Ideas for a coop with hidden run?

[Ivyblaze]

I have thought this over....people in my part of the country cover the top of their yards with flight netting to prevent birds from eating their gardens and berries....what if you were to put the coop/shed in the U on top of a small run.....cover the top of your fence with this netting and let them run the yard....Technically flight netting is not anytype of fencing!! They never did say you couldn't let them run your yard this way they are protected from flying predators during the day and then you put them up in the coop at night!

 

[elmo]

Rolled fencing is great for blocking from view whatever you want to block. Cheapest is reed fencing, but it has a limited life. You can choose willow, bamboo, etc. Of course, you'd need to build the run first, with your predator proof wire, then attach the rolled fencing to the outside of it.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I have a neighbor whose run and coop are in her side yard, but the view of the run is totally obscured by grape vines. It's quite lovely.

 

[grandmaof5]

Quote:
We have a 4'x7' coop that we raised over 2 feet from the ground; the enclosed area underneath is fine for our 3 girls...it was a bit smaller than the 10sq. ft/per bird in the run so we added a 2 foot section to one end, but if your coop is a bit bigger, you'd be fine. As mentioned earlier, plant some nice (tasty) plants around it and voila...happy girls, happy neighbours.

 

[Luke13:34]

http://www.greenroofchickencoop.com/

Check this out.. It looks like a raised flower bed.. the coop and small run are hidden. You can buy this coop either as plans, a kit or fully finished. It looks fairly easy to make.

or you could just go with this: http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Chicken-Coops/The-Stealth-Coop-p493.aspx

 

[denise70]

Our run is obsured from the street. It is open only on the sides not visible from the street. From the back it looks like a shed and from the front, a "Playhouse Coop" style.

You may want to try something like that too. I think it would work well for only a couple of chickens.





My BYC pages may explain it better, so check it out for details.

Good LUCK!

 

[snuzulooz]

Great ideas! I am thinking that bamboo fencing would work on the side that I am concerned about. I also happened to have just this weekend ordered a grape vine that will need a home As luck would have it the neighbors I am worried about just bought a storage shed (that they don't think needs a permit in this town but DOES). My fingers are crossed because where they have the wood setting to put it up will be directly in the line of sight from the church parking lot to where we would put our coop. This wouldn't eliminate them (the neighbors) from seeing the coop but would stop some of the people going to the church from seeing it and maybe wandering in my yard as they have been (to look at my awesome garden LOL).

We intend to get a zoning permit for a small shed and stick it on a post in the yard for a good long time before we put a coop back there. I am hoping that them seeing the zoning permit for our shed will clue them in that they should have gotten one for their own and make them think twice about calling to complain about anything in my yard if they do want to question the chickens.

Most people assume you can't have chickens in our town and are surprised when we tell them you can... we could even have a cow per the code but no pigs or bee hives. The rules for rabbits are stricter than chickens...

Thank you so much for the brain storming!!

 

[StupidBird]

Quote:
NOW I am really interested in what the code requirements are for the cow!!!! How does that compare to chickens, your situation? Would building a COW shed be easier than chickens? I can only imagine what the nosey, difficult neighbor would say to a COW.
I like all the stealth coop and run ideas!

 

[bywaterdog]

Clumping bamboo- this will grow very quickly into a living screen, is chicken proof, will not invade any one's yard, looks very nice (evergreen) and best of all IS NOT A FENCE.
This has worked well for me, I have some that I planted in 1984 and it has "moved" about 1 1/2 foot out from where I planted it.

 

[snuzulooz]

Quote:
NOW I am really interested in what the code requirements are for the cow!!!! How does that compare to chickens, your situation? Would building a COW shed be easier than chickens? I can only imagine what the nosey, difficult neighbor would say to a COW.
I like all the stealth coop and run ideas!

Surprisingly you can have a cow stable in town as long as it is 60 feet from a dwelling... same for a rabbit hutch and the chicken yard or run. The coop aspect is less stringent and can be 25 feet from a dwelling. I think the entire thing is about having open areas where animals would leave manure... at least this is my guess. Inside a coop the "stuff" would be contained. No pigs are allowed or bee hives LOL. I keep teasing my DH we should get a miniature cow given how high milk prices are in my state.