So, seriously, how bad is the smell???

[chickens really]

I use sand in my coop and run....No smell....Lots of flies at times...I hang vanilla christmas trees around my coop and run, plus at the back door...Flies love poop but hate vanilla....


Good luck

 

[JurassicBawk]

My chicken coop is literally attached to my house. I originally built it behind my greenhouse with 3 10' chainlink dog panels attached to my wooden fence corner to make it 15' x 25'. Then something came over the woods through my top netting and ate 2 of my quail and 1 of my chickens. I knew I couldn't protect them from the woods and went a little extreme, but I wasn't going to go through all the trouble and heartache of raising them from chicks to watch something eat them.

Now the quail are against my garage in big hutches, and my chicken coop is 10'x10' with 3 panels attached to my brick exterior wall. They are under my deck and out of the rain (so no moisture issues) and they've got deep bedding that gets cleaned regularly. There are only 4 of them, but no chicken smell. And for something to get to them now they've got to go through a 6' wooden fence, across a yard with 5 dogs, then through 1/4" hardwire mesh covered chainlink panels bolted to brick.

I love being able to open my basement glass doors and having the chickens right there, and now they pop up when I open the curtains ready to see what treats I brought them.

 

[Mrs. K]

to the original poster, I would go with a much smaller flock at first, and work into it. Composting manure can smell. You will need to compost before using it, Chicken manure is hot. Space and dryness is important, starting small gives you more space.

As a side note, those gardens or the chicken will have to be fenced. It is unbelievable how fast they can tear that up.

Mrs K

 

[ADVaughn]

Mrs K...Thanks! I do plan to start with four and grow from there. The chickens will be fenced in bc the city will likely require it when they vote this week or next.

 

[appps]

Thanks! I've read that with proper cleaning it shouldn't be an issue. Especially for the 10-15 birds I plan to eventually have. But this other resource seemed quite adamant that smell and flies will happen period.

I found when I had shavings on the floor of their coop and gave them a bit of a rake around to cover any wet poop every few days I had no smell and no particular fly problem.

I have more smell and flies when it's just the straight concrete floor.

Just check your local bylaws too. We had distances that the run had to legally be from a habitable dwelling.

 

[ADVaughn]

The city council is voting on it next week so we will see what they do. Currently not allowed at all.