Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

WHAAAT?!!! I've had a wagon like that for 15 years and never knew the handle could be converted to attach to a mower.

Not all carts have that convertible handle. That's why I am suggesting that a person should look for that convertible handle on the cart before buying one.

For example, this cart does not have a convertible handle...

This cart has a convertible handle...

Some Gorilla carts have this type of convertible handle..

Those are the main types of handles I am familiar with. When I bought all my carts, I made sure they had the convertible handles. I have three riding mowers and two of them are usually hitched up to carts or wagons. The third mower has a bagger system on it, and I only use that mower for cutting the lawn. I also have an old 70's gas golf cart which I mainly use for work around the yard. It, too, currently is hitched up to a cart full of wood from my springtime cleanup. I use my machines and carts/wagons a lot.

Even if you don't have a convertible handle on your cart, you could probably rig up an attachment for the handle to hitch it behind a riding mower. That would open up more options for you.

I would only caution that many of the carts without a convertible handle are not rated for heavy loads. So, even if you made an attachment to convert your non-convertible handle to tow behind a mower, you still should not overload the cart.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Not all carts have that convertible handle.

Mine does have the convertible handle, I just never knew what it was for.

 

[gtaus]

Mine [cart] does have the convertible handle, I just never knew what it was for.

That's great. Hope you will use it as a tow behind wagon for your mower as well. I use mine all the time - both ways - manually and hitched to the mower. Depends on what I am working on.

 

[chickengr]

I don't want to talk you into or out of anything, but I liked your idea of using sacrificial plywood as the floor covering. Probably because you already have it and it's no cost to you. I like to minimize the costs of my coop build/repairs. I imagine that a rubber mat would probably last a lifetime in a coop. There certainly is value in that.

I second that. as animals poop all the time I prefer to use cheap/free staff that I don't mind to change after 2-3 years with another cheap/free stuff.

 

[chickengr]

going to pick up more plywood pallets

 

[gtaus]

I second that. as animals poop all the time I prefer to use cheap/free staff that I don't mind to change after 2-3 years with another cheap/free stuff.

I built my chicken coop before I got into pallet wood projects. At that time, I used some salvaged wood from prior house building projects and new material I bought because I did not have what I needed. I saved about half the cost of my chicken coop build, but still ended up buying almost $700 worth of new materials.

As to the flooring, when I built my coop, I did not have any floorboards or covering. I ended up having to buy OSB floorboards and I got a good deal on an end cut of linoleum for less than $25.00 to cover my 7X13 foot coop floor. That was a good deal at that time.

But now I have had my chickens for 4 years, and I have a lot of pallet wood and plywood stocked up. I think I would use the pallet plywood for the sacrificial floor protection if I built it today. That's what I plan to use for my small coop floor repair this summer.

Frankly, my coop flooring has held up better than I expected. Only one small spot by the waterer that has been damaged. If I would have used free sacrificial plywood or pallet wood planks at the start, I think it might have worked out even better for me. Certainly, the repair of any pallet wood boards would be easy. Just take out the old and put in a new one. Zero cost repair!

going to pick up more plywood pallets

Good luck hunting!

 

[NanaK]

One option that some people recommend is using BlackJack #57 roof coating...

Our coop floor was made from 2 large solid pallets machines were shipped on. We attached them side by side to make a great floor. It was heavy but we put it together in place sat on concrete block to get it off the ground. It ended up about 12x12 or so I think. I then put 2 coats of Black Jack 57 on it. I was surprised that there was so little odor while I painted.

That was in 2013. It has held up so well, I've not had to do anything else to it. We had some left so DH painted the floor of a pallet shed he built.

I highly recommend this stuff. It's works great!

 

[fuzzi]

Some of you may recall the A-frame roost I built from pallets?

Last night it came in very handy.

Someone in the flock is attacking the chicks, and wounded the littlest. I decided to make a refuge for Martha and her chicks. I used some plastic chicken fencing I had on hand and zip-tied it together, in the dark, using a headlamp!

Not too shabby:

I had just mowed yesterday, so I made sure to fill the pallet ends with clippings and straw bedding so the chicks don't fall in and get trapped.

 

[gtaus]

View attachment 3800968

Our coop floor was made from 2 large solid pallets machines were shipped on. We attached them side by side to make a great floor. It was heavy but we put it together in place sat on concrete block to get it off the ground. It ended up about 12x12 or so I think. I then put 2 coats of Black Jack 57 on it. I was surprised that there was so little odor while I painted.

That was in 2013. It has held up so well, I've not had to do anything else to it. We had some left so DH painted the floor of a pallet shed he built.

I highly recommend this stuff. It's works great!

I have heard many positive comments about BlackJack #57 from those who have used it. Thank you for adding your comments.

FWIW, at the time I built my coop, BlackJack #57 cost around $60.00 for a 5-gallon bucket. I got my linoleum cut off piece for less than $25.00 - so I went with the linoleum to save some money up front. But now that same linoleum would cost me $64.00 so it would be cheaper to use the BlackJack #57. Also, after 4 years, some of my linoleum is lifting up and being ripped up by the chickens. Sounds like your BlackJack #57 floor coating is standing up much better after 11 years than my cheap linoleum after 4 years.

 

[gtaus]

Some of you may recall the A-frame roost I built from pallets?

Yes, I remember that A-frame roost and what a simple, effective pallet wood idea it was. Thanks for reposting a picture of it for us. Even better, you found an additional use for the same A-frame. Love it!

FWIW, I built a pallet wood compost bin inside my run with the front pallet cut in half, and the other half of that pallet was put on top of the compost bin....

Originally, I was just going to use it as a compost bin inside the chicken run. But then I converted my entire chicken run into a composting system - making the pallet wood compost bin somewhat not needed, for composting.

However, I kept the pallet wood compost bin in the chicken run because my chickens love to perch on it during the day. On a warm day, I might see half my chickens sitting on the top of that compost bin sunning themselves.

On a hot day, I might see all my chickens sitting inside that compost bin under the shade of that top piece.

Anyways, they use it so much that I just left it in the run even though I don't use it for composting anymore.

If someone is interested in starting a compost pile in the chicken run, this is a great way to start. It will keep everything confined to one bin for composting. It will also provide the chickens places to sun themselves or provide some shade and an escape place on those hot days.

Well, there are a couple of simple pallet wood options for people who want to add perches inside their chicken runs. Anybody else got another idea? Would love to hear about it.