I built a really cheap, quick and inexpensive pen to hold my soon to arrive ducklings until they are large enough to push outside. It requires:
(5) 10' 1/2" PVC pipe
(3) 8' 2x4 stud boards
large handful (maybe 120 or so) cheapy cable ties
25' chicken wire
(3) 8' 1x4 boards
few decking screws
(2) 3/4" PVC T that reduces to 1/2"
(2) 1/2" PVC 90
I created a frame of the 2x4s by leaving the two longer boards at 8' and cutting (2) 3' pieces out of the last board. I then used a spade bit and drilled holes with a bit large enough to loosely fit the 1/2" pvc. Those were drilled on the long sides (8' sides) starting at 1" and occuring every 2 feet. I then trimmed the 10' PVC pcs to 8' and bent them over into a half hoop. It creates a dome just like a hothouse or greenhouse framing would. I then tightly attached chicken wire starting OUTSIDE the frame. I used the 1x4 boards to sandwich the wire in and tacked it down with screws. I then tightly stretched the wire over the frames, using the cable ties to secure it. The ends were also covered with chicken wire and attached with cable ties. The door is made from scrap PVC using the fittings to create a rectangle. The larger 3/4" T fit over a verticle pvc pipe to form the hinges.
I can use cardboard attached loosely to the outside edges to prevent drafts. The heat lamp is attached to the verticle pole in back and secured to the top (so it can't slide down). The whole thing is sitting on a cheap 6x9 sheet of linoleum to keep the mess contained.
The whole project took maybe 2-3 hours to make. And aside from running a drill bit into my finger, was super easy.
The nice things are 1- its modular, so it can be taken apart very simply. 2- its light, so it can be dragged/carried anywhere 3- it will serve as a great place to keep 1-4 ducks if there's a need to quarantine or it can be used as a mobile tractor (think chicken tractor) to give them some fresh grass while I am not present to watch over them in the yard.
Here are some very poor pictures (sorry, taken in near dark on my cell phone, but you'll get the idea):
(5) 10' 1/2" PVC pipe
(3) 8' 2x4 stud boards
large handful (maybe 120 or so) cheapy cable ties
25' chicken wire
(3) 8' 1x4 boards
few decking screws
(2) 3/4" PVC T that reduces to 1/2"
(2) 1/2" PVC 90
I created a frame of the 2x4s by leaving the two longer boards at 8' and cutting (2) 3' pieces out of the last board. I then used a spade bit and drilled holes with a bit large enough to loosely fit the 1/2" pvc. Those were drilled on the long sides (8' sides) starting at 1" and occuring every 2 feet. I then trimmed the 10' PVC pcs to 8' and bent them over into a half hoop. It creates a dome just like a hothouse or greenhouse framing would. I then tightly attached chicken wire starting OUTSIDE the frame. I used the 1x4 boards to sandwich the wire in and tacked it down with screws. I then tightly stretched the wire over the frames, using the cable ties to secure it. The ends were also covered with chicken wire and attached with cable ties. The door is made from scrap PVC using the fittings to create a rectangle. The larger 3/4" T fit over a verticle pvc pipe to form the hinges.
I can use cardboard attached loosely to the outside edges to prevent drafts. The heat lamp is attached to the verticle pole in back and secured to the top (so it can't slide down). The whole thing is sitting on a cheap 6x9 sheet of linoleum to keep the mess contained.
The whole project took maybe 2-3 hours to make. And aside from running a drill bit into my finger, was super easy.
The nice things are 1- its modular, so it can be taken apart very simply. 2- its light, so it can be dragged/carried anywhere 3- it will serve as a great place to keep 1-4 ducks if there's a need to quarantine or it can be used as a mobile tractor (think chicken tractor) to give them some fresh grass while I am not present to watch over them in the yard.
Here are some very poor pictures (sorry, taken in near dark on my cell phone, but you'll get the idea):
