Pallet chicken coop ideas??

I am thinking about doing a pallet chicken coop. I live right by a flooring company, they said i could have whatever was out there by the dumpsters. I got three loads of pallets, 3 huge peices of plywood, 3 2X4's 4 2X6's, a door, some hardwood flooring. im using the hardwood flooring so it will be easier to clean. door for easy access. I have 6 chickens hoping to add 2 more. How should i do it? Are any of yall good drawers? Im sure not. My run is a 10x10x6 dog kennel. Right now i have a huge rabbit hutch in there. What are some good ideas? i want something simple yet cute. i have been researching alot of sites..... i have taken apart 3 pallets, maybe going to get more tomorrow. any ideas or pics of your pallet coop ?

Here's what I did with the free pallets I got from my workplace, I have an un-limited supply of freebies. I plan to have 10-12 girls and a boy in here once finished. My run, currently under construction as well measures 20'X40'.

Here is how my pallet coop is coming along. It will look very cute when done. The boards will be stained with barn stain either a reddish or greenish, havn't decided yet, with white trim (trim not on yet). It will also have two 'dollhouse' looking windows in front, pop door on one end going to run, and 'people' door on the opposite end. Nest boxes will be installed in the back.The roof will be corrugated tin. The pallet boards are used as siding, and also as the "studs" to attach the pallet boards with. I purchased a plan online for about $10 that was downloadable. The construction is simple enough that I actually felt embarrassed (Why didn't I think of this?) for having bought it, but I like to work from a plan and they are very detailed with step by step photo tutorials. Basically you build your base frame on the floor out of 2x4s (I used salvaged, i.e., free boards from a fence removal project I found on the side of the road. Even re-used nails, I'm cheap, LOL) and then you use that to build your "walls" flat on the base. You build the walls one by one then raise them all and attach. Very different from conventional framing with 2x4 construction of walls, with this the actual siding (pallet boards) ARE the structure and strength of the walls. Nest boxes will be installed in the back. Another difference in construction is window and door framing. The wall with the ladder in front of it will have the people door there, but instead of framing that ahead of time, you construct your wall first, then when all four walls are done you cut out your opening and frame in the opening on the inside on the inside of the coop with more of your pallet boards, then build the door out of the same pallet boards securing them together with 'strap' boards (again the same pallet boards!) in the shape of a 'Z', add hinges and you have a door. Very simple and forgiving construction method. I like the other pallet construction method too that the other poster showed pictures of. I have looked at that method online and had so much fun with this project, I plan a larger shed next using the 'whole' pallet method as framing and then siding the structure. By the way, all the construction done in the picture cost me ZERO to that point except for the foundation bricks, I bought them from Lowe's. Taking apart a pallet takes me about 15 minutes, I got pretty good at it , and I used about 13 or 14 pallets to this point. I like taking the ones apart that have staples the best, the ones with real nails into the hardwood struts can be TOUGH to take apart! Hope this helps in your idea process, I will be happy to post more pictures if you need to look at more stages of the construction process. Just noted your comment on the floor, again I used the same pallet boards as the flooring and put a linoleum remnant ($10 from Lowes) over them for ease of cleaning. I sweated that decision because I had originally hand smooth planed the boards planning to paint with semi-gloss. The topic of flooring in the coop was the subject of lively debate on this forum, and I read lots of threads on that subject and didn't take my decision lightly. Only time will tell on that decision, lol.

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch[/img]
Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch[/img]

Here's our pallet coop:

Things made from pallets and recycled wood below:

This is an aviary for my peafowl that was built using pallets.















Other things made from pallets and recycled wood.







Guinea Pen made from pallets and recycled dog kennel.













Chicken stalls where chickens roost at night.







Raised brooders


Portable roosts that can me moved to wherever I need them:



Picnic benches that can be convereted to picnic tables:




Portable nesting boxes. Can be moved where I need them.


Portable Feeders:

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Having done both, I would suggest using pallets as last resort if you have access to plywood and dimensional lumber.

@kuntrygrl
AWESOME!!!!

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Thank you.

With the high prices of lumber/wood, I refuse to spend one red cent on new lumber.

Taking pallets apart takes a little time and elbow grease but you can save thousands of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I don't have any money to donate to the the local "home improvement" stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.) and make them any richer.

When I built my coop from pallets, I took apart half the pallets and used the boards to cover the open spaces between boards on the pallets. Looks very rustic and simple to do.

Take advantage of all of the scrap lumber you can get. You can always find creative ways to use it. Keep us posted as you build!

kuntrygirl, what great bench/table combos. Very ingenious!