Idea using Garden Ark...your thoughts, please

Ewe Mama

In the Brooder
Jun 15, 2015
81
3
33
Northern Ohio
Hello. After following many links and reading various threads, I found thegardencoop.com website and The Garden Ark plans. I like that it is very step by step for people new to building projects, which is what I definitely need. I wanted something much larger, but I like how predator proof the design appears to be. (If you know of other chicken tractor plans that are very step by step, please let me know.)

What I am thinking is this...I eventually would like a chicken moat around a large garden (about 1/4-1/3 acre). If I start small, literally, and build a garden ark (or possibly two) this season, along with several of the quarter height garden runs, and the same number of raised beds using their free plans, I could have a small chicken moat of say a configuration of 6-8 beds with runs connected to the garden ark. The runs would sit on top of the raised beds and the chickens could do their thing to prepare the beds for next spring's planting.

Over the winter, we could build more raised beds, another ark, and some more runs, and move the original runs to make a larger rectangle away from the original beds which could then be used for planting. Over the years, we could gradually expand the size of the moat as we are able, as well as increasing the size of the flock. My hope is that, when we reach the desired size, we could build larger permanent coops and runs.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan, or does it sound like it would cost way too much in the long run? My concern is that if we don't do something about chickens and a moat on a small scale, we will never save up enough money to do it big-scale, the way I envision it.
 
It's basically a chicken run that goes all around a garden. The idea is that the chickens eat all the insects that would normally destroy your garden crops.

If you google Mother Earth News and chicken moat, there are are some good pictures and videos. I believe there are a few BYC members who have chicken moats, as well.
 
OK yeah I know what you mean.....great idea, expensive.
If you come up with a 'Master Plan' that will stand the test of time, of course you could build it/pay for it in sections.
 
Thank you for your thoughts and showing interest in this thread. I am planning to build several of the small chicken runs in the very near future, but am still toying with the Big Picture Plan.
 
Building the Ark and some smaller runs is a great way to start out both your building and chicken keeping experiences.
After a year you'll know much more about what you want to do next and how to do it.
Best of cLuck to ya!
 
I had never heard of a chicken moat before. I just found a link on the Mother Earth site that described it. Looks interesting (although my yard is way too small to consider something like that.)

We're building the Garden Coop right now and finding it fairly straightforward. The instructions are well-written. My only complaint is that the list of required hardware was fairly ambiguous and didn't really match up with what was available at my local Lowe's. I wonder if he does that because he wants you to buy the hardware kit from him? Who knows, anyway, we improvised and I think it's going to work out fine. We ordered our 1/2" hardware cloth from wayfair.com and it was less than it would have been from Home Depot or Lowes. I found that tip somewhere on this forum. Might come in handy for you, as it looks like you'll have a lot of hardware cloth to buy.

What I intend to do as far as linking up my garden and my chickens-to-be is to use the Deep Litter Method to generate compost. I'll let my chickens free range my yard but keep them out of my vegetable garden because I don't want them to dig it up. I'll use Diatemaceous Earth in the coop and run to keep bugs down. I released a bunch of praying mantises this spring in my vegetable garden and have had no bugs there. My perennials had a problem with aphids, but I sprayed with horticultural oil and then released ladybugs a few weeks later and that took care of it. (All of this has pretty much nothing to do with your coop design but it's related to gardens and bugs so that's why I'm saying it.)

Good luck with your chicken moat!
 
Thank you for your thoughts and recommendation about purchasing hardware cloth from Wayfair. I definitely will need to purchase quite a few rolls. I will keep the difficult-to-purchase hardware in mind and consider various options before heading out to shop. That information will prove to be invaluable, as I am a strict by the list shopper, in general. Forewarned is forearmed.

I would enjoy seeing pictures of your Garden Coop on completion. Your plans sound ideal.
 
I found hardware cloth to be less expensive at our local (national chain) feed and outdoor supply store. Jax is where I got mine.
I cannot find it on their website but I got 1/2 x 1/2 hardware cloth 3' tall in a 50 foot roll for a little less than a dollar a linear foot.

If you are making a chicken moat you can make it only 2 feet tall in sections that you can take out if needed to get into it to get a chicken or tend to anything.
Screw eyes and a piece of metal run through them to hold it together so no taking screws out and putting them back in. Or even strong zip ties to hold sections together.
 

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