Extension ServiceHow far should my chicken coop be from my well?
We have a chicken coop that is 25 feet from the well that supplies water to our house and irrigation. The well itself is 60 feet deep, and the pump was replaced about three months ago and completely flushed out. Should we be concerned about contamination of the groundwater from the coop?
Any source of contamination should be at least 100 feet away from a well.
Your well is pretty shallow and the water table is much higher. Poultry manure has the highest amount of nitrogen, so at this distance, you will want to clean your chicken coop more frequently. If you compost, do so on concrete or cover with a tarp to prevent nitrate from leaching into the groundwater.
Some OSU Extension offices provide free nitrate screenings to get your water checked for influence by manure/septic systems. You can call your local Extension office to see if this service is offered and take a 1/2 cup sample of your well water in a clean container to the office for testing.
