firefowl's pallet coop build

[firefowl]

I've finally made a start on a new chicken coop, my current one only holds 2-3 chickens so this will be a big upgrade.

I started with obtaining 4 of the most lightweight pallets I could find and I removed most of the slats so that they were lighter but still strong.

Then I obtained 2x 3.6m lengths cypress square posts 90x90mm from the hardware store and had them cut in half so I ended up with 4x 1.8m length posts.

I then attached two posts to the sides of a pallet, two times and then attached pallets in between to form a cube on stilts.

There will be no bottom just mesh so the dung will fall through. Inside there will only be roosts and nest boxes so there wouldn't be much that needs cleaning.

I need some sort of access door to allow for cleaning though which I haven't thought of yet. I just wanted to leave a hole where the chickens can fly in and out from.

Anyway thats the progress so far I'll update when I do more

 

[Chickassan]

Good start! Your mesh bottom won't be good though. You'll get bumblefoot the poop won't fall through like you're thinking it will and predators will tear out the bottom. It's your coop though, but if i can warn you of potential problems I'm going to.

 

[blackdog043]

How many chickens are you planning on putting in there? Will they be free ranging and just use this for roosting and laying? Agree that the poop won't fall through mesh wire to well, you might be better off putting a solid floor down. Looking forward to see how this turns out.

 

[firefowl]

about 8-12 chickens

was planning on using chicken wire not mesh, the holes are heaps big the poop will definitely fall through.

yes just roosting and laying.

made some progress on a nesting box which will be finished saturday hopefully

 

[jthornton]

If your dead set on using chicken wire for the floor just put it under the roost... not all poop is hard and will pass through some will be soft and stick to the wire and build up an impossible mess to clean. Easy access to the inside is a must for cleaning and maintenance. Please put your location in your profile, you get better answers when we know where you are.

JT

 

[nminusyplusm]

about 8-12 chickens

was planning on using chicken wire not mesh, the holes are heaps big the poop will definitely fall through.

yes just roosting and laying.

made some progress on a nesting box which will be finished saturday hopefully

That's way too small for 8-12 chickens. I'm guessing it's around 16 square feet? That would house 4 birds max (each requires 4 sq ft minimum).

Also chicken wire is not predator proof. Will this coop be located in a secured run covered with 1/4" square hardware cloth? As other posters have suggested, a solid floor would be a better choice.

 

[Birdinhand]

nice work! make sure to check the dimensions and total square feet for that many birds, best to go with fewer or make it larger. and don't be fooled, "poultry netting" is really not all that suitable to keeping predators out, and no matter where you live, there are critters that will set their eyes on your birds sooner or later. 1"x1/2" hardware cloth is about the only thing that seems to be up to the job, keeps out everything from rats to coons and more.

 

[firefowl]

Nesting boxes built


Added some roosts mostly from scrap wood. I did buy 2m or so of thick oak dowel which was very expensive. I put some chicken wire on the bottom underneath the bottom of the pallet edges and secured with the staples you hammer in. Screwed in some planks from pallets on the outside faces, leaving a hole for the entry. Attached the nesting boxes. Made a very simple roof with 3 trusses and 1 crossbar and attached 2 plastic sheets with a high sun UV and heat blocking rating.

And that was pretty well it... completed

Not the prettiest coop but it does the job. I might add more plastic sheets across the legs on the bottom for better privacy and wind protection for the birds. Also at some point I may mount a water reservoir on the outside and link it to a drinker on the inside with tubing.

 

[firefowl]

That's way too small for 8-12 chickens. I'm guessing it's around 16 square feet? That would house 4 birds max (each requires 4 sq ft minimum).

Also chicken wire is not predator proof. Will this coop be located in a secured run covered with 1/4" square hardware cloth? As other posters have suggested, a solid floor would be a better choice.

Haven't got 8 chickens yet only 5 but it's plenty big for a dozen. They only sleep and lay eggs there, they free range all day and have about 100m2 of space.

No problems with predators at all, though my cat chases them around sometimes. This works for my situation, if you have predators a solid bottom would be better. But I specifically wanted a coop that I wouldn't have to clean. Predators are only a problem for little chicks which I have locked away now with their moms in my old chicken tractor. Could have used solid mesh actually that would make it predator proof.

Thinking of adding some wheels to the bottom so I can move it with my walk-behind tractor. Way too heavy to move, even with 2 people it's very hard to move.

 

[chicken1234]

Thanks for posting the pictures, I think it is amazing what you can build out of pallets!