Coop idea to work through

[SandraMort]

Christine and I are thinking of making a coop for the summer out of free, easily picked up pallets. If the walls are just pallets turned upright, and theyre 4x4, we'd need four pallets for each wall (plus boards to attach them to each other), plus two for the front, and a 4x8 plywood panel to attach a door. We'd been tallking about attaching HWC all over that to keep the preds out.

My question is this. If they're in that at night, would stapling a tarp pver the back half of it cut down on enough wind so they'd be able to sleep there in the fall? We're getting the birds (color rangers) Sept 3, so they get butchered 9-11 weeks later. Snow shouldn't be an issue that early.

My goal is to make a coop that is inexpensive (free is good!) and usable for more than one batch of meat birds. If necessary, we can attach 4x8 panels of plywood or something to the outside to block the wind, but if it's not necessary, I'd rather not go to that kind of expense.

Ideas? Feedback?

 

[HeadHen]

I've never even seen snow so can't help there but wanted to mention, Make sure your pallets are not from overseas shipping. They treat those with horrific chemicals to make sure they don''t transport bugs between countries.

 

[SandraMort]

OOOOOOOOH. Good to know. How.... how do I find that out?

 

[Reinbeau]

You've seen the pallet chicken coop page here on BYC, right? There's another one here. Might get a few ideas from those.

 

[SandraMort]

I've seen a few, don't think I've seen those. I'll look, thanks.

My husband is concerned about attaching the top layer of hardware cloth. He suggested we make it like this brownie pan, but he wasn't sure what chickens would think of that:

 

[SandraMort]

I have to confess I failed shop, so I'm looking for something with MINIMAL work involved. I'd rather leave the pallets intact and just connect them, rather than disassemble them... kwim?

Those are far nicer than mine will be

Quote:

 

[pkeeler]

Is it really cheaper to put hardware cloth on pallets? HC is not cheap, you might want to run some numbers. A 4x8 SmartPanel is about $17. OSB can be had 4x8 for $7 (would have to be painted). Plywood is in between. A 2x4x8 is $2. Nails are about $3 for 40.

If you can get the pallets for free, it might be cheaper to put 3/8" CDX plywood on them rather than hardware cloth (or the 1/2" OSB at $7 per w/o paint). If you put it on the inside, it would avoid the chickens pecking at the chemical treated wood. Would be a pretty ugly coop, but who cares

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Just because you failed a shop class doesn't mean you can't learn to build something.

Do you have more passion and desire to learn now than you did then? Are you interested in creating something that will really serve its purpose and last a long time?

There are a lot of people on BYC who have built coops as first-timers. They can give you some good basics and safety tips. You might even have a BYCer near you who would be willing to come out and work with you on some things.

I just wanted to encourage you to overcome past challenges and build your knowledge rather than letting past defeats limit you.

I think you can do it if you're willing to put in the time and effort it takes to learn.

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

For you, maybe you might think more along the idea of a straw-bale coop?

What I would do is to pick up enough bales to go maybe three high. To make it a bit more safe, nail furing strips togather to form wood strapping around the bales. Make a simple frame to sit on the top with hardware cloth and covered with a tarp. Secure this with rope, wire, screws, ect.. to the framing around the bales and add a door of some sort.

Cheap, simple, and very warm is done right. Minor things can be done for security so that the bales stay togather and can not be pulled down.

 

[SandraMort]

Quote:
I hadn't, since I thought it wasn't optional.

A 4x8 SmartPanel is about $17. OSB can be had 4x8 for $7 (would have to be painted).

What's that in English? LOL

If you can get the pallets for free, it might be cheaper to put 3/8" CDX plywood on them rather than hardware cloth (or the 1/2" OSB at $7 per w/o paint).

That was the original intention, but we were thinking it would end up being too warm for the summer. Do you disagree?

If you put it on the inside, it would avoid the chickens pecking at the chemical treated wood. Would be a pretty ugly coop, but who cares

Not I! Other than the heat, that makes perfect sense.​