New here and new to chickens

[ernndbrtt]

My wife and I are new here and new to chickens. We do not have any chickens yet. I am in the process of deciding which coop plan to use and then we will get our chicks. As of now, with cost being the determining factor, I am leaning towards a pallet built coop as I can get all the pallets I want for free, thus lowering the cost of our coop significantly. I plan to get as much information as I can from this site before putting birds in the coop.

We are looking to have layers and meat birds. I plan to build our coop bigger than we actually need to allow for some storage space and possible expansion of our flock at a later date. Using the free pallets I can get, I'm looking at making our coop @16' x 10' and dividing it in roughly half. I have plenty of space for seperate runs as well.

We look forward to much learning here!

 

[ThePigeonKid]

 

[chickendude]

You undoubtedly have found the best place on the internet for chicken info and help. Keep your coop at a min of 4 sq ft per bird, not including nest boxes. The pallet idea will definitely keep costs down. What part of the country are you in?

 

[Imp]

A warm welcome from an imp in Washington

BYC is the place to be

Imp

 

[schellie69]

from Kansas here is a link to my pallet coop it has a coop and storage.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=477934

 

[Attack Chicken]

from Indiana!

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC.

 

[ernndbrtt]

Thanks for the welcomes.

Callemin, we are from northern Ohio, east of Toledo not far from the lake shore.

Schellie 69, this is more along the lines of the type of pallet coop I'm thinking about.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=29322

I'm thinking about this design merely for ease of construction and cost saving. I can get all the pallets for free from my employer, a trucking company. We have a whole 48 ft. trailer that is just about full at all times with pallets free for the taking. I can build the walls in my garage and then take them out back with my pick up. Using this design I do not have to pull the pallets apart, thus saving me some time as well as giving me ready built walls for blown in insulation. I will cover the inside and outside walls with sheeting to shore them up and keep the insulation in place. I believe this should be a very sturdy coop for our nasty northern Ohio winters.

 

[Desert Rooster]

Hello

from Hesperia, Ca and

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. So glad you joined. It sounds like you are off to a great start. You are smart to realize that you may need more room.