Can you give me your opinions on this ark

[RedThorn]

Looks good and as a prototype is a Bl&&dy good one. As said with the mesh, However for me it was aesthetic Good luck with your venture, but bear in mind you'll need an entry level (cheaper unit) model

[Snadger]

If I may add my two penneth, and you can shoot me down after if you like!

Most chicken coops are supplied 'flat pack' to save on postage and make it easier to store.
I suppose it depend which market your gearing to, whether it's local or national?

Ebay is a good selling tool nationally but for this you would need to make the panels to be easily assembled AFTER delivery. Not too hard to do I would think with a few well placed bolts or screws?

If you were just aiming at car boot sales etc this WOULDN'T be required but would drastically limit the amount of people able to see your product.

Good luck with your project..............hopefully cheap imports won't price you out of the market.

PS I have a little woodwork project of my own which I hope to unleash onto an unsuspecting eBay marketplace soon! (I'm keeping it under my hat for the time being until I finish a few prototypes and see if its feasible..........expanding my portfolio you might say..........Nothing to do with sheds or coops though!))

[its hilly]

I think you've made a good start. I agree the run size would need increasing for chooks, and personaly (cant spell that) would like to see a vent at the top.
When OH (joiner by trade) built mine he made it able to flat-pack for ease of transport. With seperate run. Also meant I can carry it to my buildings in bits on my own as would be way too heavy/difficult to manouever otherwise, as we used some available timber not T&G (will post pics when its creocoted and put together)
If you want ideas though just do what we did and go internet hunting for poultry housing Some even have all round views and sizes on. You have to work out how theyre framed up yourself. But if you did this without plans I cant see you having any trouble with that Good luck!

[Bramble-Poultry]

Mrs C - it would be a great run for broodies - in which case you may consider running a length ot T&G board around the base of the wire to keep the chicks out of a direct draught.

My other thoughts are that all the joints and cracks at the floor / wall interface would be best to be filled with sealant to stop any red mite build up, or maybe suggest that the new owner performs that task.

i would also try and raise the floor off the ground other wise it will eventually get damp and rot through (bitter experience there) if however, its is for broodies, you could leave it lower, perhaps just a battens depth off the ground. As for perching, a notched support, with notches at various points would allow a removable perch to be placed in at different locations for you to adjust as the breed dictates.

I agree aesthetically the mesh would look better on the inside, but to a chicken the aesthetics are secondary! Mesh size shown would indicate suitability for a broody. A larger mesh type would not only be more "chickeny" but cheaper for you too to install.

I wonder, if you were to make the end panel on the run completely removable, held in place with hasps or similar, you could make "bolt on" modular run extensions? Another sales point?? The run could then theoretically be extended "ad in finitum"

On a personal note, i favour a "square" ark if using arks as the whole floor area is then avaliable to the birds. With a traditional triangular ark, the edges are hard to access for the hens as the sides slope inwards too far.

MrsC - i think its a bloody good effort and you should be proud. No matter how many runs and the like i make up for here, i always end up revistting the plans and making modifications for the next run. Infact, no sooner had i finished building all our pens, then Jennifer had me going around remaking and modifying them again!!

Just a quick tip for you, the fold down door (in my opinion) is a pain in the preverbial as you can bet when its peeing down with rain and you want to shut the girls up, they have scratched litter and food and all sorts into the edge where the hinges are and the door wont shut because of all the stuff in there so you end up spending 10 minutes getting saturated clearing it out. And trust me, the next night its back again!!!

That was my design floor number one! On a single coop maybe not a problem, but we use arks a lot (all be it 5-6' long and 2-3' wide) for a trio of pekins during breeding time to split out the groups. going around 6 or 7 is an hours work in the rain - no thanks - we now have "slidey uppy downy doors" as the good lady describes them!

MrsC, i hope my comments havent offended, that is not their intention. i comment purely as you asked for input and i can be naturally critical as i am a designer by trade (albeit for hospitals and healthcare) and therefore i do place a lot of consideration to these things. If i am honest, my faults lie in that i design a "practical" solution that may not always be appealing to the eye, but it works. Jennifer is our "styling guru" who keeps modifying my designs to be more appealing!

[MrsC]

Hi all many thanks for your comments, I'm not offended and a few good points have been raised which we have considered. The ark not being flat packed so this would have to be pick up or delivery, the hen house is off the floor although you can't tell this from the picture (2 battens deep), we have considered the sealant option (only talking about last night.) The door opening downwards reduces scratching space and filling with crap etc, we didn't plan the pop hole very well should have put at an angle initially. Lots we have learned from this! Thanks all We'll be boring you with more pics when we build another!

[MrsC]

I think you've made a good start. I agree the run size would need increasing for chooks, and personaly (cant spell that) would like to see a vent at the top.
When OH (joiner by trade) built mine he made it able to flat-pack for ease of transport. With seperate run. Also meant I can carry it to my buildings in bits on my own as would be way too heavy/difficult to manouever otherwise, as we used some available timber not T&G (will post pics when its creocoted and put together)
If you want ideas though just do what we did and go internet hunting for poultry housing Some even have all round views and sizes on. You have to work out how theyre framed up yourself. But if you did this without plans I cant see you having any trouble with that Good luck!

Hi, we have put a vent in under the apex can't see on the pics. We've tried hunting for plans and looked at pictures on the internet, but there always seems a credit card payment involved. A lovely grape has kindly offered a book to me (Bluemoon) and we are hoping this will give us more ideas

[bluemoon]

I didn't realize you were going into the ark business, Mrs C! I think there is actually a niche waiting in the market for good quality, reasonably priced chicken houses. At the moment they are either the imported rubbish, which is cheap (and looks it) or the sort for which you need a mortgage. I think there's room for something in-between. The trouble is the exorbitant cost of the materials for individuals and presumably for small businesses too. Our own chicken houses are beautiful, I'm so proud of them, they are strong, warm, weather-proof and roomy. BUT we were given the marine quality ply and if we'd had to buy it we would have spent roughly the same as for a similar sized, top-spec house from one of the big companies. Just things such as wood treatment, hinges, screws and wood for the frames cost us in the region of £100 per house. I'm not saying this to discourage you, just the opposite I really wish someone would produce affordable, practical housing, but you'd probably have to find suppliers who will give you trade rates if you are to make a profit. We didn't mind because all we wanted was housing for our own hens and not to sell on.

[Snadger]

Now one of these I WOULD go for!

[MaureenHall]

Isn't that the one you made from the left-over doors Snadge?

[RichmondHens]

That is a very pretty but totally impractical house Snadge!!!!! Look at all the places for mite to hide.

[Snadger]

That is a very pretty but totally impractical house Snadge!!!!! Look at all the places for mite to hide.

Not if the interior is skinned with thin ply or better still fibreglass!

[pdblake]

Now one of these I WOULD go for!

They going to live in that or just pray in it?

[Snadger]

They going to live in that or just pray in it?

Bless you my son!

[MrsC]

The big question, how much would you pay???????? A couple more pics attached Give me your honest opinion please!