Pallet Coop Construction

[AleyMoore]

Well. Since my math these days has become chicken math and all my girls are outgrowing the coop we currently have, the BF and I have decided to see if we can build our own coop made from pallets we’ve managed to salvage!! Today we got the floor and base put together!! Tomorrow we start the walls and figure out the coop door and nesting boxes. We have to sand everything down and stain it but I’m excited to have a coop big enough for all the birds to be in one place!!
If anyone has ideas or experience for the roof please let me know? At this point I’m thinking of having it on hinges and being able to lift the whole thing up (think like lifting your car hood up) because we aren’t making it tall enough for a person sized door to go inside it.

 

[Chookchicken]

You should check out the chicken coop design articles.

 

[DillyRouen]

This is what I built for our ducks and geese. All pallets, and old barn doors/ Anderson windows from a thrift shop. We used metal roofing from Lowes since it lasts forever. We just painted it last weekend with clear Thompsons waterseal to winter proof it.

 

[3KillerBs]

At this point I’m thinking of having it on hinges and being able to lift the whole thing up (think like lifting your car hood up) because we aren’t making it tall enough for a person sized door to go inside it.

I have to think that if it's small enough to lift the entire coop then it can't possibly be big enough for even a very small flock.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

My Little Monitor Coop article shows how I put a large access door into a coop I can't walk into: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

How many chickens do you have?

 

[21hens-incharge]

We had a flip up lid on a broody house. Even at just a few inches over 3'x4' it was to heavy to find pleasant. Then if propping it open it's a real hazard/injury risk if that prop gets bumped.

That lid is now a fixed roof on a raised bantam coop with a proper clean out door.

 

[BDutch]

Just for a few ideas and how to build a great coop (tiny house) with pallets:

Its a great build but not meant for chickens so you should add ventilation in the roof and a pop door. And of course you don’t have to build everything like this gy did. Certainly not the attic and this ladder if you don’t want to clean chickens poo high up .

 

[Alaskan]

Are you where it snows?

If so then a pitched roof to shed snow is nice.

I think a hinged lid is way too heavy and awkward.

I would have doors that open.

Big eaves are important to keep the indoor dry, and so you can have vents open 24/7.

Do remember lots of ventilation.

Kudos on the quality scrounging.

I have 2 coops that I built from scraps.

 

[AleyMoore]

Are you where it snows?

If so then a pitched roof to shed snow is nice.

I think a hinged lid is way too heavy and awkward.

I would have doors that open.

Big eaves are important to keep the indoor dry, and so you can have vents open 24/7.

Do remember lots of ventilation.

Kudos on the quality scrounging.

I have 2 coops that I built from scraps.

I live around Dallas tx!! So it snows once every four or five years! I’ve had to modify the plans I originally had so we will probably have a door that opens normally! Hopefully I can post some updates later this week! I work at a restaurant and it’s been killer due to the holidays so I haven’t had any time to build anything.

 

[3KillerBs]

Hopefully I can post some updates later this week! I work at a restaurant and it’s been killer due to the holidays so I haven’t had any time to build anything.

You have my sympathy from a grocery store deli. It's been absolutely nuts.

 

[Alaskan]

I live around Dallas tx!! So it snows once every four or five years! I’ve had to modify the plans I originally had so we will probably have a door that opens normally! Hopefully I can post some updates later this week! I work at a restaurant and it’s been killer due to the holidays so I haven’t had any time to build anything.

Ah!

Well, if you are in the Dallas area I highly recommend at least one wall full wire.

For Texas you want a breeze at perch level for 9 months of the year.