Okies in the BYC The Original

[Poco Pollo]

I'm thinking about making some pens inside our barn using 1" PVC pipe instead of 2 X 4s. Has anyone used PVC for a project like this? I've read information from several websites with free plans and ideas, but I don't see many comments about how long one can expect the PVC pipe to last. 2 years of outdoor exposure is the only mention so far.

 

[GracefulBantams]

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Thanks, Grace! I got it.

Grace, thanks. I got it too. I'm dealing with an egg bound pullet right now, then I will try to getmy worthless, no-good printerto work.

Dandelion007...Pine Bluff for sure too far for me. Pryor to far, but if I don't go there, I won't ever get to go anyplace.

Got to tend my little chickie...

No problem.
Sorry about your pullet

Don't forget that you will still get to show at Cement (we just don't know "when" yet)

 

[GracefulBantams]

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You can check with a lady named Cammy (that is her screen name on here, too). I was just at her place the other day and she had a neat little PVC pen.

 

[muesky]

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I think that Michael lives in Anadarko.

he is fine been workin nights plowing the roads around anadarko and hinton, havent heard from him today prolly sleepin, sure he will call before work, his computer has been down because of the ice. Said he will have to do this for a few more days.

Thanks for letting us know. Wish we could find out about Stimpy..

 

[b52fizzle]

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ive seen it in several places on here, and the only mention to make it last is to use the grey pvc, i believe schedule 40 but that may be wrong, but definitely the gray stuff, it was made for outdoor use, the white is for inside walls and under floors and such. thinkin it was schedule 80, but painting will help with the UV protection as long as the paint itself doesnt deteriorate the pipe.

 

[muesky]

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ive seen it in several places on here, and the only mention to make it last is to use the grey pvc, i believe schedule 40 but that may be wrong, but definitely the gray stuff, it was made for outdoor use, the white is for inside walls and under floors and such.

I have used both the grey and white pvc and just painted it. The main reason all plastics break down is due to the fact they are not UV resistant. Painting it works great. I like it because it is cheap, light weight, easy to clean and you can get it to make all kinds of shapes. You will need to be gentle with it when it is freezing outside since it can crack if hit too hard. In the spring I am going to make a small chicken tractor out of the grey to use as a grow-out pen.

 

[bigokie37]

my buddy john thats on here sometimes used some for some big flight type pens an it was trouble using the white type pvc.when the ice got on the netting it broke almost all the pipes they get very brittle when cold.what ive seen works good is poly pipe like used in the oilfield.alot of the new hay rings for cattle are being made out of it.you can buy used stuff in short peaces at used oilfield supply places.alot of them will give you all the scraps like that to have it out of their way.its easy to notch the ends an drill an bolt together

 

[Poco Pollo]

Thanks for all the pipe suggestions. Chuck, do you have the name of an oilfield supply place? I wouldn't know where to begin to look. I'm considering the PVC for inside the barn where the temperature won't fluctuate too much. Outside, though, my big concern has been confirmed: extreme weather makes the pipe brittle.

 

[Poco Pollo]

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You can check with a lady named Cammy (that is her screen name on here, too). I was just at her place the other day and she had a neat little PVC pen.

Thanks! I'll send her a PM. Maybe she has some pictures uploaded already. I've found places to order special joints relatively inexpensively, so maybe building pens for inside the barn would be practical. I'm intrigued by the tight-fit Ts that you don't glue on. They are used for hinges but don't slide down the pipe. Too cool. I wonder if they really work as described.

 

[Buster52]

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Thanks for letting us know - the thing to worry about now is wind, if there is any ice on your electric lines. They are not designed to wave madly in the breeze when heavy with ice.

Well, that's what I get for bragging, I guess. Our power went down about 4 hours later and has been down since. About 36 hours now and counting. I came in to the library which has free wireless just to update and recharge my phone.

The generator I thought was all set went out early, and we are going through firewood faster than anticipated. I took a page out of Stimpy's playbook and pushed the freezer out the front of the garage and so far the cold temps are helping to keep all that meat (about 200 pounds of it) frozen.

Our rental place in town lost three trees and all the rest but two received some damage. The three big ones split down various degrees of the middle, one damaging the roof of the big house, one falling harmlessly into the yard, and one crushing the front fence.

But, we are doing fine. Plenty of wood to see us through, the insert is working well for both heating and cooking, water is running fine, all of the animals are safe and doing about as well as can be expected. Haven't lost any yet.

See you when the power comes back on. Y'all have fun.