Coop Placement

[Kmf]

Hi,
I am trying to design our new coop and also trying to decided where to locate it. My question is this... I have read that the coop should face south, but what they didn't say was what part of the coop? The chicken door part, a window or what. They say that the run will dry out quickly when facing south, I get that (besides the run is open and there is always a side facing south!) Please help me out! I want my chickies to be as happy as can be! Thanks!

 

[Hypnotist_Collectr]

I'm not sure... you've got me thinking, since my plan was to have our run facing north... we are "illegal" here (Our yard is 4,000 sq ft too small to be legal... (Hubby brought them home as a present for me, but didn't do his research. Sigh.)
We have a big oak tree that has long branches that will be hiding our run and providing much needed shade for our 100+ degree summer days.) We're building the coop to look like a shed/playhouse.
If I point the run south, both sides of our neighbors will see... One, I am not worried about, as she is a retiring woman who is super sweet... but the other side of us, the house is empty, so who knows who will be moving in, or coming in and out of there doing "inspections"... Hmm...
I'll be subscribing to this thread so I can get the answer, too.

I hope I can have my run under the oak tree... if not, I am at a loss for hiding my girls.

 

[LynneP]

Coop placement depends heavily on climate. You have winters, so having a window on the south side is a good thing, and coops need to be positioned so that disposal of droppings and bedding is at least 50' from the coop so the birds do not get infected with mold spores. How far and over what terrain you have to carry waste material is important too, and a site where you can back your truck up close to deliver feed and bedding. Will you have water in the coop or do you have to haul it? What about links to electricity? Placement is related to safety too- electrical cords are a huge fire hazard.

The oak tree may provide summer shade, but watch those acorns- red oaks are poisonous, white oak acorns are feed. Oak branches are big so trim to prevent cracking limbs in winter or storms.

If soil is sandy you will have better drainage than if it is clay and with clay you might need sand in the run and to pay more attention to sloping and eavestroughs. Be sure your coop is away from your well, some zoning regs require specific distances, ours is 150'. You need to know where your underground water pipes and drainage tiles are before digging and how deep you can dig around your run to install predator protection. Roof the run if possible, not only for ease of care but to shield the chickens from any neighbor who might be objectionable.

Your roofs need to bear a snow load, and the direction of prevailing winds in all seasons needs to be taken into account. Coops must be well ventilated in hot weather and capable of having the vents snugged down in extreme cold.

I urge you to visit the hundreds of coop sites here to get ideas!

We have a climate similar to yours to please let me know if I can assist. Have fun!

 

[Hypnotist_Collectr]

Thanks for the heads up on the oak tree.

I had read that someplace, but forgot about it. Oops. Worse comes to worse, I am thinking of putting up a bamboo fence around the run to hide it, if we have to put it towards the south. Next to the house, we are planning on putting a playhouse for our kids, so I think f we have a little fenced in "yard" between the houses, nobody would think a thing???

The branches on the oak tree ARE huge, and I was standing underneath it the other day thinking how hard it'll be to trim... I think I am gonna go out there right now & do some investigating and trimming. Thinking about a branch toppling our hen house is not a pleasant thought!

 

[Sillystunt]

humm so is it the run or door that points south?? I never even investagated when building mine. I believe my door and run are south and the entrance to the coop is north.

maybe i should subscribe as well since we are building a new coop

 

[MamaJohnson]

Built my coop under the sprawling arms of a huge tree (not sure what kind, but not acorn bearing), and I love it! It blocks rain, snow, wind, and provides cool shade. My chicks usually roost in there during the hottest parts of the day because it's so much cooler than outside.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

If you were in a hot climate, you would want to avoid south and western exposures as much as possible. But every location has different features that need to be considered.

 

[Slywoody]

In snow and cold country, it's a good idea to have the windows and the door on the south side.

 

[Kmf]

Thanks for the great info!!! It will definitely help out!

The place that I would like to put them backs up the the woods (The woods are on the south side) Would that make a difference? It is nice and shady in the summer, but I am concerned about the winter. What do you think?

 

[LynneP]

Shelter from winter storms will be a positive thing, do you have any pictures of how the snow accumulated there in past years? Will you be able to get into the coop easily?