Our First Ark - Photo Intense... Hope You Like It

[bigmike&nan]

Quote:
Again thanks for the kind words. I don't have any chickens YET but from my reading the reason people want to be able to move the tractors around is to give the birds a protected environment yet fresh ground to pick around on (and a chance to easily clean up where the tractor just was, come Summer I can see how that would really matter).

 

[jaku]

bigmike&nan :

Quote:
Again thanks for the kind words. I don't have any chickens YET but from my reading the reason people want to be able to move the tractors around is to give the birds a protected environment yet fresh ground to pick around on (and a chance to easily clean up where the tractor just was, come Summer I can see how that would really matter).

Yeah, I'm building a movable one for my Cornish X's, but I want the layers to be permanent, next to my barn.​

 

[CarriBrown]

Great job. I'm sure your lovely ladies will enjoy it!

 

[bigmike&nan]

WELL the weather cleared and it was sunny, a little warm and windy today - so the varnish dried and cured pretty well. My neighbor got home early and we built the roof. We used scrap pieces of plywood and screwed one side down. Then made triangle shims for the top of the other side and then screwed on a 5 inch piece of plywood across the top edge to act as the upper lip - then cut a piece of plywood and carefully measured the underside of it to screw on some scraps of 2 x 4 for the lower blocks. So the removable section (ala the Boughton 904) slides up under the upper lip and the 2 x 4s on the underside of the roof act as the stop to place the roof exactly where we want it - we slide it up under the lip and then down against the side walls...

I'm tired so I am probably not describing it well. Tomorrow I will shoot photos, it's sorta Rube Goldbergy, but what the hay... I think we'll get the tar paper and shingles installed - the gate on the run end of the coop, reinforcing blocks for the axle (for the wheels) and MAYBE, MAYBE we'll get the hardware cloth installed... We're just DYING to go pickup Our Girls. I half heartedly want to put a fake satellite dish on the roof... I'd even install my old video iPod inside with some speakers if it'd make them happy. Think they'd like old Steely Dan concerts ??? (I'm showing my age) LOL

 

[bigmike&nan]

Again thank you for all the encouragement. One of the things I really like about this site and BB is the gentle natured character of the members.


OK so I did too much yesterday: made whole wheat bread and Bialys, raked a portion of the yard and leveled it for the "pad" of brick tiles I moved and laid down, then helped my neighbor do this to the coop. We have choppy weather headed our way so I hope we get the shingles and finishing touches done tonight.

Here is a shot of the roof added - note that one side has the flange on top that the sliding in/out part slips under

Then there is a shot of the underside of the sliding roof panel

and a close up.

Note that we way over engineered it to last. We screwed in 2x4 scraps and then nailgunned in 1/3 scraps to the 2 x4s from every direction imaginable to keep the 2x4s from ever moving, they will be holding the weight of the roof... Realize this will all look a whole lot tastier tonight when we apply the roofing materials. We figure the sliding panel will fit REAL SNUG when the roofing is all applied.

PS: also I was reading about coop door sizes and brooding box sizes and am glad I guessed pretty close on ours... THANKS to you all.

 

[jaku]

Nevermind- went back and read your description and found the answer to my question.

 

[bigmike&nan]

Jaku,

I think the best idea is to have a covered run on one end and open on the other. I think one reason ARK designs are popular is the triangle elements are easy to construct AND you get some covered run space and some sun.

We got a lot of stuff done Thursday night - it got cold here tho. We installed the perches, filled inside corners with trim, installed the coop drop door hook and drilled a hole for the attaching wire. We reinforced big areas on the end and middle of the open run, cut carring handles and blocks for the wheels. Turns out my neighbor didn't have tar paper on hand so we quit as it was getting dark. Covered the roof with tarp held down with bungy cords, now it's raining and looks to rain for days. We'll do the tar paper, shingles, run access door, apply the hardware cloth and chicken wire and install the carrying handles and wheels last.

We're making this a three day weekend so once we get the girls and our rooster we can hang out with them. EXCITED is the operative word for this week for sure.

 

[thechickenchick]

Thank you for sharing your progress! It looks great!

 

[bigmike&nan]

Well we made the trip down to meet Kim, her husband and their dog Samantha (who acts as the rooster, it's incredible watching her corral them in when asked to, such a sweet dog) and pickup the chickens. The Girls made the 50 minute ride home quietly and when we got back to Deer Hollow where we live our neighbor Frank had tar papered and shingled the roof, installed the entry/service door and helped us line the sides of the structure with patio blocks. We opted NOT to lay down chicken wire underneat, being our structure is SO HEAVY and we have the patio blocks down around the perimeter we don't forsee any critters working their way in... Here's a shot of Kim, her hubby, my wife Nan and Samantha - their coop is very nice as are the rest of the birds...

Here's a shot of the completed coop, the perimeter bricks and of course my understanding and loving Better Half...

and lastly Our Girls hanging out in the coop, digging their way to China already, they seem so unfazed by the whole move and experience. For a treat we gave them some cracked corn, wild bird feed and black oil sunflower seeds. We're off to the local Agway to get pine shavings and some good feed...

Hasta la pasta Amigos !!!

 

[hcammack]

Looks great I wish I had built my own first coop but I ordered a chicken tractor (not worth the cost) Now I am building a garden friendly smaller version so the girls can go in certain parts of our raised beds without eating my crops.

Henry