Author Topic: light weight portable chicke coop & pens  (Read 2961 times)

Plantoid

  • Joined May 2011
  • Yorkshireman on a hill in wet South Wales
light weight portable chicke coop & pens
« on: December 24, 2011, 07:02:39 pm »
I've just been playing on a USA site with sonme guys who don't play chickens but do other things , we have ben talking about making light weight frames  to suspeend multi coloured ( red & blue ) LED lights to make a "  grow bed system "  togerminate seeds and bring on early plants etc.

I've recieved a link about making things from easily available PVC plastic tube etc.

 There is a smart small size back garden portable chook coop & pen construction in it .. it would be much lighter thn using wood & has hygiene advantages .

Here is the link

http://www.pvcplans.com/pvc-pastured-poultry-pen.htm
International playboy & liar .
Man of the world not a country

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: light weight portable chicke coop & pens
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2011, 03:29:04 pm »
I'll start by telling you I am a plumber Plantoid. So I use PVC pipes and fittings all the time. PVC has the advantage over other waste pipe that it can be 'solvent welded' together -the fitting and pipe melts in contact with the solvent and when the solvent evaporates (24hours) the joint is permanent. Problem with any unreinforced thermoplastic is it hates being subjected to continuous forces. So it bends, more so in hot weather, and stays set in that bend. More heat and more bend until it collapses. I fix loads of waste pipes that have collapsed over their length simply due to the weight of the water in them. It's not cheap either. A run made of it would simply blow away unless anchored. The only thing I have used it for is as a support frame for a small net over my veg. It also gets brittle over time with sunlight exposure, particularly when very cold, then just snaps. Black is the best colour to resist that, but then it expands 4 x more than white in heat. So I can't see it making a very durable coop, but it would be rather complicated fun sticking all the bits together. If you do go ahead invest in a 'pipe slice' from a plumbing shop. It will save you hours of sawing and cleaning the ends.
Hope this is helpful.

Plantoid

  • Joined May 2011
  • Yorkshireman on a hill in wet South Wales
Re: light weight portable chicke coop & pens
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2011, 10:42:41 pm »
that link /address i gave  shows easy stage plans for any one who wants to play .. the stateside guys don't seem to have any probs with heat or sunshine ...maybe their plastics formula is better .

 i reckon I will have a play at making a few  stackable frames & solvent welding them out of black or brown if the local suppliers have it still and foam fill them because i want some thing to keep a 1/4 inch net off my small pond and also to make anti butterfly cages to place on most of my 900 mm high raised veg beds.

I do have a ratchett shaped anvil pipe cutter , I myself have been playing with  allsorts of plastic pipes for many years but thanks for the tip ..someone else may be in need of it.
 

Using black cable ties it's a cinch to make such runs and coops . Anchoring them is not going to be much of a prob either so long as you can tie string onto bricks & hook the loops low into the wire with simple home made " S " hooks etc.

 One thing though can you get aerosol sprays compatable to the PVC plastic that will add extra UV protection if you spray the tube after things are finished.
International playboy & liar .
Man of the world not a country

Barrett

  • Joined Jun 2011
  • North Somerset
Re: light weight portable chicke coop & pens
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2011, 05:24:22 pm »
Hey Guys like the idea of the plastic for the coops, Social Services might not like the idea of putting children in them as seen in the picture. :thumbsup:

 

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