often simple is better. If you can find someone that has been through the process they may give you valuable advice.

Before I retired I had to submit permits to a federal agency for offshore platform installation. That specific permit required a lot pf detail. But one thing that helped me was that the guy reviewing it had a specific checklist of things he was looking for. He put it together himself from the various legislation he had to follow. He gave me a copy of that checklist, it wasn't secret. Looks like you have that checklist from your questions above. Follow that checklist closely and in order. That makes it easier for them to check your permit and may reduce the number of questions they have for you.

 

[aart]

The permit application for 7+ chickens wants:
-a manure management plan (composting?)

-a feed management plan (I thought we'd keep the feed in airtight containers in the garage or the workshop)

-a pest management plan (coop raised on cinderblocks?)

-and a plan for deceased animals (bury?)

Wow, that looks like pot holed road!
Do they offer any suggestions for these line items?