Need (chicken use) ideas for repurposing free pallets

[gtaus]

We made a coop out of pallets... We have roofing, we just haven't had any time to do it. It's 16 (roofing) pallets, which have no gaps between the wood. And two siding pallets make the flooring with pvc board which is so easy to clean.

Nice pallet coop build. Labor of love I'm sure. My coop is already built, so I will use my pallets and/or the pallet wood for something else.

I've seen people make swings for their chickens with pallets, we haven't tried it yet but we want to.

I considered that option too. I saw a guy on YouTube that had chicken swings in his chicken run, but I never saw any chickens using the swings in his videos. So I sent him a message asking him if the swings were ever used by his chickens. He replied that none of his chickens ever bothered with the swings and he was taking them down because they took up room and just got in his way when he was doing maintenance in the run. So, I dropped the idea of chicken swings for my run. Maybe other people have success, I don't know.​

 

[aart]

I came across a YouTube video last night on how to break down pallets without power tools. I think it's about the best method I have seen so far. IF I end up breaking down the free pallet(s) I just got, I'm going to give this method a try. Check it out even if you are not interested in breaking down pallets. I thought it was great.

Clever logic, no bent nails. A well spent 15 minutes. Looked like pine tho, which might be easier than hardwood. Let us know who it works out for you

Maybe other people have success, I don't know.

Of all the swings I've seen, very small percentage were actually used, mostly by birds who were introduced to them at a young age. Most are hung from too long ropes, making the swing to large for most birds.

 

[gtaus]

I put together a simple compost bin type structure using 3 pallets for the back and sides, and then I cut a fourth pallet in half and put one half on top of the bin and the other half on the front of the bin. My plan is to dump the kitchen scraps in the pallet compost bin and only there, while at the same time I will continue to dump my fall leaves and grass clippings from mowing in the rest of the chicken run. I have a large mound of wood chips and have been dumping wood chips in the chicken run so the grass and leaves do not get all matted up.

The chickens seem to really like the compost bin as they are jumping in and out of it during the day. Also, with a number of edges to sit on, I see them sitting on the half pallet in the front, up on the top of the side pallets, and on the top half pallet that I laid down on top of the bin. So they have lots of options. It seems to work.

If I come up with any other ideas, I'll update the thread. I still have another 4 pallets to use.