Chicken coop and run on top of pallets as flooring

[arubio92]

When I say raised planting bed I don't mean 2 ft tall. They can be 6 in high. A single layer of brick or rock or edging. A few bags of topsoil is all you need not a truck load.

Oh, I was referring to the cutting pallets and fill with dirt like in your picture. I have a few pots laying around with soil and weeds (mostly clover) eventually start growing in them, I put them in the run so chickens can enjoy them, but yes a nice little garden bed would be great

 

[Mouthpear]

Oh, I was referring to the cutting pallets and fill with dirt like in your picture. I have a few pots laying around with soil and weeds (mostly clover) eventually start growing in them, I put them in the run so chickens can enjoy them, but yes a nice little garden bed would be great

Um those grass beds don't have any dirt in them. They are just frames with hardware cloth, where grass can grow and the chickens can only get to the grass the grows tall enough. Here is the article with more information about them.

But instead of 2x4 framing you can use those pallets. Made a few illustrations (sorry we have very square grass here. ).

I know it seems like a waste (they are free like you said), but cutting them in half will make it way easier to place, maintain, and replace. Use as border around the inside or outside or both.

 

[arubio92]

Um those grass bed don't have any dirt in them. They are just frames with hardware cloth, where grass can grow and the chickens can only get to the grass the grows tall enough. Here is the article with more information about them.

But instead of 2x4 framing you can use those pallets. Made a few illustrations (sorry we have very square grass here. ).

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I know it seems like a waste (they are free like you said), but cutting them in half will make it way easier to place, maintain, and replace. Use as border around the inside or outside or both.

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In this case, the chickens are walking on the HW cloth directly? Is that ok or can that lead to issues like bumblefoot? I have lots of clover seed I could throw into the pallets, looks like a neat idea

 

[Mouthpear]

In this case, the chickens are walking on the HW cloth directly? Is that ok or can that lead to issues like bumblefoot?

So far I have not seem or read anything about them getting any adverse side effects of using hardware cloth, but you can always use that vinyl coated hardware cloth if it is a concern.

I have lots of clover seed I could throw into the pallets

Yes that sounds great. Amazon has mixed bag seed that is a blend for chickens.
Barenbrug Premium Free Range Chicks Mix Forage Seed Mixture
Premium Chicken Poultry Pasture Forage and Fodder Seeds

 

[Mouthpear]

Removing the a few boards will give them more grazing area, but leaving the outer and center boards will still give you enough secure walking area for you.

Tip: Don't go heavy with stapling the hardware cloth. When it come time to replace the pallets, it won't be as much of a chore to do.

 

[gunnermccaw]

Picture for reference.

I have the pallet foundation built. I will be closing all holes with more wood, holes on top with 1 x 2 wood and holes on the sides with pressure treated 2 x 4 wood. The coop would be on top of the pallets and walls 6 ft high on all sides.

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We dug a small trench around the small fenced run. Then mixed concrete and pored in. Nothing can dig through. Also, they have a fenced outer yard 25x25. We placed a metal pole in the middle and covered the top with landscaping netting. That was in 2021. Nothing has been able to fly in or dig under.

 

[CochinLady61]

I was planning to use 6 mil poly on top of the pallets to prevent moisture from seeping up, on top of that woodchips to provide a nice flooring for the chickens and some sand to allow for dust baths and poop to dry. I know I would eventually be dealing with pallets rotting but I have quite a few on my property that have been 2+ years with no issues, so I wouldn't mind updating the floors later on with more free pallets if they last 2-3 years average, so my only concern would be the rodents.

Wondering if the apron would take care of that or should I scrap the pallets all together?

 

[CochinLady61]

I was planning to use 6 mil poly on top of the pallets to prevent moisture from seeping up, on top of that woodchips to provide a nice flooring for the chickens and some sand to allow for dust baths and poop to dry. I know I would eventually be dealing with pallets rotting but I have quite a few on my property that have been 2+ years with no issues, so I wouldn't mind updating the floors later on with more free pallets if they last 2-3 years average, so my only concern would be the rodents.

Wondering if the apron would take care of that or should I scrap the pallets all together?

In my opinion, the 6 mil poly will be ripped up in no time by chickens scratching through your flakes. I would suggest a remnant of vinyl flooring instead

 

[CochinLady61]

We have lots of rain but as per the snow load it's never more than a few inches (6-10 max), I wouldn't mind going out in the middle of the storm to shovel the coop. We don't have more than 3-4 big storms in my area (this past winter we had only 1), and I love being outside when we do. I was planning to put a few 2 x 4s to hold/screw either the hardware cloth or a solid roof, so I don't think that would be a problem as per snow load rates.



This is something I will keep in mind, I guess it's the best bet to ditch the pallets and build the apron. We don't really have big snakes, and it's only a problem from June-August since our temps are not as warm as these guys like. As per mice I guess they could be there year round but not sure they can grow to a big size to pose a threat to chickens?

Thanks for everyone input so far!

I thought I didn't have big snakes until I found a pair of gopher/black snakes in my rafters that after their timely deaths, stretched out in excess of 8ft each. (No wonder my egg production was down).

It doesn't take long to get good sized snakes when they have plenty to eat. It's best to stop feeding and providing for the small little mice as soon as possible.

I stirred up a nice sized mouse when digging out my deep litter yesterday. Time to bait the mouse trap again.

 

[jpalmatier83]

My reading of this post was cursory. I’m sorry if I missed major points.

I used pallets to level out the floor of a repurposed horse stall. I added underlayment (I think 1/2” osb? Can’t remember). The underlayment covered the toe boards around the outside.

We’ve used it several years on and off. Nothing has made its way in from the bottom.

I am in northern Michigan. We don’t have a lot of tunneling predators.

FWIW- it’s worked well for me.