Drainage problem....

[blucoondawg]

Having larger paver type blocks under the piers will provide better floatation and slow settling some, I did this with my tool shed but I used 16" square patio pavers with standard foundation block on top of them.
A 2x4 screwed on the bottom would help but wouldn't be overly strong, with a smallish coop like you are doing I would put 2 or 3 2x4s nailed together standing up on edge to make a laminated beam, then support this on each end with your piers, this would give you more than enough support in the center and really strengthen you center joining point of all the pallets as they would then be setting on the beam rather than just floating in mid air with a 2x4 nailed on the bottom. Your idea of a 2x4 would probably work as it is just a coop and chickens and coop contents are light enough to not stress the floor too badly but it may be springy with people walking around in there.

 

[Justoldbobo]

Not a bad idea using the pallets. My try that myself. But I would use a beam to support the middle. Maybe a landscape timber or doubled 2x4

 

[speedy2020]

My coop is very heavy because of the 50 years asphalt roof. The cement blocks just sit on top off flat surface ground. It has been no problem so far since 2011. I personally don't mine it sink several inches.

 

[Jeremy128]

Solid advice! I will nail two or three 2x4's together. Don't know about the 16x16 pavers since I already have a stash of the other pavers. Remember, I'm trying to do this as I expensively as possible....
Bobo, the pallets are a very cheap source of wood that are ready in precut peices. You can just lay them on thier side and nail them to the floor. Then you can off set them and start a second row.Nail them to the lower row and you now have an 80" tall wall. Do that on all 4 sides and you have a building! For the siding, just take the "flats" off the pallet and nail them to the wall slightly overlapping as you go up the wall.
I looked in a lot of places for motivation/ideas for my coop. This is the best that I found. This gave me the best ideas yet.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=WxKCS2JKEY0
If the link doesn't work, do a YouTube search of "pallet to coop".

I plan on framing in windows on each side, and maybe one whole wall that is hinged to open for easy cleaning. When the time comes to clean the coop, open a couple latches and he whole south wall opens up to hose out the coop. Of course this will require some serious hinges and reenforcing including a turn buckle going to opposing corners to prevent the wall/hinges from sagging over time.
I don't know if this idea will actually work, but after thinking it over for several weeks, I think I can make it work.
If you can find free pallets..... Great! If not, they are cheap enough to buy. I found a local source for $3 each.
This whole coop is a big experiment. My first coop will be interesting to say the least. Once finished, I plan on using what I've learned to build a greenhouse from pallets, then a shed.
Again, follow the link I posted. This guy has great ideas. Even using pallets for the run fence frame. Which I also plan on doing.

 

[blucoondawg]

My coop is very heavy because of the 50 years asphalt roof. The cement blocks just sit on top off flat surface ground. It has been no problem so far since 2011. I personally don't mine it sink several inches.

Whether or not it sinks depends on your soil and climate, if you are in the south with no frost and have a well drained firm rocky/gravely soil you won't have to worry about it sinking, if you live in the North and have several feet of frost in winter with a clay type soil it will sink like a stone as the ground gets very soft and spongy when the frost comes out in spring. The problem with it sinking is that it may make the building sag in spots and cause doors and windows to not function properly also eventually the building will sink to the point it is sitting directly on the ground, then you have no airflow underneath and the dampness and contact with the ground will cause your floor joists and flooring to rot out. I prefer to keep a wood floor building at least 6" to 12" off the ground.

 

[blucoondawg]

Solid advice! I will nail two or three 2x4's together. Don't know about the 16x16 pavers since I already have a stash of the other pavers. Remember, I'm trying to do this as I expensively as possible....

Whatever pavers you use will work, just arrange them to make the surface area as large as possible, any solid block is going to float far better than a regular concrete block setting on the ground as they are hollow and sink very fast. You could turn them sideways but they are not made to have strength that way and can break quite easy.

 

[Jeremy128]

Too late! I bought the concrete blocks and nails. I started the project today and am making decent headway.
I have the framing if the floor finished. I used two 2x4's nailed together for the floor beam. I took a pic I it and will post later with my progress today.