Help! Need a good spot for the coop/pen

[MamaGantz3002]

I will be a first time chicken mom in April. I trying to decide where the best place to put the coop and pen. I hear that you should place it far from your house. But there is small hill going away from house, I plan to have it by my attached garage but still about 10ft. from my house. Will this work? I don't want it down the hill for when it snow and rains. I do plan on having the top of the pen covered during the winters and when it rains. Do I have a good plan? Thank you in advance for all the feedback and other ideas

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Where I live it is a city ordinance that the coop be 25' away from any house including my neighbors'. I would look into that first and then start planning.

 

[MamaGantz3002]

Thank you I have read about how many sq ft and how many I am allowed to have and it can’t be higher than 8ft high but not where it has to be in my backyard. I have one neighbor who has dogs I don’t want it to go near her. I other ones all have wooden fences around their backyard and the coop is about 25 ft away from neighors house but I don’t want their coop to be stuck in rain when it does rain

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would choose location based on drainage first and foremost. If you're in an area with hotter summers, I would consider available shade and conversely if you are in an area with colder climates in winter (freezing) then ideally you want it close enough that you can run electric out there. My own preference would be closer to house rather than further, as I don't want to trudge hundreds of feet through rain to check up on the birds.

As far as setbacks this may be covered under auxiliary buildings and not necessarily under "chicken coop" in the ordinances, so something to check out. My ordinances only call for a 10' setback from property line, for example.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. If you put your general location into your profile we can give better-targeted advice. Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

Once you've considered all legal requirements in re: setbacks, etc. the critical factors are Drainage, Shade (heat is more dangerous to chickens than cold), and Your Convenience.

That last because if it's too difficult to access your chickens, especially in the worst weather you ever get, you will find them a chore and a burden instead of a joy.

If you show us photos of likely areas and, perhaps, a sketch map of the property, we can give better advice.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Our basic coop considerations were to have the windows facing east with the roosting area and chicken door facing the same. Nesting boxes are facing north, for them a darker area to feel more relaxed for laying, Our land is flat and sandy so drainage has never been a problem. The big plus is we aren't hindered by any restrictions. Even in town people have goats, horses and roosters. The coop is roughly 30 yrds out tucked in with a stand of trees on the south and north sides of the coop. Just fortunate to have it work out that way for us. This type of orientation we learned as kids from grandparents back in the '50s. They were always saying, come here and learn something. I learned how to throw eggs on my own. Located in Southern New Jersey.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Mine is in a back corner of my yard, about a metre from the fence line on two sides, with shrubs and garden around it. I like it back there because I can grow lots of things around it and it blends in in the summer, barely visible. in winter of course you can see everything.