Which location to place coop?? Noise from traffic.

[Adanault]

Hi all! Getting ready to start putting together a coop for about 4-6 layers. I have two choices for location and would like your input. We are urban subdivision. Our property is flanked by homes on both sides and the back of our property has a privacy fence around the entire yard. The back property line where the fence starts is approximately 25 feet from a pretty busy 4 lane road that gets quite a bit of traffic (some of it loud trucks and motorcycles). Originally I had decided to use an area 10 feet from the back fence that was previously sanded and pebble rocked off for a swing set as the coop location. Now that I have really set my mind to doing this I am worried about the noise stressing out the girls. This location, other than the road, it a perfect place. My second choice is basically right up against the back of the house is a little niche that would fit a 5x10 coop perfectly. The problem I see with this location is that there is no cross breeze. It is pretty much shaded all the time but with it being up against the house I think it would have some protection from the elements and above all the heat. The traffic noise coming from the road sucks for humans but i wonder if we get the chicks young would they grow accustomed to the noise from the road or would it really stress them out? My intentions are to give the girls enough room to be comfortable in their coop / run combo for extended periods if needed (short vacation, winter) and let the out in the yard during the day. I guess my questions are 1) which location would be better? 2) Is this traffic going to be really stressful for the girls? 3) Am I over-analyzing this? Now don't get me wrong, I do not live on a crazy busy road like you would find in a metro city where the daily traffic is like 50000 cars a day. The average number of cars is around 8000 per 24 hour period. Thanks!

 

[4 the Birds]

I can't imagine the noise level being much different from near the house compared to the back fence. I would not set the coup up close to the house. Perhaps mid-yard? Our house is over 1000 ft from the road and there is for sure less traffic noise at the house than up near the road but I doubt that you are talking about those kind of distances. Chickens can be loud at times so I would be more concerned with your comfort than worrying about how the birds will adapt to road noise.

 

[Adanault]

The back yard is about 75 x 80 so you are probably right on the noise. Unfortunately, mid yard really isn't an option for us. So, in your opinion, the reason you are suggesting away from the house is because of the chicken noises? I see your point however I deal with the traffic noise all day and all night so I don't think chicken noises will be anymore bothersome. When we moved hear that road was a 2 lane. Quiet. Then they widened it. Its got a straight away that the crotch rocket motocycle s*#@ heads love to open up on. LOL. Sometimes I wish I had a paint ball gun. So do you think the chickens will adapt to it or be stressed by it? If I know they will be stressed I not going to have them at all. Not doing that to those poor animals. Thank you for your advice!

 

[4 the Birds]

4 to 6 birds may be fine up closer to the house. An option to help block road noise would be to plant a row of Giant Arbs inside your fence along the back. They grow FAST and get VERY big. This will help a lot with buffering noise. You could add rigid insulation sandwiched in your coop walls if the girls get too loud for you up close. Make sure you are allowed to have chickens in your neighborhood as well. Hope this helps!

 

[samidodamage]

I think the chickens will adjust to the noise from the road. I live in a rural town (population less than 200) on a state highway. My house is about 75 feet from the two-lane highway. There is about 3 feet of shoulder on the highway and then a VERY busy RAILROAD with several trains an hour day and night. Trains going west have to apply the horn right in front of my house due to a railroad crossing a couple hundred feet west of my house. It took me a few weeks to get to where they don't wake me up at night. (That was 6+ years ago, now I hardly notice them at all) If you're watching TV/movies they drown out the audio. (I learned to watch TV through the DVR so I can pause and/or rewind). If you're outside having a conversation you can't hear the other person when they blow the horn. When I get new chickens, they startle at the first few sounds of the horn blowing, but since this happens frequently, within a day they no longer pay it any attention.

 

[Adanault]

OK that makes me feel much better. I have to deal with anxiety ridden dogs so I don't need chickens with complexes.

So, the noise thing is pretty much cleared up. How about location? Which would be better for the chickens?

 

[Adanault]

Our town caved under the pressure last fall and gave in to urban coops. No roos, 6 hen max plus all sorts of coop regulations and permits but it's well worth it for us. I just don't want to sacrifice an animal's sanity for our own amusement.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I would set the coop no further from the house than I would be willing to carry a 50 lb bag of feed or a 5 gal pail of water.

 

[EddieLee]

Your setup sounds pretty identical to mine. We are in the D.C. suburbs. Our backyard is full 6 foot privacy fence, with the very back being an 8 foot fence. It backs up to a 6 lane road, one of the busiest roads outside of an interstate. The noise level is pretty hi, and at first I was worried about it affecting teh chickens. They have been back there for about a year, and I see no real side-effects. I did move them up by the house at one point, and that caused lots of problems, so I moved them back to the back of the yard. No change in egg production or health. Good luck!

 

[Adanault]

Great! Thanks for the encouragement. Now to build!