Starting Fresh Yard/Garden/Chickens/Dogs

[mict1g2]

We’re building a new house and I’m trying to figure out how to arrange the yard, garden, chicken coop and run and dog run. Our dog needs to be separate from the chickens and will have a doggie door that goes into the house/garage. His space inside the yard also needs to be able to be separated from the main yard if needed when company comes over. The coop and run would be close to the garden so they can have access to the garden when we want but they also need their own yard space separate from the main yard so they’re not pooping on my porch like they do now haha. We have some definite ideas but can’t seem to lay them out. Anyone else have something similar they’d like to share?

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Do you have photos of the house site? A sketch plan?

 

[DobieLover]

We’re building a new house and I’m trying to figure out how to arrange the yard, garden, chicken coop and run and dog run. Our dog needs to be separate from the chickens and will have a doggie door that goes into the house/garage. His space inside the yard also needs to be able to be separated from the main yard if needed when company comes over. The coop and run would be close to the garden so they can have access to the garden when we want but they also need their own yard space separate from the main yard so they’re not pooping on my porch like they do now haha. We have some definite ideas but can’t seem to lay them out. Anyone else have something similar they’d like to share?

It depends entirely on your layout.
Can you post a sketch of your property layout?
What I've done is enclosed the flock within the eastern portion of my property behind electrified poultry netting. Their coop and run is inside that pen.
My raised garden beds are right outside their pen. If I wanted, I could move the netting to include the beds after harvest so they could scratch around in there.
My dogs don't stay out. They go out to relieve themselves and come back in or stay out with me when I'm working around the house. I run them nearly daily elsewhere for about an hour a day so they don't need a run.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I chose to build my coop and run on the east side of a detached garage. My main wind comes from the west so the garage is a windbreaker and drift breaker in the winter months.

 

[NatJ]

The coop and run would be close to the garden so they can have access to the garden when we want but they also need their own yard space separate from the main yard so they’re not pooping on my porch like they do now haha.

Maybe put the chicken coop in the middle of one area, with garden on one side and chicken run on the other side. That would make it easy to let the chickens into the garden, and might even switch which side is garden vs. run in alternate years. (Because the chicken run would be fertilized and low on weeds, and that's really nice for a garden!)

If you want shade trees in the chicken run and permanent raised beds in the garden, then of course you could not switch them. But if both are big empty spaces, and you rototill the garden each year and have a few portable structures for shade in the chicken section, then switching might be pretty easy.

 

[3KillerBs]

Now that I've had a cup of coffee,

Can you stand on your house site and imagine beginning your day. Which door do you want to go out?

Walk out that way and picture yourself going to the chicken coop. Right or left? Uphill or down? Do you pass the garden and pull some weeds to toss into the run on your way or do you visit the chickens first then go to the garden?

Do you know yet where the sun moves through the day and through the year? Of course the garden needs the sun but the chickens and the dogs need some shade if it's available.

Where does water from heavy rain run and pool? You don't want a muddy chicken run or muddy dogs.

Think about the daily tending of the chickens in the worst weather you're likely to experience. How close do you want them to be? Is there existing shelter you can take advantage of?

Are there existing barns, sheds, kids' playgyms, driveways, or other such structures you have to take into account?

 

[Farmers Daughter]

Welcome to BYC.

Do you have photos of the house site? A sketch plan?

I’m also new to having chickens. I haven’t gotten any yet. Restoring my grandmas house and want to restore her chicken barn and build a covered area outside. It’s run down but still standing. Since the picture I’ve cut down all the trees that were against the building and have it all cleaned out ready for chicken wire inside on the windows. The door will be rebuilt and the structure made more sturdy. Do I need chicken wire on the inside walls? I keep reading about predators. Don’t think I could take seeing a mangled chicken that I love. So I want to make it predator proof. Dirt floor. No place yet for chickens to lay. I have an old shelving system that has cubbies. Do you think they’d like that? Should I put anything down on the floor? Or on the ground outside? Do ticks get on chickens? Would they like a trough of water or just a watering bucket with nipples? What should I put in their laying area? Straw? I need all the help I can get!

 

[3KillerBs]

I’m also new to having chickens. I haven’t gotten any yet. Restoring my grandmas house and want to restore her chicken barn and build a covered area outside. It’s run down but still standing. Since the picture I’ve cut down all the trees that were against the building and have it all cleaned out ready for chicken wire inside on the windows. The door will be rebuilt and the structure made more sturdy. Do I need chicken wire on the inside walls? I keep reading about predators. Don’t think I could take seeing a mangled chicken that I love. So I want to make it predator proof. Dirt floor. No place yet for chickens to lay. I have an old shelving system that has cubbies. Do you think they’d like that? Should I put anything down on the floor? Or on the ground outside? Do ticks get on chickens? Would they like a trough of water or just a watering bucket with nipples? What should I put in their laying area? Straw? I need all the help I can get!View attachment 2736289

Welcome to BYC and the wonderful madness of chickens.

You should make your own thread so that we can give you advice suited to your project rather than get it all tangled up with the OP's project.

Be sure to include your general location (better yet, put your general location into your profile so that it's always there to reference. Climate matters in many things and most of all when building your chicken housing.

 

[Farmers Daughter]

Thanks! Didn't know I could do that. I'll peck around and try to figure it out.

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks! Didn't know I could do that. I'll peck around and try to figure it out.

You're welcome.

There are lots of build threads here in the coop section. We're always happy to help people start right.