I have got myself into some trouble....

[donrae]

If you go to the coop design section (you're probably there now lol) they have tons of threads on building from pallets.

Chain link dog kennels work great as runs. You have to assess your predator risk and reinforce as necessary.

I've just bought panels from the feed store. I think the ones they call horse panels are the tallest, making it easy to walk in the run since I cover it with netting. T-posts, baling twine or zip ties to hook the panel to the posts and you're good to go. We made a gate by cutting about 4 feet off the end of a panel, setting a T-post for it to swing on, and just securing it to the post with baling twine. It latches to the corner panel with (are you sensing a theme here?) baling twine with a trigger snap on the end to secure it. edited--again, you have to do a predator risk assessment. I reinforced the panels with chicken wire for the littles, don't use anything for the mature birds. Here, it's more to keep the littles in the run than predator prevention.

Something else to think if, if you ordered a lot of extras just cause they're cheaper that way, is to brood them out and then sell them. Same for the bantams. You can usually make back a fair amount of feed money on 6-10 week old chicks.

 

[chick peeps]

you could also try, if you want to move the coop around, making it out of pvc pipe and using camping stakes to stake the run to the ground. It should be cheaper than a shed, plus you can move it every once in a while.

 

[mhopson19]

If you go to the coop design section (you're probably there now lol) they have tons of threads on building from pallets.

Chain link dog kennels work great as runs. You have to assess your predator risk and reinforce as necessary.

I've just bought panels from the feed store. I think the ones they call horse panels are the tallest, making it easy to walk in the run since I cover it with netting. T-posts, baling twine or zip ties to hook the panel to the posts and you're good to go. We made a gate by cutting about 4 feet off the end of a panel, setting a T-post for it to swing on, and just securing it to the post with baling twine. It latches to the corner panel with (are you sensing a theme here?) baling twine with a trigger snap on the end to secure it. edited--again, you have to do a predator risk assessment. I reinforced the panels with chicken wire for the littles, don't use anything for the mature birds. Here, it's more to keep the littles in the run than predator prevention.

Something else to think if, if you ordered a lot of extras just cause they're cheaper that way, is to brood them out and then sell them. Same for the bantams. You can usually make back a fair amount of feed money on 6-10 week old chicks.

Haha, I was there! And I found this great thread for anyone who wants to look at it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/296168/lets-see-pics-of-your-pallet-coops After looking through some ideas and talking to my husband, we decided we are going to use the pallets to add on to our current coop. Now just to figure out the run.... how much are the panels you got? We don't have a ton of money to spend on a new run, but that sounds like a good idea. Another thing we are thinking about is making the pen by making a fence out of pallets- I saw it on a thread here a couple of days ago but now I can't find it again.

As for selling the chickens, we are going to sell some of the bantams but would rather keep the 16 new chickens, but we will see how it goes when they get here and start getting big.

you could also try, if you want to move the coop around, making it out of pvc pipe and using camping stakes to stake the run to the ground. It should be cheaper than a shed, plus you can move it every once in a while.

That's a really good idea! I never thought about pvc pipe....