Posts Tagged ‘hen ark plans’

Getting the Most Out of Your Hen Ark Plans

Are you looking for hen ark plans that will allow you maximum production in a back yard setting? There are a few things you will need to know.

First you will need to know a little bit about how large chicken ranchers go about getting results. These are chicken ranchers who raise chickens for profit. These ranchers buy, raise and, sell chickens by the thousands each year.

The housing for these chickens is quite large, even though chickens don?t need much room to grow and become producers. Most of the larger hatcheries provide all the basic needs a chicken requires, a balanced nutritional feed, plenty of water, and a clean healthy environment. There are some of the larger hatcheries playing music over loud speakers to sooth the chickens. Studies have found that the chickens respond to the music by soothing them and helping them to be better egg producers. The feed mix of grain and vitamins also help with larger eggs and more frequent production of eggs.

When you are looking for hen ark plans for your back yard remember how the big ranchers do it, and just scale it down. Rather than building a chicken coop that?s 25ft. x 25ft., all you really need is a plan scaled down to 5ft.x5ft. These dimensions will fit your needs just fine. Check out Google search engine and look for hen ark plans, building a chicken coop, or chicken coop plans, hit search and you will find some excellent plans. You will find some simple stuff and some really cool stuff. Even the small scale plans can be very extreme if you let your imagination run wild and that?s what you?re after. The one thing you have to remember is that no matter what kind of hen ark plans you decide on, the key to good healthy chickens that will produce for you consistently is keep your chickens well feed, watered, and keep your coop clean.

You might ask what keeping your ark clean contributes with your chicken egg production. Well there are a lot of factors and reasons why you should stay involved in keep your hen ark clean that will increase production like changing your hay or straw in your laying boxes. By changing you?re bedding every week or at least every two weeks will help you help keep lice and mites from infesting your chickens and getting them sick. A sick hen is a non productive hen. If you have a hen ark with a closed wall design keeping your coop and your boxes clean helps keep the toxic fumes from building up from the chicken waste droppings that can build up and produce strong ammonia fumes. That is another way your chickens can become sick and non productive. No matter what style of hen ark plans you ultimately decide on, make your hen ark easily accessible in all areas to service your hens and to maintain your coop.

Hank Dodson is the owner of The Chicken Coop Plans Site. Hank has been building chicken coops and caring for chicken for decades. Want to learn more about hen houses? Visit his hen houses site for helpful tips and information on how to build you very own coop.

Hen Ark Plans Predator Defense

Predators should be considered when choosing hen ark plans. You want your hen ark plans to incorporate safety features to protect your chickens from becoming a meal for a variety of predators. I would like to point out a few that are common to your chickens? safety.

Opossum

The opossum is classified as a marsupial and is the only marsupial in North America. These crafty little animals are different than most of the aggressive predators that are attracted to your chickens. Opossums find holes in fences or roofs or any crevice it can find and gain entrance to your chickens to attack. The difference is the opossum will mostly eat eggs and baby chicks rather than adult chickens. On occasion, the opossum will attack an adult chicken and because opossum is not a very strong predator, the way they attack is at the neck and the soft belly. When you are choosing hen ark plans I recommend making sure that your plans include a roof and incorporate a full wrap of protective heavy gauge wire at the perimeter of the ark.

Skunks

The skunk is mostly a Mr. Magoo, it has very poor eye sight and most of the time where the skunk gets into your hen ark is at a hole some where there?s damage in your wire. The skunk will eat mostly eggs and occasionally a baby chick. Because the skunk is very slow and is not a very aggressive predator, it does minimal damage as compared to other predators. I recommend that your hen ark plans include instructions on keeping your hen ark well-wired and maintained with no holes to prevent any misguided skunks access to your chickens.

Owls

The owl is a protected animal and can’t be killed by a trap or any other means to protect your chickens is a challenge. The owl is like a hawk in that they hunt from above and swoop on their prey very quickly with precision. They carry off the kill and will return at a later time to hunt again if the prey is still uncovered. I recommend a roof with your hen ark plans of a sturdy material. If your chickens are covered and not visible from the air the owl will not bother the chickens.

Hawks

Hawks like the owl are birds of prey and hunt from above. The hawk will also swoop and carry off a chicken in one quick attack and fly away with its prey’

Bears

The bear is an animal that if it wants your chickens you don’t have much recourse. Bears are not usually attracted to chickens as a first choice of food source. Bears are attracted to garbage or left out trash bins. If you want to keep bears away from your hen ark I recommend your hen ark plans include a secure and protected feed box that won’t tempt the bear to come close enough to your chickens to be interested in them for a meal. The best advice to keep bears away from your chickens is not to invite them with careless uncovered garbage.

Hank Dodson is the owner of The Chicken Coop Plans Site. Hank has been building chicken coops and caring for chicken for decades. Want to learn more about hen houses? Visit his hen houses site for helpful tips and information on how to build you very own coop.

Free Range Hen Ark Plans

I want to talk about hen ark plans and the free range chicken exchange. I remember the old movies with a sky view looking over the prairies and seeing thousands of cattle grazing with cowboys sitting on their horses watching over them. Then in the next scene you see them driving them into town. The cowboys driving the cattle down the streets of the town, into the corrals for auction. That was exciting for me and a memory I will always remember, because that?s the way I plan for my chickens that I raise as free range chickens.

The hen ark plans I have chosen for my chickens allow them to enter and exit the ark with plenty of room. I have incorporated a wide gate to allow my chickens the space to run into the ark safely. The extra width helps when I heard them into it at night fall, and helps to let them out in the morning to roam the fields. Chickens don?t carry as many pounds as the cattle of my movie example, but the chickens will push and shove just the same and can cause injury if not given adequate space. I would recommend for every 10 chickens at least 5 ft. in width.

The hen ark plans I have incorporated for my daily use allows me to give my chickens free range freedom with all the benefits of hunting and pecking for food and the exercise that promotes a healthy life style for growth and production for the chickens. Because the hen ark plans I choose allows the chickens freedom to go out and come in freely they have the best of both worlds.

The safety factor is also a benefit to protect from predators. When you combine a free range atmosphere when you are building a place for your chickens you incorporate an important safety factor. The safety of a good ark can?t be beat when you need to get your chickens into a safe place fast. Good plans will also give your chickens the stability of a safe hen house for nesting, and regular feeding boxes, along with watering boxes for them to enjoy regularly.

The ventilation factor your chickens will benefit from when you give them the free range atmosphere can?t be beat as with the outdoor freedom your chickens get gives them a whole lot of fresh air just what a healthy chicken needs. Fresh air is one of the most important factors a healthy chicken needs to be a productive egg layer. The overexposure to ammonia toxicity from waste builds up in an enclosed area like a non ventilated hen house can be very dangerous to your chickens.
If you have the room for large ark that allow your chickens to roam I would recommend it. There is no greater joy than to watch your chickens dash out in the morning and to rush in at sundown. Hen ark plans are very versatile and can be adjusted to your needs, so take a look at how they can be a good choice for you.

Free Range Hen Ark Plans

Various Styles of Hen Ark Plans

Chicken ranchers make choices everyday of the best hen ark plans for their chickens. The choice can be viewed as a sanctuary for their chickens. Hen ark plans have been serving the chicken rancher for years as a solid reliable housing option for their small to large flocks. The options in size and mobility have been very attractive to builders of any ranch size. For the exact same reason of being reliable, safe, versatile and economical hen ark plans are one of the most popular choices for chicken ranchers everywhere.

Styles

The hen ark plans used by the chicken rancher industry come in some basic styles. Because the industry has hundreds of plans available in bookstores and on the internet. A great resource for anyone who is interested in tapping into any major search engine results can find a plethora of information on the internet. For instance, the basic A frame is very popular and can be upgraded to meet the chicken ranchers growing needs as the needs of your flock grows.

Portables

The portable or movable ark is a very popular choice among the suburban chicken ranchers. It adapts quickly and easily for most suburban or urban areas. The portable style for your back yard allows you to have the ability to relocate the ark at your convenience. The scheduling of a regular rotation to allow your grass to re grow is one of the big advantages most liked by the smaller chicken rancher.

Stacked

Another popular choice of hen ark plans are the stilt or off the ground style. This style utilizes square footage like a high rise apartment. The ark has a chicken run at the bottom ground level with a ramp to the next upper level that can be used for nesting boxes or feeding and watering. The stacked hen ark plans work well when space is limited and the chicken rancher wants to maximize his resources for maximum egg production.

Covered Wagon

Think about using a combination portable and off the ground option. Here is an option you can re-create by using plans for one of the old west covered wagons. With this style the ark can be designed small or large. The beauty of this is that the covered wagon style allowing for full protection from predators, easy access to your chickens living quarters, great ventilation, and easy portability with the functional four wagon wheel style.

Gypsy Caravan

The gypsy caravan style is similar to the covered wagon with a few small changes. Instead of four wheels the gypsy caravan has the two wheel design. The front incorporates two rails to lift and pull the ark for the smaller versions. For the larger designs, the rails are designed for a pony, mule, or horse to pull. This design is also a safe and practical choice. I would recommend any of these styles for the beginner or advanced chicken rancher. I hope these review hints will be helpful in your future search for your working hen ark plans.

Hank Dodson is the owner of The Chicken Coop Plans Site. Hank has been building chicken coops and caring for chicken for decades. Want to learn more about hen house plans free? Visit his hen house plans free site for helpful tips and information on how to build you very own coop.

Tips for Your Hen Ark Plans

If you are a new comer to the chicken ranching world I want to welcome you. If you are seasoned veteran welcome and I hope this article can add something new for you to use. I am a firm believer that if you learn one new thing a day as you grow in years. Each year you will become a person with enormous wisdom, which can be shared with others.

The basic concept for a hen ark is a simple design to house a flock of chickens. Now each set of hen ark plans can vary slightly to meet different needs. If you were going to build a basic, 101, A-frame type of hen ark you would follow these directions.

1. Use 1?x 3? lumber for the frame.
2. Use 2?x 4? lumber for the base of the frame
3. Use 1? x 3? lumber for your doors or 5/8? plywood can be used also
4. Use metal fasteners at the corners and at but ends of lumber to lumber joints
5. Use chicken wire to wrap the outside of your hen ark and doors.
6. I would recommend building a door at each end of your ark.
7. Use galvanized fasteners (nails or screws) to attach metal fasteners

The basic frame can be modified to add more amenities like a simple two-sided roof covering, draped over each side and nailed to the frame. This would enhance the building?s weather protection capability. The example of the simple, 101, ark can be used to house a small flock of chickens in a small area with a very comfortable abode for your chickens.

Another version of hen ark plans can be described by the story of Noah?s ark. The ark was built in different levels and many different compartments to accommodate all the different animals. This multi-tiered design allows you to utilize all of the space available. Because we are talking about housing chickens, all the compartments would be filled with your chickens, but the principle is the same. The covering of the roof at the top level would also be added to the multi-level ark.

When choosing your hen ark plans keep in mind where you live and where you are going to raise your chickens. The ways in which the local environment and geography will affect your chickens will depend on where you live. Do you have natural predators to protect your flock from? If so I would recommend using a set of hen ark plans that has a chicken run on the bottom level and a chicken walk ramp to get to the next level which you can make it removable for the evenings and your chickens can be safe for the evening from snakes, weasels, dogs, foxes, or any other predator that would love to get at your precious egg-laying flock. I hope you were able to use a hint or two from this hen ark plans article and I wish you the best of luck in your chicken ranching.

Hank Dodson is the owner of The Chicken Coop Plans Site. Hank has been building chicken coops and caring for chicken for decades. Want to learn more about hen houses? Visit his hen houses site for helpful tips and information on how to build you very own coop.

Different Sizes of Hen Ark Plans

Hen ark plans are misunderstood! I want to share with you that hen ark plans can be as small or as large as you want. I have reviewed many of the online websites that promote hen arks and they have misled a lot of chicken ranchers because of the thought that hen ark plans can only be for 2 to 4 chickens.

Small Hen Ark Plans

The small ark for the small flock, are great for a quick cheap housing fix. The plans are simple and the materials can be bought inexpensively or can be salvaged from items around the house or salvaged from a neighborhood scavenger hunt. The smaller popular A frame structure can be put together quickly. Most of the basic plans can be put together in an afternoon.

Medium Hen Ark Plans

The medium arks that are available which you can get for free are on the internet. You can get free e-courses to build them yourself. These e-courses are available if you take the time to search on the search major search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing. You will find as many sites that offer you a great choice of plans to work from.

Large Hen Ark Plans

For large ark plans you will have to be more creative than the small chicken rancher. I love the larger arks I have seen. The chicken ranchers I have interviewed and shared stories with all have said that the structures they chose to build and use for their own use are great for a lot of the same reasons the smaller buildings are valued. The versatility is a quality that attracts most ranchers. The option to keep the chickens in the ark or raise the fence and allow the chickens to roam is invaluable when it?s time to clean or gather eggs.

Wagon Style

With a conversion of a large covered wagon design that would typically be seen crossing the plains of the old west can be used as a place for your chickens. The mobility of the converted wagon when it has been converted has the quality of mobility that?s shared with the smaller style plans. The creative use of horse pull or tractor pull of the larger wagon style makes this building work and very attractive. Because the of the mobility factor for the large arks, the use of natural range feeding can be utilized.

Historical Ark Style

If you think of an ark you probably visualize the account of the bible story, Noah?s ark. This style of building uses the same design of the historical ark with one exception, the plans we will suggest has two large sled type rails at the base of the ark that allows for the mobility factor that allows a tractor or horse pull. I hope I have given some creative and usable arguments for the use of hen ark plans for the larger chicken rancher. I would recommend a closer look at the possibility of using the larger hen ark plans as a workable option.

Hank Dodson is the owner of The Chicken Coop Plans Site. Hank has been building chicken coops and caring for chicken for decades. Want to learn more about hen ark plans? Visit his hen ark plans site for helpful tips and information on how to build you very own coop.

7 Critical Areas for Hen Ark Plans

In this article we will review the basics of hen ark plans. If you have been following my original articles online about hen ark plans, I have covered different aspects of building small to large sized arks. I have also covered basics like what materials are to be included in your materials list. A complete material list will be important for calculating your cost for your hen ark construction.

In your hen ark plans you will also need to plan for functionality as well as your materials. In our previous articles we covered various functions like safety, access, egress, square footage per chicken, ventilation, housing, weather protection of various types. I will touch a little about each of these basic functions for a quick overview.

Safety

When you are reviewing hen ark plans you must think of safety. Chickens are very susceptible to predators because they are very docile animals. A lot of predators such as foxes, weasels, dogs, cats, hawks, owls are some of the predators that will prey on your chickens if left unprotected. In your plans I would recommend adding latches with locks if not included. I would also check for the gauge of wire and increase the size if you are in a higher risk area.

Access

The access of your chickens and the functionality of maintenance should be considered. You are going to need access daily to clean and feed your chickens so the easier you can get in and out of your ark the better.

Egress

The egress in your ark should allow for you not only to be able to get in but to get out of your hen ark. Have you ever put your hand in a cookie jar and grabbed a hand full of cookies and couldn?t get your hand out. If you can picture that example then you can understand what I mean about egress of your ark.

Square Footage

Your hen ark plans should also include the square foot per chicken formula. The general rule for egg laying chickens is 2 square feet per chicken or more depending on your available space. This square footage will allow for your chickens to be comfortable enough to be productive egg layers.

Ventilation

Ventilation is as important as any other component when you are building. New chicken ranchers might forget that chickens kept in an enclosed hut or housing unit need proper ventilation. In adequate ventilation could cause toxic fume build up from the waste produced by the chickens and be harmful enough to cause sickness and sometimes death.

Housing

The housing style you are going to choose should allow for your chickens to have the use of all the square footage it can get. Chickens don?t need a fancy structure, but they do need adequate space.

Weather Protection

I would recommend that your hen ark plans are weather protection compliant. Depending on the region you live in be aware of the weather conditions and make sure your hen ark plans allow for your area?s weather changes and your chickens needs.

Hank Dodson is the owner of The Chicken Coop Plans Site. Hank has been building chicken coops and caring for chicken for decades. Want to learn more about plans for a hen ark? Visit his plans for a hen ark site for helpful tips and information on how to build you very own coop.

Hen Ark Plans – Permanent or Portable?

Because new chicken ranchers are looking for answers on what to do to get the most out of their new love of raising chickens, I want to help answer the question – Do I need hen ark plans that will give me a permanent or a portable hen ark?

Portable

The hen ark plans that show you how to build a smaller compact version are going to give you a few advantages over a larger ark. For the chicken rancher living in the city or with limited space, you want the ark to be light weight for easy relocation when necessary. If you choose hen ark plans that do not include a cover, you might want to move your ark under a patio or over hang during rain. Summertime can get pretty hot, so you might want to move your ark under the shade of a tree.

Another advantage in being able to move easily is that if you are looking to give your chickens the same atmosphere as free range chickens. The movable structures give you the ability to move to a new location of your yard easily. By moving your chickens it gives them new ground to hunt and peck for food, bugs, worms, dried grass, fresh grass. The rotation to new locations not only gives the chickens fresh ground, it allows your yard to recover and grow new grass. The smaller structures are so light that you can move your chickens daily if you choose to, which is a benefit many ranchers enjoy. If you are a smaller chicken rancher I would recommend looking into the smaller hen ark plans.

Permanent

The hen ark plans that show you how to build a permanent non-movable ark are a little more advanced in carpentry skills. They usually involve footings of either concrete post saddles at the corners or a continuous footing at the perimeter, depending on the hen ark plans you choose. If durability and longevity is your goal I would recommend a good foundation that will endure all types of weather conditions. If you are looking to build permanently but you think it could be relocated at a later date, you should go with the concrete and posts at the corners. This method will allow you the ability to disassemble and rebuild at a new location in the future. The larger arks have more options like having two or three levels, ground level for a chicken run and the other levels to allow for roosting or nesting.

The larger arks also give you more room for maintaining the living quarters of your chickens. Permanent hen ark plans also give the adequate ventilation requirements to allow for the healthy environment your chickens need. Many unaware chicken ranchers forget that chickens need adequate ventilation. The outcome is sick chickens that won?t be producing eggs. Please take these suggestions that I was happy to share with you, and I hope they will help you with your decision on what is best for your situation.

Hank Dodson is the owner of The Chicken Coop Plans Site. Hank has been building chicken coops and caring for chicken for decades. Want to learn more about hen house plans free? Visit his hen house plans free site for helpful tips and information on how to build you very own coop.