PVC tractor questions

[CARS]

I downloaded free plans for a pvc poultry pen ( http://www.pvcplans.com/pvc-pastured-poultry-pen.htm )

Anyone out there built this design? Here are a couple of my concerns/questions.

1) Is it heavy enough to not blow away (I know chickens fly but not in their cage

)

2) Do you use wire on the bottom? I'm going to use this for Cornish X's and we all know they make a heck of a mess.

3) If you look at the plans there is a box in the middle that they call a feeder. Huhh?

Any other thoughts before I embark on this idea???

 

[patandchickens]

As long as your connections are solvent-welded, you can put sand or gravel or water into part of the frame for extra weight, if you want. Or weight it down with strategically-placed cinderblocks. The lower its center of gravity (and the lower its total height) the less apt it will be to blow around... that design does not look excessively vulnerable to me.

If you put in a floor, how are you going to move the tractor? The chickens need to be able to walk along with it.

I have no idea what the deal is with the square thingie in the middle, sorry

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[CARS]

Quote:
Well, I kinda envisioned them "riding" on the wire

I guess that while their weight on the wire would hold the tractor down it would also add to the weight that I need to move.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Well, I kinda envisioned them "riding" on the wire

I guess that while their weight on the wire would hold the tractor down it would also add to the weight that I need to move.

Well, not just that, but a) you won't be able to do it because the wire will sag wayyyyyy too much under their weight; and b) they will get their toes squished or even amputated when the tractor sets down. Even just layers (let alone broilers) are heavy, and wire cannot be made very rigid (not iwthout massive amounts of crossbracing)

Really, I know that a wire floor in a tractor sounds at first like a good idea, but there is a very good reason that people virtually never do it, and this is that reason. (You can do it if there is a hard-floored 'house' part you lock the chickens into to move; or if it is just a day tractor and the chickesn are never in the tractor when it moves; although there are still other reasons not to use a wire floor).

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Chickenmaven]

I have been thinking about this, too. I was thinking about putting a mesh apron around the base & setting rocks on it...but, I dunno.
Looking forward to reading what the experts think!

*edited for spelling