Would this be a good location for a coop/run?

[Mels95yj]

My wife and I are wanting to get a few chickens, and we're having a tough time deciding where to place the coop. She thinks under the deck would be the best place. It measures 12'x16', but only gets a little sun each day. All other locations get full sun with no shade (no trees). It's sloped quite a bit which I would level as much as possible. Ignore the fencing around it now. That was there to keep the dogs away from the four wheelers. Would put wire meshing from top to bottom on all sides. Just curious to everyone's thoughts. Thanks in advance.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! As much as I like my flock, they ARE NOT close to my house! Your dogs may love chicken too, another disadvantage of having them there. Well kept chicken coops will still have a 'chicken odor', some flies, and singing birds all day. Build the coop further from the house and add shade, and fencing, there. Make sure that you are in compliance with local laws and building codes to avoid issues later. Then build bigger than you think you will need, maximum ventilation, and predator protection. Enjoy! Mary

 

[CluckerCottage]

Can you envision sitting out on your deck and smelling chicken coop?
And inhaling lots of dust?
I have to agree with Folly's place here.
Build big, Fort Knox safe and shady-- away from the house.
My coop is 1/4 of an acre away from my home in mostly shade.
They get excellent sun though, which is very necessary for their egg production.
They need 14 hours of sunlight to lay one egg.

 

[Mels95yj]

That's what I told her. The furthest from the house I could get is about 30'. The closest tree is about four houses away. The only shade would be a roof over the coop/run like the Wichita Cabin coop. The problems with that locations is the yard is sloped towards the back and stays fairly soggy after rains and gets at least 12 hours of direct sunlight a day in the summer.

 

[Folly's place]

Soggy won't be good, but a roof and drains help. Work out the drainage issues FIRST. I'm not a fan of raised coops, but it might help you with the slope and wetness. Mary

 

[Mels95yj]

Thanks for the tips and suggestions. The more I look at it, it may just be better not to get any chickens. Not having much shade and a sloped yard with sogginess in the back seem a little tough to overcome.

 

[Folly's place]

How about ducks? Mary

 

[Mels95yj]

How about ducks?  Marye

Too funny. The wife did say tonight at Rural King that I could get 5 chicks if she could get a duck. Lol

 

[aart]

The stink and noise can definitely be an issue...but both can depend on how many birds you get, how you handle bedding/poop/cleaning...and your climate.
You'd have to probably put something up to handle runoff from deck above too.

Not the greatest location, tho I've seen a couple pretty nice under deck setups.
It's a tenable concept, but it would take much careful planning and forethought.
BTW ducks can stink way worse than chickens.

 

[quackingdom]

The stink and noise can definitely be an issue...but both can depend on how many birds you get, how you handle bedding/poop/cleaning...and your climate.
You'd have to probably put something up to handle runoff from deck above too.

Not the greatest location, tho I've seen a couple pretty nice under deck setups.
It's a tenable concept, but it would take much careful planning and forethought.
BTW ducks can stink way worse than chickens.

Ducks stink way worse than chickens? Last month I had 39 ducks. (I butchered some so we have a few less now.) All of them spend the entire day right in our back yard, on our back porch, and under the house. I don't smell a thing from inside the house and I smell very little when I stick my head under the house to give them some treats. For the majority of the day, they are less than 20 feet away from the house. There is virtually zero unpleasant scent and few flies.

Now, it could be way worse, I know. I'm sure it's possible for ducks to stink more than chickens, but it's certainly possible for ducks to live right beside you and you not get grossed out with the smell.