Prevailing winds in relation to your home

[whitenack]

Hey all,

I believe I have sited the best location for our future coop (just in the planning stages). It has plenty of shade, level but well-drained, fairly close to the house (20-30 yards), near electric and water hookups, etc.. However, the only downside I can think about is it is just upwind from our back porch. How much a problem is the smell, and whether that smell travels that distance.

Thanks!

ETA: We would like to free-range our chickens as much as possible, giving them access to our entire backyard (5 acres+) and go wherever they want. It is mostly open pasture, though, so I'm not sure they will want to venture too far away from protection. Will the fact that they are able to be out of the coop/run most of the time cut down on their smell?

 

[Lovinallmygirls]

Hey all,

I believe I have sited the best location for our future coop (just in the planning stages). It has plenty of shade, level but well-drained, fairly close to the house (20-30 yards), near electric and water hookups, etc.. However, the only downside I can think about is it is just upwind from our back porch. How much a problem is the smell, and whether that smell travels that distance.

Thanks!

Just curious are you building your own coop?

 

[whitenack]

Just curious are you building your own coop?

Someone is giving us an old homemade coop for free. It isn't in very good shape and will need to be reinforced and heavily modified in the short term, and maybe completely scrapped for parts in the long term. At that point, yes, we would build our own coop.

 

[DobieLover]

Hey all,

I believe I have sited the best location for our future coop (just in the planning stages). It has plenty of shade, level but well-drained, fairly close to the house (20-30 yards), near electric and water hookups, etc.. However, the only downside I can think about is it is just upwind from our back porch. How much a problem is the smell, and whether that smell travels that distance.

Thanks!

ETA: We would like to free-range our chickens as much as possible, giving them access to our entire backyard (5 acres+) and go wherever they want. It is mostly open pasture, though, so I'm not sure they will want to venture too far away from protection. Will the fact that they are able to be out of the coop/run most of the time cut down on their smell?

The chickens tend to stick to structured areas and not venture out in the open for too long. That being said, they will be on your back porch, front porch, everywhere. And along with it, the poop on everything and scratch up landscape beds, raid gardens and cause general mayhem and pandemonium and have a fine time doing it!
As long as their run is dry with thick bedding (I like wood chips as I get them for free and they drain well and decompose slowly) you should have minimal smell. I also use poop boards in the coop with Sweet PDZ and scoop the boards clean each morning so little smell there. When I dump the poop bucket in the summer time though, stand back! It'll make your eyes water.
So keep the bulk of the poop as far away from the house as possible, the coop and run dry and do not over populate it and it will not smell.

 

[Lovinallmygirls]

Someone is giving us an old homemade coop for free. It isn't in very good shape and will need to be reinforced and heavily modified in the short term, and maybe completely scrapped for parts in the long term. At that point, yes, we would build our own coop.

That’s awesome I wish I had the skills to build one myself I’m going to have to find help. I have seen some really nice ones.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

The chickens tend to stick to structured areas and not venture out in the open for too long. That being said, they will be on your back porch, front porch, everywhere. And along with it, the poop on everything and scratch up landscape beds, raid gardens and cause general mayhem and pandemonium and have a fine time doing it!
As long as their run is dry with thick bedding (I like wood chips as I get them for free and the drain well and decompose slowly) you should have minimal smell. I also use poop boards in the coop with Sweet PDZ and scoop the boards clean each morning so little smell there. When I dump the poop bucket in the summer time though, stand back! It'll make your eyes water.
So keep the bulk of the poop as far away from the house as possible, the coop and run dry and do not over populate it and it will not smell.

This ^^^ - free ranging chickens near the house will drive you insane. You know that perennial you have been trying to get to grow right for 5 years and it just started standing upright this spring? Well they just chicken-scratched it to death and pulled out all the roots. And then they pooped on your grill.

We're kind of having fun with you- but the truth is they will wander easily a few acres and if you have 5- you should put them at the far end of the 5. They don't mean to cause chaos... but they do.

If you do stick with that spot- the smell won't be an issue as long as you keep the right amount of chickens and not overcrowd them. The only reason chicken houses smell so much when you pass one on the road is because they have literally hundreds of thousands of them smashed into a tent-like building and it is just a horrible mess. You won;t have that issue outside.

Oh and if you have a dog- they'll love eating the chicken poop... yeah.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

That’s awesome I wish I had the skills to build one myself I’m going to have to find help. I have seen some really nice ones.

You probably do have the skills. You surely know someone who does. "Handy" people love building coops. I am sure you know someone who you could tell them you'll buy all the materials if they can help you build it and it would make a great weekend project. Building coops is not building houses- heck some people keep chickens in wooden boxes and plastic barrels... they don't care, so give it a shot.

 

[Lovinallmygirls]

The chickens tend to stick to structured areas and not venture out in the open for too long. That being said, they will be on your back porch, front porch, everywhere. And along with it, the poop on everything and scratch up landscape beds, raid gardens and cause general mayhem and pandemonium and have a fine time doing it!
As long as their run is dry with thick bedding (I like wood chips as I get them for free and the drain well and decompose slowly) you should have minimal smell. I also use poop boards in the coop with Sweet PDZ and scoop the boards clean each morning so little smell there. When I dump the poop bucket in the summer time though, stand back! It'll make your eyes water.
So keep the bulk of the poop as far away from the house as possible, the coop and run dry and do not over populate it and it will not smell.

Thank you

 

[Feath3rDust3r]

I also have 5 acres but my chickens are 400 feet from the house...they tend to stay around the coop area most of the time but as soon as we come out to eat on the patio they're all over us and the table! We actually just fenced about 1/2 an acre around the coop because they were scratching in the neighbor's borders (who I can't even see their house) ...so now they get to free range in the fenced area only... except the wayward one or 2 that hop the fence...but they don't like to go places on their own so it doesn't seem to be an issue at this point.

 

[Lovinallmygirls]

You probably do have the skills. You surely know someone who does. "Handy" people love building coops. I am sure you know someone who you could tell them you'll buy all the materials if they can help you build it and it would make a great weekend project. Building coops is not building houses- heck some people keep chickens in wooden boxes and plastic barrels... they don't care, so give it a shot.

Thank you for building my confidence!! Yes I do want to do it myself because I know exactly what I want. The coop I currently have was easy it was a brand new shed I just turned it into a coop had a handyman put in a nice window all done.