Reclaimed Wood

[LadyVictorian]

So I was curious to see if anyone else had built a coop/runs/anything else with reclaimed wood or pallet wood. I work at TSC which means I virtually have a never ending supply of leftover crates and pallets from our delivery trucks and I have decided to start trying to build some stuff for my chickens using it. Already have about 4 pallets I am pulling apart and a large crate I am converting into a temporary chick pen to bring the spring chicks outside once they are older so they can scratch around safely. I would love to see any pics people might have of stuff they built from reclaimed wood or pallet wood to get some idea's on a coop to build. In the meantime the chickens will live in a refurbished 10x18 horse stall.

 

[Weehopper]

Try Googling web sites for making things out of pallets

 

[culturalinfidel]

The exterior walls of my coop will be built out of reclaimed privacy fence fence panels. Hope to pick them up this weekend actually.

 

[Dmontgomery]

Do a search for a BYC member named xxcody2gunsxx. He built an entire "chicken village" out of pallets and reclaimed material. He started very small then just kept expanding it.

 

[Daox13]

it can be done and has been done. Google images will be your friend and even this forum has a few pallet coops. I used fence boards for mine. when there's a will there's a way.

 

[Tuscola Clucks]

Everything you see in this picture is upcycled materials, or cull material purchased for pennies on the dollar. I used rough sawn hardwood dunnage I picked up from a fire sprinkler company for the framing. That wood was impossible to work with! It was like trying to drive a nail into cement! I had to pre-drill all my nail holes (screws less than 1/4" lags would snap) and burned through a half dozen drill bits doing so. When I was done, however, I could've parked my truck on top of it! My point is, building with upcycled materials is great and can be done, but just know it does come with its caveats. The awesome part: I built that coop for just a hair over $90 and the only materials I bought new (besides drill bits, nails and metal brackets) was the corrugated plastic roofing panels. Definite win in my book!

 

[Tuscola Clucks]

Here's a shot of the finished coop. The siding was scrap material from a shed manufacturer. They sold me 2'x8' sheets for $1 a piece. They also sold me the window which was "defective" for $5.

 

[Eggsoteric]

Most of the wood used in one of my mobile coops, the Banty Shanty, was reclaimed or pallet wood. Some of the other materials used to decorate, etc. were also found around our place. I even found the old newspaper that a previous owner left in plastic bags in the barn; I used it to paper the walls of the egg retrieval area. Out of the 3 mobile coops we've built or re-habbed, this is this is probably the one I had the most fun in creating.

 

[LadyVictorian]

Oh wow, those are some fantastic looking coops. That rustic almost old western looking style is certainly what I am trying to go for as well since we have a western theme on our farm. I want to make a saloon coop.

 

[laura s]

TThe first coop I constructed using pallets. It was a fun project. The second was made from fence slats.