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Free range, that was the idea when I bought my first chickens. Keeping chickens is very much about watching them as they graze and hunt. It didn’t work out quite like that. They started free ranging over to the neighbor’s yard, even getting on their bird table where they enjoyed the plump sunflower seeds.

A good solution was a moveable chicken coop. The hens would have a new area to graze and would be safe from straying. When I was out in the backyard they could roam free, to give them some extra space to explore. This was the ideal - a freestanding chicken ark that gave the hens shelter at night and alowed them freedom to graze a new part of the yard every time I moved it.

There were plenty of ready-made chicken arks, but they were expensive. The shipping on them added even more. The obvious thing to do was find some chicken ark plans. I wanted simple plans with clear instructions that a beginner could use. It was easy to find chicken ark plans, with clear instructions and additional plans for larger hen houses for when the flock expands.

As well as materials lists and clear diaframs to explain the construction process, there's loads of information on keeping chickens. All we need for plans and keeping chickens is in this one book.

Now I have a handsome chicken ark with handles at each end so I can move it around. My hens are very happy. There's a run to allow them to peck and scratch, as well as a roosting area and a nesting box. I can put the chicken ark anywhere in my yard that I want cleared, and the neighbor’s bird table is back attracting wild birds, not backyard hens.

Now I’m planning to add to the flock. Hmm - is the next project the simple hen house or the sophisticated chicken coop with eaves and nesting boses along the side? It does look splendid, and I feel confident that with the chicken ark plans, I could make it quite easily.

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