Distance from house

[jkmiller826]

As I prepare to build my coop in the shed space under my deck, I was told by a certain naysaying family member that the smell would be unbearable. She suggested that unless I have the coop 200 ft from the house, it would be awful.

Is it feasible to keep an 8 x 4 coop (for 4 hens) so close to the house?

 

[mdbokc]

Mine is 80 feet away and no odor problem. Just take care of the run and coop and there is no odor problem.

 

[lotzahenz]

I think it will be fine. It will only smell if you neglect to keep it clean. I use pine shavings and keep them fluffed up in my coop. It never stinks, but there is a lot of chicken dust. My coop sits about 30 foot from my back door, directly across from our garage. It does not stink a bit. It has over 30 birds in there, but they have a very large grassy run too, which is a small orchard. They love the fallen fruits. If you allow them to free range during the day some, the bedding will stay even cleaner. Keeping them close to the house keeps them safer from predators (I think anyway), at least you can hear if a problem occurs.

HenZ

 

[Sillystunt]

I would consider how hard it will be to get under and clean it! Mine is 30 ft and i have no smell issues. I use DE regularly and my husband racks daily. I wouldn't keep mine under a porch. Here is why~
Dust travels, up through the cracks, coats everything........you have a picnic, food and company...........you know have to clean everything, extra work!!!

Now if it is your illegal and need to hide them.......go for it!

 

[RL]

A wet coop will smell and draw a lot of flies and make for unhappy chickens. If you can keep that place dry it might work okay. No harm in giving it a try.

 

[jkmiller826]

Deck has a sub-layer so the water runs out to a gutter. I don't expect the dust to come up through the cracks, nor do I expect water to leak into the coop.

The deck is approx. 12 ft. above the ground, as you can see in this photo

I will have a separate roof over the coop (18" from the base of the deck) and the coop will still be about 10' high, easy to step into to clean. The floor is asphalt onto which I'll do deep litter. Check out this inside photo (coop space on back right):

Is it best to completely enclose the coop, not have a wall of framed hardware cloth?

 

[MagsC]

The one we are building is quite close to the house (for better access in the winter). I agree with frequent cleaning out, the smell shouldnt be too bad.

 

[Eggie and Me]

Our coop and enclosed yard is approx 25' from my kitchen windows. We've experienced NO odors, just lovely chicken sounds. Flys are out there, but I keep their yard clean and turn the ground and grass clippings regularly..

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

How big is your flock? I think that is a factor.

We have just four, and they're about 30 feet from the house. I don't ever smell them in the house. However, I keep the coop and run really clean. (Better for their health anyway, I think.)

Whoever said:

Just take care of the run and coop and there is no odor problem.

Is right.

Wisconsin Garden Chick
http://backyardnestegg.blogspot.com/​

 

[jkmiller826]

We're looking to keep 4 hens and I've seen a lot of praise for deep litter method. My compost pile will thank me. I'll be giving them a run in the sandy spot behind my house.

I hope with a small brood the cleaning will be manageable.

When some of you mention that you keep your areas really clean, please give me a sense of how far you go/how often you do it. This is our first attempt at chickens and I want to be realistic about my obligation.