Where to put the coop?

[LittleMissCountry]

I wonder if that lawyer conducts all of his legal practice with such a fool hardy attitude? Seriously? The letter of the law should trump interpretation. The HOA needs to get their act together and actually say what they mean.

P.S. @kklowell , have you visited us on the Maine thread?

All things being equal in terms of drainage, I would choose the location which fits best with your long range plans. i assume that the run will be covered on the top? That IMO is a necessity, especially if you have plantings around which would allow a predator to drop down from an overhanging tree or near by shrub.

Things to consider: direction of prevailing wind in relation to the logical placement of the coop as you approach it from your home. For me, that means windows on S and E, solid walls on N and W.

You can always plant wind breaks which will also provide shade and shield your set up from the road. Heaven forbid if some one should actually get a glimpse of a chicken or a chicken coop/run. Seriously? Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around such piccayune foolishness! While waiting for your permanent barriers to grow, you could plant climbing vines. There are many which are pretty as well as functional.

From what I have heard since moving in, the HOA agreement was purposefully written vague so that it could be interpreted to suit the situation. The only things written in specifically are that new construction of any outbuildings has to be approved and any accessory building (like a pre-fab chicken coop) has to have matching roofing. Even though it can't be seen from the road...ridiculous but easy to manage. That was why we bought the pre-fab instead of building it...so we didn't have to waste two months getting plans approved and having them in our yard approving the location.
Oh, and yes the whole top is covered and I am reinforcing the hardware cloth that was on the windows and run with a staple gun to make it more secure. The way our house sits on a slope, we don't have too much trouble with wind, and the coop should be well protected in that area. I am glad you brought that up because I wouldn't have thought of that if it had been an issue! I am thinking of planting grape vine on the coop.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

bunch of my neighbors wanted to start a HOA all of them lived in this area less than 5 years my family lived here over 80yrs .
I declined on HOA now they started one anyway , but I have no part of it. they try to tell me what I can and can't do. so since my back yard faces the road I so conveniently placed my coop in my back yard . I don't belong to the HOA so I really could care less what they think.

Ha! This is awesome! Our next door neighbors were the first ones in this subdivision, before there was an HOA, and they have everything that the HOA says is not allowed (multiple outbuildings, chicken coop that wouldn't be approved, rabbit hutches, etc, along with play equipment and other things visible. They just declined the HOA as well.

 

[lazy gardener]

Beware, any animal can easily rip hdw cloth off if it is applied with a staple gun. To secure it against predators it should either be sandwiched in between 2 layers of wood, or it should be stapled with U fencing or electrical staples.

 

[lazy gardener]

I love it, @mountain chicken

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Beware, any animal can easily rip hdw cloth off if it is applied with a staple gun. To secure it against predators it should either be sandwiched in between 2 layers of wood, or it should be stapled with U fencing or electrical staples.

Thank you, good to know! I know my husband has electrical staples, so I will use that. What about for the apron around the coop? Same thing? Or would staking it be okay? We were going to nail it to the bottom of the coop, and skirt it out.

 

[kwhites634]

Good thought with the summer, because it gets hot here and the trees would provide shade. We can't free range much, because there are no fences, and although we have 6 acres, it is mostly wooded and behind the house. Our neighbors on both sides have dogs. One has an invisible fence but the other doesn't.
We do have a large portable run (chicken tractor of sorts) that they will be in whenever I am home. I let them out to free range while I am outside working in the garden or can just sit with them. So they won't be put up all the time.

6 ac. & you have to put up with an HOA?

 

[LittleMissCountry]

6 ac. & you have to put up with an HOA?

Yep, ridiculous, right?

 

[lazy gardener]

I would use the same secure attachment method for the skirt. Attach it securely with 1 x 3 to sandwich it in place, then run it under the sod, or use landscaping stables to hold it down while you wait for the sod to grow up through the wire mesh. I buried my skirt about 2" deep, and planted grass seed over it.

 

[kwhites634]

Yep, ridiculous, right?

Right as rain. I find it incomprehensible that people spend good money for a nice house & property, and pay taxes & upkeep on it, & a bunch of strangers with no vested interest is allowed to set themselves up as a governing body, judge & jury, & dictate what you can & can't do to your own property.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I would use the same secure attachment method for the skirt. Attach it securely with 1 x 3 to sandwich it in place, then run it under the sod, or use landscaping stables to hold it down while you wait for the sod to grow up through the wire mesh. I buried my skirt about 2" deep, and planted grass seed over it.

With the location in the middle of a grove of trees, there won't be any grass growing through it. The tree roots and rocky soil are preventing us from burying it. We tried to dig an area to bury but couldn't do it. I am going to try to find some plants that will grow in the shade, though.