My pallet coop- so far

[ernndbrtt]

Quote:
It absolutely saves money.... I have only $150 in materials so far in this coop. It would have cost nearly that much JUST to frame this thing, I checked at Menard's (like HD and Lowes) where I got the materials I did have to buy. As far as sturdiness goes, this thing has had me on top of it putting the shingles on it and it did not even wobble a little bit and I'm NOT a small man ;o) It just withstood a 60 mph windstorm we had yesterday and kept everything dry inside with sideways rain too ;o) As far as how much work it is to put one of these up making it out of pallets, that depends... If all your pallets match and are in good shape, it will be a breeze. Mine were not and made it kind of a pain, but live and learn...

@motoclown- this coop is dirt floored, the entire coop will be surrounded by the run which will be made out of landscape timbers and welded wire fencing that will be buried around the perimeter and deer netting or even more fencing over the top depending which is cheaper to put up there. The only predators my neighbors whom have chickens have had to deal with are hawks from above.. It seems that many folks out here have pretty much taken care of the predator (pest) issue prior to us getting here... Also, the coop is located inside our fenced in backyard where our large dogs are let out. This will require me to install a privacy fence on the dog side of the yard but I already had enough panels of that left over from another project. The privacy fence will also have the welded wire fence attached and buried.

 

[ernndbrtt]

Quote:
Hubby and I priced out wood to do a smaller sized coop with attached run and the frame needs alone were around $70 just in 2x4's alone, that's without plywood or roofing, or any wire to cover the thing. We're working up plans for a recycled pallet coop with attached run that will utilize the pallets as the structure/frame for the hen-house as well as the siding and interior surfacing (ripping them apart, obviously). The only other lumber we will need will be for the frame of the run, supporting the hen-house (we are doing a raised style hen-house), and the roof joists. We plan on using some lumber and other building materials we already have to eliminate huge costs. For us, every dollar saved is a good thing as I am out of work at the moment.

As far as sturdy goes, I'd say that would depend on how you built it in the first place. If you don't have decent building skills or a good construction plan it doesn't matter what you are working with, you could still end up with a rickety structure, IMHO.

Well said ;o)

Ripping apart pallets even with a sawzall is very time consuming.. For mine, time savings outweighed cost savings ;o)

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Hubby and I priced out wood to do a smaller sized coop with attached run and the frame needs alone were around $70 just in 2x4's alone, that's without plywood or roofing, or any wire to cover the thing. We're working up plans for a recycled pallet coop with attached run that will utilize the pallets as the structure/frame for the hen-house as well as the siding and interior surfacing (ripping them apart, obviously). The only other lumber we will need will be for the frame of the run, supporting the hen-house (we are doing a raised style hen-house), and the roof joists. We plan on using some lumber and other building materials we already have to eliminate huge costs. For us, every dollar saved is a good thing as I am out of work at the moment.

As far as sturdy goes, I'd say that would depend on how you built it in the first place. If you don't have decent building skills or a good construction plan it doesn't matter what you are working with, you could still end up with a rickety structure, IMHO.

Well said ;o)

Ripping apart pallets even with a sawzall is very time consuming.. For mine, time savings outweighed cost savings ;o)

I have to chime in and say that I agree 110% that it DOES save cost. There would have been no way in this world that I could have gone to the store and purchased material to build everything that has been built for my chickens and other animals. It would have cost me a fortune.

As stated, taking the pallets apart is VERY time consuming but it pays in the end.

Horsefly, when you get a chance, check out my BYC homepage. Everything on there is made from recycled materials like pallets and other re-used lumber that I got for FREE. I have also scored free wire, nails, tin, etc. for my building projects.

Pallets are the ONLY way to go as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Erinmir]

Started acquiring pallets today! 4 all the same size picked up from a local outlet store for free! We're going back for more, but these first four will help us get a start on the floor of the henhouse.