What if my neighbors don't like my coop?!

[rehric00]

So... we recently moved to a new house. At our old house, we had chickens but had to get rid of them for a year while we got a fence put up for our new flock. We have 5 acres (in the country) and due to the set up of our land, I want to put them in the back corner. It is the perfect spot for us... however- it is not too far from the next door neighbors house. It would be maybe 150-175 feet from their back porch. We have not met them yet. Their yard is super clean and well kept. I am not worried about the birds getting out and going on their property- I am more worried about the smell and the noise they make.

I do not want to be a crappy neighbor... how should I go about this? Should I ask them their opinion? Maybe they love chickens LOL... maybe they hate them and ill have to put the coop in a place in the yard that I dont like... Maybe I should just not care and do it anyways.... I don't know what to do. Advice please! Thanks in advance

 

[ChickNanny13]

It's so very refreshing that you're considering your neighbor's comfort & feelings! We got neighbors with 6 dogs (3 pits, 1 bulldog, 2 hounds & recently 10 newborn pups) & the smell is horrid, not to mention the noise! We got woken up at 4:30am again with howling/barking dogs! It's a residential area 10K sq ft property

Lucky you having 5AC! Maybe introducing yourselves & expressing your desire to raise chickens (food/eggs) and the location you're wanting to locate the coop/run (size). Hopefully it's down wind from their back porch Yet if you keep a clean coop/run it shouldn't smell horribly. I have 4 pullets in a 8x12 run/coop, I clean daily & there is no smell....yet

Good luck & enjoy your new place.

 

[ChickNanny13]

It's so very refreshing that you're considering your neighbor's comfort & feelings! We got neighbors with 6 dogs (3 pits, 1 bulldog, 2 hounds & recently 10 newborn pups) & the smell is horrid, not to mention the noise! We got woken up at 4:30am again with howling/barking dogs! It's a residential area 10K sq ft property

Lucky you having 5AC! Maybe introducing yourselves & expressing your desire to raise chickens (food/eggs) and the location you're wanting to locate the coop/run (size). Hopefully it's down wind from their back porch Yet if you keep a clean coop/run it shouldn't smell horribly. I have 4 pullets in a 8x12 run/coop, I clean daily & there is no smell....yet

Good luck & enjoy your new place.

 

[rehric00]

Sorry to hear about your situation! Sounds like a mess!

My husband and I are concerned they won't appreciate where we plan to put it. I think it is an older couple- who knows, maybe they will be agreeable, especially if we offer them eggs occasionally... We'll see how it goes. Ill keep you guys posted

 

[donrae]

Talk to your neighbor. They (probably

) won't bite and would enjoy getting to know you. And you never know who might be a great resource in your new area!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Talk to your neighbor. They (probably

) won't bite and would enjoy getting to know you. And you never know who might be a great resource in your new area!

AGREE! IF they have objections to where you want to put your coop, ask them what's their suggestion. Then go half way between, good compromise? Or you could just put it where you want on YOUR property; make it attractive to the eye, keep it clean & hope it's down wind
Good luck and enjoy your new property.

 

[aart]

First......make sure you know the rules and regs for chickens in your new area.
Are roosters allowed?
Think long term too, these neighbors might be fine but what about the future?
Where are the prevailing winds?
Guess you'll have to balance what you want with what your neighbors might want.

 

[lazy gardener]

An other thought that keeps coming back to me regarding this situation is this: You have 5 acres. Is it necessary to put the coop that close to their porch? How close will it be to your house? If the shoe was on the other foot, and you had a neighbor that was putting his livestock close to your house, while his house sat several acres away, how would you feel about it? Chickens are noisy, even hens. And even with a well managed deep litter, there is the occasional cecal bomb that is not too pleasant when it's up close and personal. Of course, there may be extenuating circumstances, with the rest of your land not being suitable: too hilly, lots of boulders, forrested, wet... In that case, a privacy fence, and keeping the chicken yard neat and clean will go a long way towards keeping your neighbors on good terms. Nothing sours a neighborhood more than neighbor disagreements. It's your land... but your neighbors are close to the situation.

 

[CrazyTalk]

An other thought that keeps coming back to me regarding this situation is this: You have 5 acres. Is it necessary to put the coop that close to their porch? How close will it be to your house? If the shoe was on the other foot, and you had a neighbor that was putting his livestock close to your house, while his house sat several acres away, how would you feel about it? Chickens are noisy, even hens. And even with a well managed deep litter, there is the occasional cecal bomb that is not too pleasant when it's up close and personal. Of course, there may be extenuating circumstances, with the rest of your land not being suitable: too hilly, lots of boulders, forrested, wet... In that case, a privacy fence, and keeping the chicken yard neat and clean will go a long way towards keeping your neighbors on good terms. Nothing sours a neighborhood more than neighbor disagreements. It's your land... but your neighbors are close to the situation.

5 acres is a lot of land, but 150-175 feet is a long way. A square acre is roughly 200x200 - if you've got 4 acres arranged in a square, there's only 1/4 acre that isn't within 150 feet of a neighbor's property.

Go through your local zoning laws, make sure you're careful about any setback requirements, and put the chicken coop where you want to. You're paying a lot of money for your property, and (assuming) you're living in an area that allows these livestock - there's nothing wrong with using that property for one of its legally allowed uses. If people don't want to live near a guy who owns chickens, they shouldn't live in a municipality with zoning that allows them.

Keep the coop clean, and put up fences between the coop and the neighbor's yard - and if they have a problem with it, then they were going to have a problem with whatever you did anyways.

Talk to your neighbor. They (probably

) won't bite and would enjoy getting to know you. And you never know who might be a great resource in your new area!

I agree that talking to a new neighbor is a good idea - but asking a neighbor for permission to do something on your own property is fraught with peril. You're much more likely to end up with a bad relationship with the neighbor if you ask them, they say no, and then you do it anyways, than if you just didn't ask in the first place.

 

[donrae]

I wasn't saying ask their permission. I was saying meet them and feel them out. So many folks are afraid to go talk to their neighbors about anything. Used to be when you moved to a new place, meeting the neighbors was a little ritual. Now, folks move and six months later they're on here posting about how they need to go out of town but don't know anyone local to watch their birds. Not cause everyone they know refused, but because they haven't met anyone local. I just don't get that. At least introduce yourself to your neighbors, and I like to exchange phone numbers so they can reach me in case there's an emergency. When you have animals, you just never know when one may get out or there's something else at your place that needs attention. My neighbors The Pot Growers have called us when our dogs got out and I was grateful. Pretty much all the interaction we have with them besides a friendly wave when we're both out working.

I agree that 175 feet is far enough away there should be no issue. Fences and landscaping can always be utilized to block line of sight, dampen sound and potential odors, etc. I also fervently believe if you're legal to have specific livestock on your property, neighbors should not be able to prevent that. But it's still a good idea to at least meet your neighbors and assess them as future friends.