will my neighbors complain about the smell with chickens & composting?

[Jeanette]

I went to the chicken class, I'm reading various things, getting my side yard ready--very much in the preparation stage of change :) . One of my friends says the chickens and composting bin will smell bad, then hens will make a lot of noise, and my neighbors will hate me. I have not really seen any chickens in someone's yard or garden. I'm thinking just 3 or 4 in a coop & enclosed run way in back past the pool in my back yard. There's shade, it's over by the guest room and shouldn't be more trouble than my neighbor's yapping chihuahua.

 

What's your experience with this? 

 

[Treasa]

I don't have any experience with chickens but I have composted and there is no bad smell just a nice earthy smell. even when I vericomposted in the house over the summer no smell. no one know unless I told them

[Erika]

No way! The only smell problem (and I am VERY picky) that I have had was when I had 11 hens in an enclosure made for 8 in combination with the major rains we had this last fall/winter, or when we had meat birds (which stunk terribly). Even when I had the 11 hens I complained about the smell after days of rain and my family didn't get bothered at all, even hubby who doesn't want the chickens. The compost bin I think smells beautifully, when damp it smells like apples and when dry I don't notice anything. So don't get meat birds and make sure each bird had adequate space and don't put meat or oily things in the compost and you'll be good.

[Treasa]

why did the meat birds smell? How were they different from hens. I am curious as I would like to have come chickens in the future and include a few meat birds

[Erika]

I don't know why, but I have since heard from others that this is a common complaint. They just sit and eat all day.