PVC for chicken tractor. Good or bad?

[nuke]

I have a hoop house tractor/coop that I have been using for a few months. It has a wooden base and cattle panels covered in chicken wire. The problem is it is EXTREMELY heavy and difficult to move. I am considering using about a 2 inch PVC as the frame instead of the wood. I thought this would make it lighter and easier to lift and slide. My question is do you think this will be too light? I have an outstanding livestock guardian dog that has kept them safe so far. I have lost a single bird to any predators. (Unfortunately I lost a sickly, blind turkey to my 2 year old and 4 year old who were "just giving her a bath"). I just wonder if I use a PVC frame will that make it easier for predators to get into the coop? I have a lot of raccoons, coyotes, and possums in my area so I want to be careful and make sure they wouldn't be able to dig ad lift up enough to get under it. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
Yes it will, and PVC degrades in sunlight so I wouldn't expect it to hold up well.

 

[nuke]

I hadn't considered that, thanks. Maybe I'll just have use wheels to make it more mobile. I tractor my egg layers right now and let turkeys free range. I need to tractor the turkeys and I intend on getting meat chickens in the spring. 3 tractors built like what I have now will be a big pain in the butt to move. I just don't like the idea of a stationary coop, but maybe that will have to suffice for the meat birds.

 

[yogifink]

The pressure from the panels pushing out on the pvc would probably be too much as well and cause a very large bow. I would deff go with some wheels.

 

[aart]

Electrical PVC conduit is more UV resistant, it's the gray stuff...make hoops out of that too instead of using cattle panel, Use 2x3or4 welded wire fence for heavy mesh base for chicken wire instead of the cattle panel.

You could even just replace the cattle panel 'hoops' with the gray electrical PVC conduit and 2x4 welded wire, keep the wooden base.

Electrical PVC conduit won't last as long as cattle panels but much longer that the white plumbing PVC.

.... or go with wheels