Polypipe Chook Houses

Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by Fee, Apr 25, 2005.

  1. Fee

    Fee Junior Member

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    I am wanting to build a polypipe chook house with a diameter of about 3 metres. Any comments about polypipe houses or feedback from experiences would be very welcomed. We are wanting to utilise the techniquue described by Linda Woodrow in her book The Permaculture Home Garden. The areas would be reasonably protected from wind and we would probably utilise tarp / straw in Winter.

    Cheers Fee
    (Canberra)
     
  2. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    g'day fee,

    i saw one at a city farm made from the same size condute that electricians use i thnk that is 25mm stuff it was the white coloured pipe.

    they had it in a dome shape and it could be picked up and moved around. not sure but they had either 5 or 6 pipes that came up and joined at the top to make the dome shape, run a row around the bottom and can't remember but i'd say 2 more around at equal distances for the wall support. they covered it in shade cloth you can get that woven real strong one it should hold back a fair bit of wind. then build a little hutch to put in so they can roos, these folk used old plastic lawn mower catchers as egg boxed.

    that might give you an idea or two.

    len :)
     
  3. Mont

    Mont Junior Member

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    Fee, we made one after a PDC course at the PRI at The Channon. Very light and easy to move around. There are photos of it on this website.
     
  4. Nik

    Nik Junior Member

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    When you build, look at how tall your legs are - I made a smaller varient on Woodrow's idea to suit a suburban backyard (2 chooks) but stuffed up the middle run - very difficult to clamber into when needed - didn't realise how short my legs were :lol: . I used 25mm conduit (bought in 4m standard lengths I think)and found with a smaller diameter, it helps to cut the pipe in two and bend each section into a semi circle, rather than using one full length and trying to make a circle. It uses more joiners, but less muscle! I never understood the perch concept, so I ended up finded a bit of old lattice and attached that to the roof.

    Other mistakes included using tiny bird wire rather than the larger chicken wire.

    On the plus, I m happy with the size and it is easy to move by myself. I've even chucked it on the back of the ute when we had friends chook sit our two ladies.
    My neighbour's built one with 50mm black poly pipe, which houses 10 or so chooks (I guess a 4m or so diameter), but it is much more cumbersome
     
  5. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    May I assume that these enclosures aren't predator proof?

    How do you attach the wire to the frame?

    Sue
     
  6. Nik

    Nik Junior Member

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    Probably not predator proof. I pegged mine down with some 10mm reinforcing bar that I bent into a tent peg like shape.

    So far I have lost one chook to predators - fox/cat got a chook that managed to get out of the improperly secured door section, one chook to feral children. I think I prefer the predators.

    To tie the wire on I used tie wire and alternated double and single loops every 50mm. I think the wire will give out before the tie wire! :lol:

    The door I am still not happy about, but haven't got any other ideas - I made a triangulish piece of wire, with poly pipe on two sides and sand filled really flexible clear pipe (used in brewing?) on the bottom (for weight not rigidity) I then made wire hinges on one side and a latch on the other. Problem with this door is that the wire tends to catch on the dome wire.
     
  7. murray

    murray Junior Member

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  8. erika sedgman

    erika sedgman New Member

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    Chicken Dome

    Been trying to construct a chook dome using instructions from Linda Woodrow's book and am having trouble joining the conduit for the top rung of the dome.The book tells me to join a 6 metre piece to a 1.4metre piece with a joiner then join to form a circle. Even with many hands, we cannot hold these together, they spring apart.

    Has anyone had this problem, and how have you overcome it?

    Any help would be appreciated.

    Erika :?








    :lol:
     
  9. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Are you just trying to use pressure to hold them in (it won't work), or are you gluing them?

    I just looked at the photos, and while it looks a good idea, isn't it a bit complicated for a chicken house/pen? Why not just make a retangular box wrapped with wire mesh?

    Am I missing something here? (I'm just going by the photos at the posted site.)

    Sue
     
  10. erika sedgman

    erika sedgman New Member

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    chook dome

    No, we followed the instructions and glued the bottom and middle rungs without too much trouble , but, the top refused to stay together.We joined a 1.4m piece onto a 6m piece (at the socket end) using the blue cement after priming the ends.We then added a joiner and tried to push the ends together but the pressure was too great and the whole thing sprang apart again.It looks like a great idea being easy to shift etc but so far it's been a bit frustrating :scratch:
     
  11. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    In my humble opinion, if it's that frustrating and difficult, it isn't worth the effort. Just make a box. I have a heavier version, where I put a piece of plywood for one end, cut a hole in it for a pop-door, added a couple of hinges and a piece of wood for the latch. "The Girls" go out when it's open (unless they're broody), and they trundle in near dusk and all I have to do is close and latch the door.

    Sue
     
  12. Woody

    Woody Junior Member

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    Chook Domes

    Hi Erika,
    I struggled & struggled to get the top rung of the dome complete, in the end i gave up and left the top rung with a corner! I did speak to someone about correcting the problem, they recommended a small length about 30cm of metal/wood pushed into 1 end of the plastic and secure using glue so in won't move, when dry, bend the other end around to slide over the other end of the metal and then glue that. That should hopefully work.
    I was very pleased with my chook dome, i used bird wire, which is supposed to make in predator proof and grass catchers for the laying boxes, the roost wasn't very popular though.
    My chook dome lives on fairly sloping ground and when the tarp was on top and exposed to strong winds the whole frame bent quite badly, so it is no longer used.
    The idea was great but the practicalities not so.

    Good luck

    Woody
     
  13. Fee

    Fee Junior Member

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    Many thanks to all for the information. We wiill not be removing our old chook house now till the new one we hope to make proves itself. The benefits of round rather than rectangular is the greater area covered. We night try screws / small bolts for the top rung if it proves difficult. It is great to hear from others that have practical knowledge. I'll keep you posted.....
     
  14. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    I just received the book that shows the design for this type of chook house, and I see why it needs to be round.

    Woody's idea to embed a piece of dowel or metal in the top rung sounds good. Also, if you have help, you might have someone hold the pipe into the circle (forced), then pound some wooden stakes tightly around it to keep it in that shape while the glue dries. This is just an idea, don't know if it would work.

    My hens don't like slippery stuff to perch on, so if I try it, I will use wood for the roost.

    I am not quite understanding the bracing method, however. Do you just loop the bale twine up and down in a continuous WWW, or do you tie a knot at each corner, or what? She wasn't very clear.

    Sue
     
  15. bushhermit

    bushhermit Guest

  16. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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    I haven't made one of these yet but I have made a hot house out of black poly pipe bent and passed over 2 star pickets rammed into the ground. I looked at electrical conduit in anticipation of the chook dome but to me, it looks a bit too rigid. I think poly pipe used for plumbing would be better. It's also available in different diameters.

    Jon, what sort of pipe did you use? Electrical conduit, poly pipe or what?

    Thanks,
    Tam
     
  17. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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    BTW, you should be able to make them predator proof if your extend the chicken wire pass the base for 18" or so, so it flaps outwards at the bottom. I think Jon, your pic of the one on the back of the ute had something similar.

    Re the door, LW recommends using shade cloth but if this doesn't seem strong enough to keep your local predators out, you'd probably need to construct something more substantial out of chicken wire and a rigid frame.

    Tam
     
  18. Anissa

    Anissa Junior Member

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    A few problems we have experienced are weather related. We couldn't keep a tarp on the top as it get rather windy here at times and we could picture the whole thing floating off into the air, or the tarp just ripping. So.... We don't keep the chooks in there 24/7. On wet/windy or recently very hot days just let them free range. We also lock them up at night in a permanent chook house. As a result we have constructed little gates around the "big" circle to allow access for the chook into the chook tractor. We haven't figured out yet what to do when the chook tractor need to go back into the centre circle, will cross that bridge when we come to it. Don't have a problem encouraging the chooks to go back into the chook tractor, just through the scraps in there and in they go. These are some photos from Sep last year. Will try and update them tomorrow.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  19. c lucas

    c lucas Junior Member

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    Re: Chicken Dome

     
  20. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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    Got any photos C?
     

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