We had the idea to get a few hens so we could gather our own fresh eggs.
I picked up a few chicks at the local feed store and brought them home.
I had read that they needed to be feathered out before they could go outside in a coop, so that gave me a few weeks to figure out how to build my chicken ark.
I found some plans online in an eBook that I downloaded.
I was worried at first about how hard this would be.
I don't build much of anything from scratch.
I picked a small ark since we only had a few chickens.
The book listed all the materials I needed, so all I had to do was take my list to the home improvement store.
I was able to pick up everything I needed in one trip for our chicken housing.
When I got home, I laid out all the materials and referred to my plans.
I really appreciated the effort taken in prepare these plans.
They were illustrated and explained very clearly so it was easy to understand what I needed to do for each step.
If you've ever put together furniture or a barbecue following the plans that are included, you know how confusing most plans are.
These were easy to follow! Before I knew it, the skeleton of our chicken ark was taking shape.
I put in the perches, the nest box and started putting the siding on.
We live in an area with a moderate climate, so I didn't worry too much about insulation.
I have read the chickens adapt well to most climates, so I figure they'll be fine.
When I was ready to move on to attaching the wire, I made sure it was secure all the way around.
I didn't want to lose any of my precious hens to a wandering dog or cat.
From what I've read, raccoons and opossums can be a problem also.
I chose a fine mesh chicken wire, but I think you could probably use a good hardware cloth if you have problems finding chicken wire.
The important part is securing it to the frame of your chicken housing as good as possible.
I finished up with the final details of our chicken ark and it was ready for our hens! I set it up in a nice part of the yard.
We'll be moving it around every day or so to keep the hens on fresh grass.
This lets our hens have a more varied diet and get all the nutrients they need to thrive.
I set up the waterer and feeder and filled it with the growing ration our girls were eating at the time.
It was time to introduce them to their new home! We put them all in the house portion first.
One by one, they ventured out into the run, eagerly scratching at the ground and eating grass and bugs.
They were having a blast! As night fell, they went back into their secure little house and fell asleep.
We moved the ark a little every other day at first.
Our first egg was laid right in the nesting box where we were expecting it! Now we gather a few eggs every day from our happy hens.
I picked up a few chicks at the local feed store and brought them home.
I had read that they needed to be feathered out before they could go outside in a coop, so that gave me a few weeks to figure out how to build my chicken ark.
I found some plans online in an eBook that I downloaded.
I was worried at first about how hard this would be.
I don't build much of anything from scratch.
I picked a small ark since we only had a few chickens.
The book listed all the materials I needed, so all I had to do was take my list to the home improvement store.
I was able to pick up everything I needed in one trip for our chicken housing.
When I got home, I laid out all the materials and referred to my plans.
I really appreciated the effort taken in prepare these plans.
They were illustrated and explained very clearly so it was easy to understand what I needed to do for each step.
If you've ever put together furniture or a barbecue following the plans that are included, you know how confusing most plans are.
These were easy to follow! Before I knew it, the skeleton of our chicken ark was taking shape.
I put in the perches, the nest box and started putting the siding on.
We live in an area with a moderate climate, so I didn't worry too much about insulation.
I have read the chickens adapt well to most climates, so I figure they'll be fine.
When I was ready to move on to attaching the wire, I made sure it was secure all the way around.
I didn't want to lose any of my precious hens to a wandering dog or cat.
From what I've read, raccoons and opossums can be a problem also.
I chose a fine mesh chicken wire, but I think you could probably use a good hardware cloth if you have problems finding chicken wire.
The important part is securing it to the frame of your chicken housing as good as possible.
I finished up with the final details of our chicken ark and it was ready for our hens! I set it up in a nice part of the yard.
We'll be moving it around every day or so to keep the hens on fresh grass.
This lets our hens have a more varied diet and get all the nutrients they need to thrive.
I set up the waterer and feeder and filled it with the growing ration our girls were eating at the time.
It was time to introduce them to their new home! We put them all in the house portion first.
One by one, they ventured out into the run, eagerly scratching at the ground and eating grass and bugs.
They were having a blast! As night fell, they went back into their secure little house and fell asleep.
We moved the ark a little every other day at first.
Our first egg was laid right in the nesting box where we were expecting it! Now we gather a few eggs every day from our happy hens.
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