Tractor/coop Add hardware cloth to pvc & build for slope

[ArtisticWhimsy]

I need to make a chicken tractor with coop out of something light. We started to do one in wood and it’s too heavy even though small. I’m thinking PVC but wondering how to attach hardware cloth to it. We have eagles and hawks as well as coyotes. Also our property is sloped. Any build hints to deal with that much appreciated. I’d say out slope is about 20-25 degrees.

 

[NatJ]

Attachment ideas:

--Zip ties.

--Wrap wire around PVC, through hardware cloth, repeat (sewing or weaving).

--Frame with light-weight wood (2x2 or even 1x1), then attach hardware cloth with staples or screws.

--Make a cattle panel hoop coop--something like this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cattle-panel-hoop-coop.74636/
(I didn't read the instructions, just looked at the photo.)
Attach the hardware cloth to the wire panels with zip ties, sew/weave with wire, use J-clips or C-clips or hog rings or any similar little metal things for hooking wires together.


Weight reduction ideas:

--If your chicken tractor needs an enclosed "coop" section, use hardware cloth + tarp instead of wood. The hardware cloth provides predator protection, the tarp provides weather protection, and the whole thing is lighter than if you used plywood or similar.

--Depending on where you live, your tractor may not need a "coop" at all. For summer use, a "covered run" is enough, day and night, as long as it's predator proof. (For laying hens, add roosts and nestboxes.)

Chickens are often happy sleeping in trees--they can certainly sleep on roosts under a roof, during the summer.

Slope ideas:

--Make a slanted pen.

--Build a straight pen, and put it on the slope. The roof will have a different slope. Roosts need to be fairly level, so either run them across the slope, or attach them at different heights on the downhill vs. uphill ends of the pen. Hang waterer from a chain or rope, so gravity keeps it level. Build nests extra deep, and put in so much bedding that the hens can shape a level surface inside, no matter which way it slants.

--Not a tractor, but build a coop on a two-wheeled trailer, and prop up the hitch end as needed to get a level floor inside.

 

[aart]

I need to make a chicken tractor with coop out of something light. We started to do one in wood and it’s too heavy even though small. I’m thinking PVC but wondering how to attach hardware cloth to it. We have eagles and hawks as well as coyotes. Also our property is sloped. Any build hints to deal with that much appreciated. I’d say out slope is about 20-25 degrees.

These two things don't go well together.
I assume you want light tractor to move frequently?
A tractor needs a flat space to sit on so gaps between ground and frame don't let chickens out or predators in.

 

[sealer39]

3/4” grey electrical pvc conduit and furniture grade joints work well. There is some give to it so it helps a little on uneven surfaces. I make a joint every 5’. I can move a 10’x20’ run by myself. I use those black UV resistant zip ties every 6” to 8” to connect the cloth the the pvc. You’ll need water and food inside the run so you need to make swing doors using slip joints on one of the five foot sections.

 

[swamphiker]

We were having trouble moving our wooden chicken tractor and were able to make it MUCH easier to move by switching out the wheels. We bought these at Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/10-inch-pneumatic-tire-30900.html