subject: Why You Should Make a Chicken Ark [print this page] Author: Joshua Harding Author: Joshua Harding
There are three kinds of houses that you can give to your poultry: portable (chicken ark), permanent (chicken coop), or none at all. All of them have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. It is essential to recognize that a few issues ought to be taken into consideration before deciding on which option you will use.
The most natural option is to simply let your birds run wild in your yard. This will allow your chickens to scratch and hunt for their own meals which will generally keep them strong and fit. Nonetheless, there are several key problems with this option. To begin with, if they dig up the bulk of their nourishment on their own they will not be able to find sufficient amounts of calcium, protein, and other nutrients to keep them productive. The end result is fewer eggs. The simple solution to this dilemma is to supply them with premixed feed as a supplemental food to their free range diet.
Another problem is that your birds will be vulnerable to the climate conditions. In milder climates this will probably not be an insurmountable source of worry, but in areas with brutal winters a place of refuge is a must. The third and largest problem when offering no housing is predators. Allowing your flock to be targets for local pets and wild animals is not prudent. This is why it is necessary to furnish some form of housing to shelter your flock of chickens.
The two sorts of chicken shed you can select from are portable and stationary (permanent). Stationary housing, also called a chicken coop, will be needed if you are going to raise a substantial quantity of chickens. Chicken coops necessitate more time, money, and work to put together and maintain your birds. And cleaning up will be a regular and unpleasant task with a permanently positioned coop.
If you are raising a small quantity of hens you can get away with a chicken ark. They are ideal for around 4 to 6 hens. If you would like to grow more than this quantity you will either need to build permanent poultry housing or numerous chicken arks. An ark has several advantages and is uncomplicated to construct and maintain.
Given that an ark is diminutive there are few materials that are essential to obtain. This will help you save a substantial amount of money over making a larger coop. It will also save you time since you will be able to construct it faster. The most ideal arks are built as "A" frames with a window and an outdoor porch, but alteration according to your needs is a possibility.
Providing both an indoor and outdoor section is ideal. The inside section is where the poultry nests, feeders, and waterers are located, while the external sector will be enclosed with chicken wire allowing your birds to scratch and peck for some of their own nourishment. This is the main benefit of a chicken ark, offering your pullets a chance to find a portion of their own food. This will reduce your feed bills while helping to maintain the healthiness of your pullets.
Another advantage of a portable chicken ark is concerning how much time it takes to keep it clean. A permanent shed will need regular cleaning while a portable chicken ark will only need to be dragged to a new location periodically. Every time one site becomes overly soiled you can easily drag it to a new and cleaner location. Nature will carry out the cleanup for you. Additionally, you will receive free natural manure wherever you position your portable ark. This is great if you grow your own vegetables since you will be able to transport the ark around the garden plot to fertilize any area desired.
There are a lot of rewards for constructing a portable chicken ark. They are economical, simple to put together, easy to keep up, allow your birds to scratch around for a portion of their own meals which will save you money, give a shield from predatory animals, present you with complimentary manure, and are painless to keep hygienic.About the Author:
Mr. Harding has successfully raised fowl for over 25 years and has constructed all of his chicken arks during those years. He is an expert in growing poultry profitably for meat and eggs. To learn more with reference to building a inexpensive chicken ark and growing poultry profitably you can visit his educational website.
