Mobile Chicken Coop Plans - Learn More About The Garden Ark ::: TheGardenCoop.com

For/from those considering The Garden Ark mobile coop plan:

How skilled do I need to be at building?
How much do the materials cost? And do you offer a kit?
How long does it take to build The Garden Ark?
What tools will I need to build this chicken tractor?
What are the approximate dimensions of The Garden Ark?
How many chickens will The Garden Ark house?
The Garden Ark looks so open, which seems like it would be great for the spring and summer. But will my chickens get cold in the winter?
How secure is the coop against predators?
Does the plan include instructions for a nesting box?
How do you clean out the henhouse, and how often?
What about cleaning out the yard?
Is the coop suitable for raising baby chicks also?
Can I get the lumber pre-cut at my local hardware store or Home Depot?
Can you send me printed plans instead of the eBook (PDF file)?
Will the plans work on my iPad (or other mobile device)?
Is there a metric version of the plan? And do you accept international orders?

For/from those who already have the plan:

The pictures in my eBook have these faint horizontal lines through them. How do I fix this?
Questions about ventilation, changing seasons. . .
Questions about the roofing material. . .
Can you tell me more about the wood treatment you recommend?

CONSIDERING THE GARDEN ARK PLAN:

How skilled do I need to be at building?

It would help for you to have used a circular saw and a cordless drill before. You should also know how to use a tape measure. And a hammer. If you have those skills down and you work safely and patiently, you should have no problem building The Garden Ark. All the cuts are straight. . . and only a handful are not at a right angle. There are no complicated joints either. An extra pair of hands may prove useful from time to time. This is a great project for building confidence in your DIY skills. You can do it!

How much do the materials cost?

Prices will differ by area, by store, and by the quality of your materials. I'd estimate around $250-300 USD. Add in your local sales tax.

I also offer a Quick Kit for The Garden Ark (U.S. only) that includes everything you need to build the coop except for the bulky stuff (wood, hardware cloth, roofing, paint, etc.). Wheels are included as an option. It's priced competitively with what you'll find locally, but it's pre-shopped and pre-packed in one easy box. It also ships free with no sales tax added.

How long does it take to build The Garden Ark?

If you've read through the plan and work at a comfortable pace, it can be done in about 5 or 6 days. This estimate includes time for shopping a few stores, sanding, cutting, sealing/painting, and assembling. If you make adaptations, it may take a little longer.

As with any project worth doing, hopefully you'll learn some things as you go along. There's a good mix of steps too. That is, there are steps that are easy but give you a dramatic result. There are some that require more attention to detail, like the doors. Then there are those steps where you are just so excited to see it all coming together that you get into a groove and go, like installing the wire mesh or the roofing panels or whatever finishing touches you dream up.

What tools will I need to build this chicken tractor?

We designed The Garden Ark chicken coop and plan for someone with beginner-level skills. The cuts are all straightforward (no tricky angles to measure), and the tools are pretty common ones that you likely either have or can easily borrow or buy. Here's the list from the plan:

What are the approximate dimensions of The Garden Ark?

The coop measures about 3'w x 6'd x 4'h at the frame. Add a half foot or so all around for the upper dimensions, including the roof overhang. Click here for metric dimensions and questions specific to the metric versions of our plans.

How many chickens will The Garden Ark house?

The Garden Ark will house up to 3 standard breed hens, or you can customize it or add on for more. This number is based partly on the minimum space recommendations in Barbara Kilarski's book Keep Chickens: 2 sq. ft. per hen in the henhouse and 4 sq. ft. in the run. As designed, The Garden Ark offers 7+ sq. ft. in the henhouse and 15 sq. ft. in the run.

As with any backyard flock, it helps if you have only hens (no roosters) and that they have all been raised together. And if you have an extra fenced-in day run to provide, your flock will appreciate all the foraging/grazing space they can get!

The Garden Ark looks so open, which seems like it would be great for the spring and summer. But will my chickens get cold in the winter?

More than anything, chickens need good ventilation and fresh air — all year. Damp bedding or trapped moisture and condensation from their exhaled breath can encourage mold and disease. Keep in mind that most medium and large egg-laying breeds are cold-hardy. That said, the henhouse section of The Garden Ark does offers refuge from a bitter cold snap. It's open-air at the top, but you can easily slip in a panel to regulate the amount of ventilation.

For lots more information on preparing your chicken coop and flock for the winter, see the winter-tagged posts at our blog, Coop Thoughts.

How secure is the coop against predators?

The predators and pests you have to deal with will vary, but let's stick with two for now: rodents and raccoons. Rodents will look for any hole to crawl through to get to the chickens' food, and they can squeeze their bodies really small to do it. The Garden Ark is a mobile tractor, so it is completely enclosed, top and sides, with 1/2-inch (13 mm) hardware cloth, yet open on the bottom so your hens can graze where you put them. That said, you can close off the bottom as you wish: park your chicken ark on a pad of concrete or pavers at night, or simply take in their food.

Raccoons are another story. They will dig, pry, and even undo a latch to get into your coop. Unlike rats and mice, they don't want your chicken feed. They want your chickens. That's why it's important to staple the hardware cloth properly and to use the right kind of latch on the access doors and the egg door. There is also a sliding door between the henhouse and run that you can close at night. If you take these steps, the henhouse can be fully locked down quite easily. In many cities and suburbs that require a permit to keep chickens, a predator-proof design is a must.

Does the plan include instructions for a nesting box?

Yes. The plan does include specs for one nesting box, perfect for 3 or 4 hens. If you wanted another for any reason, you could probably add one. If you're interested in adding external nest boxes to your chicken coop, see our free exterior nesting box plans for guidance.

How do you clean out the henhouse, and how often?

Cleaning the henhouse is done simply from the double doors on the coop. Just brush the litter down into the yard and add fresh bedding. How often depends on the season and how often your chickens roost in the henhouse. You can paint the henhouse floor or top it with a layer of vinyl flooring to make cleanup easier.

What about cleaning out the yard?

Is the coop suitable for raising baby chicks also? Can I use it as a brooder?

If the weather is warm enough, and/or you can provide ample warmth with a heat lamp, you can use the henhouse part of the coop as a brooder for chicks.

We've done this, and it workes quite well. We set the coop outside under a covered area, removed the roof, partially covered the henhouse section with plywood, added a heat lamp (mounted above a hole in the plywood), and blocked off the side of the henhouse by the double doors (to prevent the chickens from jumping or falling out when we opened it).

You could also fashion a brooder from a cardboard box, set it up in the garage, and keep your chicks in there until they are fully feathered.

Can I get the lumber pre-cut at my local hardware store, Lowes, Menard's, or Home Depot?

In my experience, the cuts a hardware store will make for you are often not the most precise. Also, there are many cuts in this plan, and while they're simple to do with a circular saw, you'll need to do them on site as you assemble the coop. That said, you can certainly get the store to make some cuts for you so that your materials will fit in your vehicle.

Can you send me printed plans instead of the eBook (PDF file)?

We only offer plans as eBooks in the PDF format. This lets us get them out quickly (and always in perfect condition), and it keep costs down for everyone. Some past customers whose computer setups were not ideal told me that they forwarded the file to a friend or relative to view and print. You'd be surprised how much help a dozen fresh eggs will get you.

Will the plans work on my iPad (or other mobile device)?

Yes. Because The Garden Ark chicken coop plan eBook comes as a PDF file, it is fully compatible with your iPad or other PDF-friendly mobile device. Learn more at this post on our blog.

Is there a metric version of the plan. And do you accept international orders?

ALREADY HAVE THE GARDEN ARK PLAN:

The pictures in my eBook have these faint horizontal lines through them. How do I fix this?

This is an issue with some eBooks and certain PDF reader software. Using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat to view and print the file usually clears it up.

Questions about ventilation, changing seasons:

In the summer, you can put a thin piece of plywood over the hardware cloth that's above the henhouse to give shade without cutting off ventilation. Also, while the roofing panels we chose are translucent, they do block some light, including UV. You might even prefer to use the white panels to block even more direct light. No matter your climate, you want to make sure that in the summer the hens have shade from the afternoon sun.

As for winter, there are plenty of good tips available both online and in books about caring for chickens in cold climates. From what I've read and experienced with our own chickens, laying breeds are quite cold hardy — bred for New England winters. Ventilation in the coop is very important, as is fresh, unfrozen water, exercise, and extra grain for scratch. There is plenty of room in the enclosed run for them to stay active in the winter. You can slide in a sheet of plywood between the hardware cloth and the roof to limit drafts, but do not seal it off completely. You can also use a warming lamp if you keep the proper clearance.

Questions about the roofing material:

The roofing panels indicated in the plan are called SunTuf® and are made by Palram Industries. The plan follows the manufacturer's installation guidelines, which you can download here. (This is a general download page, so scroll down for the SunTuf® installation guides. There should be a consumer version and a more detailed "pro-sumer" version.) The panels as attached in this design are rated to support 20-30 lbs. per square foot (about 100-150 kg per square meter). As for colors, SunTuf® panels come in different shades. Avoid Clear unless you are locating the coop in full shade. Solar Gray has been great — it cuts all but 30% of the sunlight. It may look dark in the store, but outside you really see how much light comes through. White works nicely too, diffusing the light even more.

We have not noticed dirt/leaves/fungus accumulating on the gray or white roofs and have not had to wash them. If you have lots of leaf litter or little sunlight, maybe you'll see more of that.

Can you tell me more about the non-toxic wood treatment you mention in the plan?

It is called Internal Wood Stabilizer, and it's made by Timber Pro UV, a company right here in Portland, Oregon.

Questions – Learn More About The Garden Ark