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February 7th, 2010 by Kor Rassad

A chicken ark is a particular kind of housing for chickens that is a bit different from a regular chicken coop. In the United States, this kind of housing is often referred to as a chicken tractor instead, but the building is the same thing. It’s just the name that’s different. Essentially, it is a portable chicken coop without a floor. This makes some things, like cleaning, much easier, because most chicken droppings will simply fall directly to the dirt.

The most common design for a chicken ark is an A-frame, which is kind of the same structure as a saw-horse. For this kind of ark, you attach two end-pieces with a long horizontal beam at the top. The end-pieces consist of two beams put together with roughly a 45 degree angle (or greater). These vertical beams are then connected to each other with a cross-piece, forming roughly the same shape as a capital A, hence the name A-frame.

Once you have the frame constructed, you can attach walls, chicken or similar wire, and nest boxes and a roost within the frame itself. Since there is no floor, and not a whole lot of heavy wood attached to the chicken ark, this type of house for your birds is usually more easy to move around your garden. You can attach wheels to it to make the process even easier. This type of design is not perfect, though, because the lack of floor makes it a bad choice for cold environments. If you live somewhere that gets extremely cold, you may wish to consider using a different kind of portable chicken coop instead, or your birds will get sick from the temperature.

A different design looks more like a wheel-barrow or hand-cart, with a more traditional coop on the end in place of the cart. This design is still very portable, and still has a wire walls at the bottom with no real floor on the coop part of the ark, but provides a little bit more protection from the heat. They are also heavier, though.

Another problem with using a chicken ark instead of a traditional coop to house your poultry is that they are not very predator-proof. Since the construction of the bottom part consists largely of wire mesh, your birds will not feel very safe if there are animals prowling about which want to eat them. The lack of a floor means that if any predators manage to get in through that wire, your chickens will be in dire straits indeed. Make sure you don’t have large numbers”or ideally any”natural predators of chickens if you construct an ark.

However, if predators and temperature are not big problems where you live, then a chicken ark may be the ideal solution if you plan on raising chickens. They are very easy to clean, and most designs come with detachable walls to make this even easier. They can also help to let your chickens range the yard without walking completely free, which while nice is not always an option. For instance, if you live in a suburban area but have a very large garden, this kind of housing is probably a much better bet than a larger coop and just letting your birds walk free, where they will probably get into your neighbours’ gardens as well.

Kor Rassad is a chicken coop enthusiast. For more great tips and advice on Chicken Coop, visit http://www.chickencoopadvice.com.

February 4th, 2010 by Kor Rassad

Having a chicken coop in your backyard may be a profitable idea, but there are a few guidelines you must follow to be successful with this venture. If you don’t, it is most likely that your chickens will not lay eggs and you will become frustrated. Here are the factors you must be aware of.

Positioning the Coop

This is the first thing you should take into account before you begin construction. You want to position the chicken coop in a spacious area, where the chicken are exposed to the maximum amount of sunlight and fresh breeze they can get. If they are unable to get this, they will not be happy with the coop and will therefore not lay as many eggs. Of course, there are many areas which do not have as much sunlight as others, so a better option in that situation will be to install electric bulbs in the coop. The basic idea is to ensure that the chickens do not remain in darkness for the larger part of the day.

Coop Dimensions

Another important aspect is the size of the coop. Chickens are extremely picky when it comes to comfort and if they are not happy with the coop size, they will surely make it obvious. Furthermore, if you don’t take into consideration the size of the chicken coop in relation with how many chickens you want to have, you may end up with a too large or even too small space, and both of these will cause problems.

If you intend to have a portable coop, keeping it small will be a better idea. However, if you want a large coop, then it is advisable to search for plans online which have a run included in them so that your chickens can get some exercise as well as fresh air.

Climate and Flooring Choice

The third thing you must look into is choosing between the options of flooring for the coop. You can have dried grass, sand or sawdust. Your choice mainly depends on your local climate, for example, sawdust does not do well in rainy climates. Here, a better choice would be sand, as this will drain water efficiently.

Once you have all this factors sorted out, you are ready to go ahead with the construction. There is a multitude of plans available online for you to choose from. Once you have selected what you want, be sure to use quality materials.

For more great tips and advice on Chicken Coop, visit http://www.chickencoopadvice.com.

January 27th, 2010 by Kor Rassad

If you want to raise chickens in your home, then building a backyard chicken coop hen house is a must. Only healthy and comfortable chickens who feel safe in their environment produce the optimal eggs and keeping them in a pen created of only chicken wire will not make them feel this way.

What you require is a proper chicken coop hen house manufactured out of wood so that your chickens are able to feel safe enough to give you prime eggs. This article will discuss several tips which will help you ensure that the hen house you make comprises of all the project factors essential to permit your chickens to produce the most number of eggs.

When designing your chicken coop hen house, predatory animals should be on the top of your list of priorities. Foxes, dogs, raccoons, weasels and other wily animals are a serious threat to the safety of your chickens, and keeping them penned in a simple wire structure if of no value if you want to keep these predatory animals out. In order to maximize the safety of your hens, you need to have a coop made out quality material, with strong doors and wire layering the windows. Also, put chicken wire around the chicken run buried one foot deep into the land to keep these predators from digging their way through to your chickens.

When thinking about the comfort of the chickens, think of them the way you would think about the comfort of people. They dont want to be in a place which is too hot, or damp or too cold, as exposure to such extreme conditions can gravely impact their health. This is why the plan of the chicken coop wants to be so that they are preserved from extreme weather conditions.

Add the windows so that they look south, as this will allow plenty of sunshine to enter the coop, maintaining the coops warmth in the winter months. During summertime, these windows will allow fresh air, as ventilation is primary for the coop to stay dry and cool.

Keep these views in mind when your are designing the chicken coop, or better yet, buy a chicken coop hen house design plan and make small amendments to accommodate your specific needs. With the correct plans that have directions which are easy to follow, you will save plenty of money. Just remember, only the most comfortable and healthy chickens lay the best eggs.

If you enjoyed reading this article, and to get your own chicken coop hen house building plans, visit http://www.chickencoopadvice.com.

January 9th, 2010 by Jacob Cooperman

Raising chickens is growing very common, and it is not just done on farms anymore. There is a boom in raising chickens in the suburbs and in cities. Small chicken coops allow non-farmers to provide healthy, fabulous eggs for their family while as well creating a feeling of self-sufficiency and a association with our country-style roots.

Eggs produced by chickens raised on pasture are nutritionally superior to eggs presently sold in supermarkets. They have less cholesterol, less saturated fat, more vitamin A and E, more omega-3 fatty acids, and more beta-carotene. Organic eggs produced in the backyard are much more tastier, too.

Chickens are really a lot like any other pets – they bond with their owners, they get along well with children, and just like any pet, they are full of surprises. It is now possible to have your very own healthy, happy flock of hens, not to mention a non-stop supply of pleasant-tasting eggs, in your own backyard. All that is requisite is a well-designed henhouse and some land where the hens can move about.

To have a thriving and content flock of chickens, they first need adequate floor space. 6 square feet of floor space per chicken is perfect. In addition, the hencoop needs to be dry and well-ventilated, with plenty of oxygen. Satisfactory ventilation also permits unneeded moisture, ammonia, and carbon dioxide to escape. If the hens are kept dry, they will keep warm and safe, even in cold weather, and the happier and healthier the chickens are, the more eggs they will lay.

A added advantage of raising chickens is that they produce high quality manure from their droppings that is rich in nitrogen. This manure is a outstanding natural fertiliser and can be recycled in to the hen owners garden or even sold. The average hen produces 250 to 300 eggs per year, so excess eggs can as well be sold to bolster the family income.

There are many rewards to having a small chicken coop. Besides the delightful eggs and invaluable manure, a small chicken coop is portable. Plus, owning chickens is a marvelous chance for children to learn lessons about responsibility, hard work, and the value of money. With all these benefits, it is not surprising that keeping hens has become such a fashionable pastime.

Looking to find the best deals on Chicken Coops For Sale, then be sure to try visiting www.chickencoopforsale.com to find the best advice on Backyard Chicken Coop for you.

January 7th, 2010 by Elliott Berry

Looking for info on the easiest way to build a chicken house? These are some of the main steps you’ve got to know to become successful.

Learning the best way to build a chicken house can at times seem to be a very confusing process. so long as you know some of the main key points, you should have no Problems building a chicken coop successfully – one that will continue to supply fresh eggs for you on a regular basis.

Here is what you’ve got to know about the best way to build a chicken house.

Select Your Land meticulously

The very first thing to remember is that you must select your land carefully if you are to achieve success. If you aren’t having a look at this factor properly, you might wind up having to do intensive repairs on the chicken coop which can be very expensive in the future.

Ideally you would like land that’s on a slight elevation and is resolutely packed so there are no concerns with the building starting to collapse with time.

Make sure you Have A Chicken Run and Fence

Next up, you also need to make certain you have included a chicken run and fence around your chicken house. Many people who are looking at the simplest way to build a chicken house overlook this element and then ask why their chickens will not lay eggs.

If your chickens aren’t getting a correct amount of exercise, it’ll be incredibly hard for them to maintain good health in order that they can keep laying eggs.

The chicken fence is then crucial in order that they will stay defended from some of the bad predators out there that can virtually wipe a complete chicken house out.

Place Your Feeders At The Right Height

Finally, you need to also make sure you’re placing your feeders at the right height for the chickens. If the feeder is to low they will make a mess on the floor while if it’s too high, they may struggle to get sufficient food and will not be nourished enough to remain healthy.

So keep these points in mind as you go about hunting for information on the simple way to build a chicken house. So long as you’ve a good plan to follow it actually does not have to be hard to get good results.

To get all the latest tips, tricks, and tactics about chicken house plans, be sure to visit us at how to build chicken house