My first coop...a pallet coop.

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Flyboy718

Flyboy718

Chirping
8 Years
Jul 27, 2011
224
1
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Got started on my first coop last night. Using three pallets I got from Sherwin Williams that came with the plywood on them. they are fastened together by recycled 2X4's. I cut the sod and leveled the ground. The floor is sitting on bricks at all corners and two rows of them in the middle section. Everything is nice and level. The finished dimensions will be 10 1/4' Long by 3' Wide by 6' High. I got to thinkin, that is a lot of space for 9 chickens and I don't plan on adding anymore chickens due to being in a city and small backyard. So, I am thinking of only building the coop on two pallets and then use the other one(since they are all attached as a single floor now) as like a storage for supplies for the coop or incorporate it into the run somehow. So, if I do that my new dimensions of the coop itself will be: 6' 7" Long by 2' 11" Wide by 6' Tall...is this enough space for 9 chickens?






coopfloor.jpg
 
Nice start to your coop right there! The suggested space is 4 cub ft per chicken (unless bantam). So you would probably want to go with all three pallets for the coop. If there were enough space after doing the math, you could section part off to keep food, etc in. You really wouldn't need that much room. I personally would have more room then less. If the birds have to be cooped up for an extended period of time for some reason, they would be less likely to get board and start picking on each other if they had more room. And, I get you on having only 9 chickens, but...in most cases, even to the most disciplined of us; you end up with more. Just sayin'
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Correct me if I am wrong on my math here...but if I used just the two pallets the finished dimensions would be 6.6' Long by 2.9' Wide by 6' High and that would give me 114 cubic feet divided by 9 birds is like over 12 cubic feet per bird...am I figuring that right?
 
You multiply your 6.6 by your 2.9 and it comes out 19.14 square foot.
Divide that by 4 and you get 4.785
Thats 4-5 birds.
 
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Ok, so 4 square feet per bird. Not cubicfeet. I keep hearing cubic feet and square feet used interchangebly. Ok, so using the current layout of my floor as it is in the picture. it is 10.25' Long by 3' Wide and thus 30.75 square feet and gives me 3.4 square feet per bird. Hmmm, I have two birds too many.
 
Ok, worked this evening and here are the first of the walls. Another row will be on top. Haven't decided how high yet, any ideas from you gusy? leaning towards 5 feet so that will put the finish height of the tallest part of the pitch roof at about 6 feet. All is going good so far. Just my walls are wobbly...any ideas on how to make them more structurally sound/sturdy? Also the side closest to us in the picture will be a door...the floor space between each pallet wall measures 35" exactly...nize size for a door.





palletcoopwalls.jpg
 
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Glad I saw this, as I'm getting ready to start a pallet coop too, and am doing mine similarly (although smaller) - using the whole pallet rather than just pulling the boards off. You mentioned stability issues - how are your wall pallets connect to one another right now?? I would think that's your weakest point right now, as I'd guess you have them well secured to the floor. Once you get your back wall on, that should help some with stability. I'd stick either a 2x4 or 4x4 across the front floor where your door will be, as you want something to hold litter in anyhow and it would help brace a bit. I'd be using temporary brace boards across (wall to wall) as you're working. Based on one site I looked at, I'd be using some "good" bolts to hold the 2nd level of wall pallets onto the 1st level. Also, assuming you're going to add a plywood siding of some kind, that will help tie things together better eventually. Looking forward to watching your progress
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If you're in an area that gets winters/snow, then I do agree that your space is TIGHT - you will need to watch closely for pecking/behavioral issues come winter time. But if you're in an area that has year round mild weather, then you'd probably be okay, as your birds would only be indoors from night till early morning (and for laying).
 
My opinion, which is free and worth every penny
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Why use pallets for basically nothing more than a framework then cover them completely with other purchased siding when dimensional (standard) lumber is kiln dried, more stable, and will last much longer? Most of the applications I see where they are used as the framework for walls and flooring only replace about 8-16 feet of dimensional lumber at around $3 an 8 ft. stud. Pallets are usually made of "trash trees" where the lumber is sawn from green trunks and is allowed to warp or whatever it wants to do after assembling the pallet. Said trash trees are often wood that splits and rots really fast - which is why they are "trash trees" to begin with.

I simply question how "green" such an application is. I apologize if I'd worded this in such a way as to offend anyone.
 
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Yeap, I have them well secured to the floor with wood screws...several in each pallet and then if you notice on top of the pallets I have all the pallets on each wall secured together with a couple boards that I took off of a donor pallet. So, the back wall and front wall are one piece all secured together so each wall sways a bit. Am I not doing something that I need to be doing to add support? We do get winters here, but they are mild in Louisiana.
 
Can you nail/screw a 12" section of 2x4 inside each pallet (to join the horizontal sections at each joining point)...kind of like joiner plates??? That might help sturdy things up. Just shooting out ideas...

Louisiana - as long as they have a large run or they free range (and they're released early each morning), your birds should do fine in that space. I wouldn't think you guys get any snow, right?
 

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