Mortie, Don't let people discourage you. I scanned through this thread, and picked up that you're planning on a small flock up to 4 pullets, will build a coop, perhaps 2 level with attached run... and are interested in deep litter. sounds wonderful. Does the area where you will house them get much sun? Especially in a cold area, your girls will want lots of sunlight, as well as available shade. They won't do as well in an area that is constantly shaded. Deep litter is the best way to keep the odor down. My coop is an 8 x 8 cattle panel with 4 x 6 loft for roosting and nests, DL shavings in the loft, DL leaves, grass clippings in the lower 8 x 8 level. There is essentially no odor. I'm not sure if anyone suggested it, but an other factor that helps with the odor is to give your flock fermented feed. It develops a good pro-biotic flora in the chicken's gut so they digest the feed better. They will also eat less feed over all which will stretch your feed budget. I find that dog poop on a lawn smells far worse than any smells I pick up when I am standing in my girl's CP coop. I also think that you will find the average short duration egg song to be less disruptive than the barking of some dogs.
