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Review & Recommended Reading:
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How To build An Attractive & Affordable
Chicken Ark In simple And Easy Steps...
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We had been thinking about keeping a few
chickens in the back yard for a while,
mainly because we have been lucky enough
to receive fresh eggs from a friend who
keeps hens and we also wanted our two
children to share the experience of
collecting the eggs.
We decided to build
our own and started hunting for plans.
My wife is a keen cottage gardener and
wanted a suitably looking chicken coop,
so we wanted to explore our options and
came across a great book with lots of
different chicken coop layouts.
Not having read any reviews, I was
expecting the book to be
largely technical
rather than hands on
and a step-by-step guide....But I was thoroughly pleased to find
that this book was much more than just a
guide on "how to
assemble a chicken
ark", - but a substantial source to
keeping healthy, egg laying chicken as
well as providing detailed
step-by-step
instructions on how to structure your
chicken coop.
This guide is so informative and you are give advice on which
species of chickens are most suitable
for your circumstances and garden, and
how they should best be fed. Emphasis is
placed upon planning everything in
advance, even looking for free building
materials which you may have lying
around the house.
The book explains everything in simple
language including how much space to
allow per chicken,
how to position your coop etc.
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I didn’t know much about
keeping chickens before I read this book, and
certainly didn’t expect a
book called “Building A
Chicken Coop” to provide me
with such comprehensive information.
It lists a clearly
defined building pathway
that should be followed
when building a coop, which
helped me
save heaps of money and time.
It also covers the health of your chickens and
their eggs.
Click Here To Download The
Book
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The best part of the whole guide
however, and the reason I bought it… the
planning and construction of the coop
itself.
The chicken ark was my first DIY project
from scratch and I was
slightly hesitant about the whole
thing... But the color plans are so
easy to understand, and because the book
was on my computer I
could just reprint any
number of plans -
until I got it
right.
The tools needed
are all very basic. And through Keene's
guidance I made a list of everything I
needed before heading to the lumber
store, this saved me heaps in both time
and money, and when I was ready to start
the building project - I had everything there -
no extra trips. I even found some free
material and the whole coop didn't cost
me much at all. |
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"A Must
Read Book" |
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The level of
detail is just
right, from a
list of the
color of the egg
you might expect
from you hen to
a description of
healthy hen’s
poop! Keene
ensures that you
consider every
issue before you
spend a cent on
birds, feed or
equipment.
Anyone with
basic
do-it-yourself
tools and a
patch of land
could follow his
instructions. |
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I am extremely pleased with the
result of the chicken coop I build
and it fits our garden perfectly and
the chickens are happy.
As we wanted to keep our chickens
as pets, we went with a portable
chicken ark. It was build in less
than 3 days - I even got a
little help from the kids!
Building your own chicken ark, just
makes sense as you'll have to
assemble most 'pre-build' chicken
coops anyway, any you are really
just paying extra for the materials.
On the whole, I think, you will find
this book unbeatable - whether
you’re a complete beginner at DIY
with a limited budget, or skilled at
handiwork with money to spend.
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Pet Chickens -
How Many Do You Need & Which
Breed To Choose?
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If you've decided you want to keep
Pet
Chickens,
CONGRATULATIONS!!
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How Many?
It is essential keep in mind that chickens are social
birds and they do not fare well on their own, so you
should keep a minimum of two birds. As a rule of thumb,
two hens per family member should cover your egg
requirements as soon as the chickens start to lay eggs.
Which Breed?
There are over 400 varieties of chickens – so how do you
know which breed is best for you and your environment?
Below is some valuable information which can help you
make the right choice for you.
Standard chickens vs. Bantam
The first thing to consider is whether to get Standards
(normal-size), also known as "Large Fowl" chickens, or
Bantams. Bantams are much small are in size than
Standards and are kept mainly for ornamental purposes.
Being pretty and flashy, they make beautiful pet
chickens, however they lay eggs less frequently and
their eggs are smaller in size. They are also more
vulnerable to predators.
There is no problem having both Bantams and Standards in
your flock. Some breeds such as Silkies, Sebrights and
Belgian Bearded D'Uccles are available only as Bantams –
but other breeds are available as both.
Cold Weather Birds
Below is a list of chickens most suitable to a colder
climate (where the temperature frequently gets below
freezing during some or all of the year). In general,
Standards are hardier than Bantams and heavier breeds
fare better than lighter breeds. Combs and wattles also
need to be considered: the larger they are, the more
susceptible they are to frostbite.
·
Plymouth Rocks
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Wyandottes
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Chanteclers
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Orpingtons Langshans
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Sussexes
Hot Weather Birds
If you live any place that regularly gets over 100˚F
/38˚C, try to avoid the fluffy and feather-footed
breeds. Bantams do well in the summer (except the
feather-footed varieties) - the top Standard breeds for
hot climates are:
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White Leghorns
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Light Brown Leghorns
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Blue Andalusians
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Golden Campines
Egg Production
Some chicken breeds are prized mainly for meat, some for
their egg laying ability, and others are kept for both
purposes. Other breeds are kept primarily for show and
ornamental purposes, including the Bantams.
If you want the best possible egg production, chose your
chickens from the renowned laying breeds. However, some
of the best layers (like White Leghorns) have a
reputation for being more flighty and nervous -so if you
want to have very friendly pet chickens, this might be
something you would like to consider. Yet, how sociable
your birds are is mainly based on how familiar they are
to human contact and if they have been raised by you
from baby chickens as well as their individual
personalities.
Good egg-producing breeds:
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Rhode Island
Reds
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Stars
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White Leghorn
Dual-purpose breeds that lay well:
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Plymouth Rocks
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Wyandottes
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Marans
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Australorps
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Orpingtons
Egg Color
Some chicken breeds lay unusually colored eggs including
blue, green, deep chocolate brown, cream-colored and
almost everything in between!
Here are the breeds to look for if you like to have
colorful eggs:
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For blue eggs:
Araucanas
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For green/blue
eggs: Ameraucanas
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For deep
reddish-brown eggs: Barnvelders, Welsummers
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For very dark,
chocolate brown eggs: Cuckoo Marans
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For pinkish
brown eggs: Plymouth Rocks, Salmon Faverolles
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For
cream-colored eggs: Polish, Sussexes
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For white
eggs: White Leghorns, Anconas,
Minorcas, Andalusians, Campines
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For normal
brown eggs: Rhode Island Reds, Australorps, New
Hamphsire Reds, Delawares, Plymouth Rocks,
Wyandottes
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Chicken Ark
Are you thinking about keeping a few chickens in your
backyard? And do you consider free-range eggs to
beneficial to your family's health and your wallet? |
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Food, water, a clean cage
area, and a bit of grass is
all that is typically needed in raising backyard
chickens. A chicken ark could be just what you need to get the
best housing for your chickens - inexpensively and
without a lot of fuss.
If you have the right plans and instructions, with
clear diagrams and a complete list of materials,
you'll save a lot of time and money over purchasing
a premade chicken coop.
These arks are the perfect beginner henhouse. They
help you keep a few hens at a time, can be
transported (unlike a traditional henhouse) and
allow you to effectively free-range your chickens
while still protecting them. |
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Building A
Chicken Ark - How to Get
Started
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Backyard chickens are fun and inexpensive.
They provide your family with a fresh supply
of organic eggs, recycle your food scraps
and provide your garden with high quality
fertilizer. |
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A
chicken ark is a
different form of chicken coop, as it is one that
you can move to any desired location you want to
around the backyard.
And many of the challenges of keeping chickens
can be effectively dealt with by building a
chicken ark.
Plan
Ahead
The first thing you
have to think about when building a
chicken ark is the design. You can look
online to see the different styles and then build
from there. But if you are not
an experienced DIY person you might consider
purchasing a book with detailed chicken ark plans to
help you along.
The time you
spend getting the right plans and
instructions, with clear diagrams and a complete list
of materials, will save you a lot of time and money.
Building A
Chicken Coop
You want to start with
an A-frame of about 6 feet by 4 feet, which will
allow you to comfortably keep up to six or seven
hens and still be manageable to move around your
yard.
As the ark will be sitting on the ground it is wise
to use to
pressure treated lumber as protection against
insects and rot.
You want to put the
triangle walls, made from 2 x4 boards, at both ends
of the ark. Use support boards and runners to go
along the outer edge of the ark. The bottom part of
the ark is most often a sheet of pressure treated
plywood, which will be the floor. A single sheet of
plywood should be sufficient for both the roof and
floor of the roost.
Cut a hole in the
center of the roof, of a rectangular shape and use
this piece for the ramp.
Place hinges and
shelves on one side of the arc for the chickens to
lay eggs and nest. After you put the walls up and
secure the floor with the support boards and runners
you can put the chicken wire around the lower level
of the ark.
Once all of that is
done you can decorate the chicken
ark with a little paint
and make a nice home for the chickens.
This project can be
the most fun you have ever had, while you are
building a home for your animals.
If you are unsure about any of the building process,
there are many sites online that can walk you
through the process.
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