Bottom pink circle is house upper pink circle is a huge barn. Perfect for chicken coop, goats, pigs, etc. but it’s over a hill and I wouldn’t be able to see the enclosure from our house. We won’t have a guard dog or anything. Is that too far away for them to be housed there? I’d obviously be checking on them twice or more a day but maybe I’m just overthinking this lol
by Street-Question-4817
17 Comments
How far is it, actually?
They won’t care where they live. The more important thing to consider is do YOU want to make that hike twice a day, every day, even in rain and snow?
Is there water back there or are you going to have to haul it?
Get a camera and a cellular modem. You might be able to just run a long cord, but you’ll need to boost the signal at that distance.
Biggest concern I would have is that it may make it too inconvenient to check on them whenever. There will be days where you say the coop is farther than you want to go so you’ll get eggs tomorrow. If you make things as convenient as possible you will be more likely to do them. I am over 40 with an autoimmune disease so my body hurts all the time. Walking down to my field can be a choice I have to make. Set things up sonic your health declines they are easier to keep going.
If you are set on using the barn then it would pay to get a dog. If there is a predator tearing things up it may be too late when you find out. Otherwise maybe you can get some cameras that run on solar to be able to monitor things from afar.
If I had it all to do over again I’d have my chicken coop as close as I can before smell becomes an issue. I don’t have pigs so I can’t say for them.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
I want my chickens right outside my back door. Easy to feed and water. Probably same with the goats.
It’s only like *that* 🤏 far on my phone screen
I had some family move to Montana some years back. After they bought the place, but before they moved there, they decided where to put an outbuilding by looking at maps. When they actually moved to the property they realized it was way further than they wanted to go every day. People don’t always appreciate just how big land is until they have to deal with it daily
If you don’t put a livestock guardian dog out with the poultry and goats, you’re going to have to either spend a fortune on fencing to keep predators out, or you’re going to have a lot of predation. Maybe you should consider larger animals like cows.
What is the actual ground distance between the house and the barn?
We are looking at several hundred feet of 6+ foot fencing to contain a small portion of our place to keep coyotes and deer out. Then we can move our chickens and get some goats.
You could get cameras and a vehicle
If you have coyotes, you need to keep the littles nearby. Coops and pens that are cleaned daily don’t stink. Don’t get a Billy. My coop and goat shed are only about 10-15 yards from my house and there is no odor at all, even though the patio is downwind from them.
Can you get a better satellite of the house and nearby land?
I personally like to keep my chickens within hearing distance just so if they make a fuss about something I know to check it out,
That’s gonna be a bitch of a hike at 11p.m. while you’re cursing they’re not put up for the evening.
I’d put the larger animals out there. We had sheep & goats a good ways from the house. I second the comment below. Consider building a smaller chicken house and run closer to the house. You need to hear what’s going on. Put a camera or even a set up out there with the larger animals. Also, unless you have a reasonable amount of experience with all these different animals, start small. Baby/ Barn monitor systems: [https://forum.chronofhorse.com/t/baby-monitor-for-the-barn/219165/11](https://forum.chronofhorse.com/t/baby-monitor-for-the-barn/219165/11)
It doesn’t matter if it’s 6 feet or 600 feet from the house, the predators will slip under your radar either way. Make your enclosures as secure as you can and it’ll all work out.
Near the house or the barn, you’ll need a good fence to keep the predators out. Including the trash pandas and possums.
I think this will depend on the type of predators you have, how big they are, and what you can do to keep them out, without having to physically be there.
I like having things close to the house, especially in the winter, but my parents had a set up kinda like this and it didn’t bother them.