Coop under deck question

[danepup]

Long story short, I've found myself in a position to possibly have chickens again. I have four dogs, so chicken safety is of utmost concern. In not wanting to take over yard space, I have identified the possibility of a good chicken location being under my deck. The height from the ground to the bottom of the deck is 9 feet. I think this would be a good location because it's shielded by the house on two sides, is near a hose hook-up and an electrical outlet. I also found out the carpentry department at my local community college made a 6 x 10 enclosed coop with run last year and they'll sell it to me and deliver it to me (I also work at the college). My question is this - is this run enough for four hens (I'm restricted to six hens by the city but because I cannot free roam them in my yard due to safety from the dogs, I want to make sure they have enough space - plus it's just me who will be using their eggs) and how do I address the ground covering, which is currently river stone over the black weed paper? I don't want to discard the stone - after all - it was just replenished at the start of the summer - but I read that they would be better off on wood chips (not bark) and no black weed paper as it traps droppings and can cause smells (which I don't want near the house) and other problems. I welcome thoughts. Below is a picture of under my deck and a picture of the coop.

Thanks.
Alissa

 

[Big Doggie]

Long story short, I've found myself in a position to possibly have chickens again. I have four dogs, so chicken safety is of utmost concern. In not wanting to take over yard space, I have identified the possibility of a good chicken location being under my deck. The height from the ground to the bottom of the deck is 9 feet. I think this would be a good location because it's shielded by the house on two sides, is near a hose hook-up and an electrical outlet. I also found out the carpentry department at my local community college made a 6 x 10 enclosed coop with run last year and they'll sell it to me and deliver it to me (I also work at the college). My question is this - is this run enough for four hens (I'm restricted to six hens by the city but because I cannot free roam them in my yard due to safety from the dogs, I want to make sure they have enough space - plus it's just me who will be using their eggs) and how do I address the ground covering, which is currently river stone over the black weed paper? I don't want to discard the stone - after all - it was just replenished at the start of the summer - but I read that they would be better off on wood chips (not bark) and no black weed paper as it traps droppings and can cause smells (which I don't want near the house) and other problems. I welcome thoughts. Below is a picture of under my deck and a picture of the coop. View attachment 2276441
View attachment 2276442
View attachment 2276443
View attachment 2276444

Thanks.
Alissa

Looks like a pretty generous space for a run. The recommendation for run area is 10sf per bird so it looks like you have plenty if you’re planning to use the whole area. As far as your stone goes... you might want to use it in another part of your yard. Be a shame to waste it.

 

[aart]

I would not put a chicken run on gravel under a deck........it will stink to high heaven.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Nice looking coop but could use more ventilation. The inner coop wall facing into the run space would be an ideal spot to add generous ventilation. Looks big enough for 4 hens.

Any restrictions as far as having a coop placed so close to the house? Some areas have set backs, some do not.

I'd remove the gravel at the location (use it elsewhere in yard?) as well as the weed cloth underneath. For litter you could look into deep litter (low maintenance, helps consume odors, provides some drainage) or sand (if existing drainage is very good at site and your area is generally dry). Maybe you can install a predator apron around the unit and bury the edges under some of the gravel for a nice clean look. For the sake of accessibility make sure to leave enough space between house and coop to allow you to get all the way around for any repairs or maintenance.

 

[DobieLover]

What's coming out of the vent that has discolored the siding?

 

[danepup]

Long story short, I've found myself in a position to possibly have chickens again. I have four dogs, so chicken safety is of utmost concern. In not wanting to take over yard space, I have identified the possibility of a good chicken location being under my deck. The height from the ground to the bottom of the deck is 9 feet. I think this would be a good location because it's shielded by the house on two sides, is near a hose hook-up and an electrical outlet. I also found out the carpentry department at my local community college made a 6 x 10 enclosed coop with run last year and they'll sell it to me and deliver it to me (I also work at the college). My question is this - is this run enough for four hens (I'm restricted to six hens by the city but because I cannot free roam them in my yard due to safety from the dogs, I want to make sure they have enough space - plus it's just me who will be using their eggs) and how do I address the ground covering, which is currently river stone over the black weed paper? I don't want to discard the stone - after all - it was just replenished at the start of the summer - but I read that they would be better off on wood chips (not bark) and no black weed paper as it traps droppings and can cause smells (which I don't want near the house) and other problems. I welcome thoughts. Below is a picture of under my deck and a picture of the coop. View attachment 2276441
View attachment 2276442
View attachment 2276443
View attachment 2276444

Thanks.
Alissa

Looks like a pretty generous space for a run. The recommendation for run area is 10sf per bird so it looks like you have plenty if you’re planning to use the whole area. As far as your stone goes... you might want to use it in another part of your yard. Be a shame to waste it.

What's coming out of the vent that has discolored the siding?

Yeah, I need to clean that. The siding hasn't been cleaned in a gazillion years. That's the fireplace vent. I wasn't planning to put the coop right next to it. I have a contractor friend that I'll have assess my coop placement options to make sure things are safe.

 

[danepup]

@ Big Doggie: I was thinking like one other person responses - just moving the rock and paper out from under where I set the run and even using it up around the sides to make sure it's secure - the idea of placing a predator apron is good idea as well. I haven't seen the coop in person - I didn't even know it existed until today - so I'll definitely want to check out the size in real life, get dimensions, look at all the ventilation options, and ease of cleaning the coop part out. I had BYC before and the coop that was built was too small for our six birds and wasn't tall enough to comfortably get in to clean - so now that I'm possibly doing this again, I have more awareness. I did check with the city and I just have to be 25 feet away from my neighbor's dwelling, where humans live (garages don't count and apparently neither does my own house) and 10 feet off the setbacks - so I think I'm good to go placing it in this location assuming it's safe from the fireplace vent. I'm just hesitant to put it anywhere else in the yard because it won't be close to water or electrical (for winter heated water), it'll be more exposed to the elements, and it'll be less protected from the giant dogs I have that get the zoomies.

 

[Sonya9]

The rocks would definitely need to go. Chickens like to scratch the soil, that is very important to them.

As far as the dogs, I have 5 dogs and 2 are not chicken safe. I simply let my birds free range 2-3 hours before sunset and keep the dogs in the house while the birds run around the yard. I can't let them loose earlier in the day because they wouldn't go back in the coop, so late in the day works perfectly.

 

[danepup]

I would not put a chicken run on gravel under a deck........it will stink to high heaven.

Right - I wasn't going to put them on the gravel (as discussed in earlier threads, the idea of removing rock and weed paper underneath coop so they have access to the grass and putting deep litter there as a base)....do you have any other reasons that you think the location is inappropriate?

 

[danepup]

The rocks would definitely need to go. Chickens like to scratch the soil, that is very important to them.

As far as the dogs, I have 5 dogs and 2 are not chicken safe. I simply let my birds free range 2-3 hours before sunset and keep the dogs in the house while the birds run around the yard. I can't let them loose earlier in the day because they wouldn't go back in the coop, so late in the day works perfectly.

Oh - that's true. I hadn't thought of that. I don't have anything "fun" for the chickens to do in my yard though. The last batch I had at another house had a blast in the flower beds, bushes, and garden. I have none of that at this house except "under the deck" and a basketball court. One tree. They might enjoy scratching around the yard, but there's nowhere for them to go and hide (bushes). I was really intending to keep them in the coop (which isn't super ideal for how I like to have chickens, but this is a different set up than before too). Thoughts?