chickensinSD
Hatching
- Apr 19, 2020
- 1
- 1
- 5
Hi,
I'm new to this chicken business, but excited to give it a try. Unfortunately, our HOA doesn't allow livestock & poultry, so we have to do it under the radar. I have a friend who successfully did it thanks to a sympathetic neighbor who didn't mind occasional squawking. However, most of his flock was eventually killed by a coyote who jumped his 7-foot wall.
With that in mind, I'm trying to find the right site for the coop and run. Fyi, I would mostly like to buy over build. Also, I live in semi-coastal San Diego, 5 miles from the beach. That means the weather rarely dips under 50 degrees and is usually under 80 degrees, but we'll get a few weeks at a time of 85-95 degree weather in the summer. I think our backyard is out of the question, as it backs up to five other houses that could be disturbed by squawking, and several that could easily look in.
Neither of the sites below seem ideal, so I would appreciate some input.
Site 1 - East side of house
Pros:
Site 2 - West side of house - 5 feet x 25 feet (fence to air conditioning units)
Pros:
I'm new to this chicken business, but excited to give it a try. Unfortunately, our HOA doesn't allow livestock & poultry, so we have to do it under the radar. I have a friend who successfully did it thanks to a sympathetic neighbor who didn't mind occasional squawking. However, most of his flock was eventually killed by a coyote who jumped his 7-foot wall.
With that in mind, I'm trying to find the right site for the coop and run. Fyi, I would mostly like to buy over build. Also, I live in semi-coastal San Diego, 5 miles from the beach. That means the weather rarely dips under 50 degrees and is usually under 80 degrees, but we'll get a few weeks at a time of 85-95 degree weather in the summer. I think our backyard is out of the question, as it backs up to five other houses that could be disturbed by squawking, and several that could easily look in.
Neither of the sites below seem ideal, so I would appreciate some input.
Site 1 - East side of house
Pros:
- Between our house and one neighbor, so should shield any noise
- Trees & house offer shade to block afternoon sun
- Good airflow
- Adjacent to our kitchen, so we can look out on the chickens
- Moderate room for a run if we can work around the slope.
- Moderate foot traffic (gardener, garbage bins, etc) means someone could see in through the gate from the street. A nosy neighbor could easily peek over the gate and see our whole setup
- Not a ton of space due to the slope. I'm open to removing a couple of small shrubs, but it still feels awkward.
- Easier access to coyotes
Site 2 - West side of house - 5 feet x 25 feet (fence to air conditioning units)
Pros:
- Practically impossible for anyone to see or investigate. The other side of the fence is downhill to a neighbor's pool and house.
- Sheltered and private, no foot traffic or gardeners coming through
- More difficult access for coyotes
- West facing means lots of evening sun, and only limited shade right now
- Fence and tight area means more limited airflow
- Air conditioning units running in the summer might make the chickens skittish?
- Out of the way - we don't spend much time on this side of the house to look in on them.
first started chicken raising in 2015 and now on our second flock. We live on Penasquitos canyon and have to look out for predators (coyotes, bobcats, hawks, raccoons). They’ll scale fences to get to the coop/run and any loss is heartbreaking. Wherever it is, make sure the run and coop are Fort Knox impenetrable. Secondary to that and from experience, i’d want to place it in a spot where one can enjoy watching them the most; easily accessible too. And neighbors will hear your ladies, especially if you have chatty ones. Check out the SD FB chicken groups; there are a few. Best to you 
