question about building from pallets

[werecatrising]

I am planning on building a coop out of old pallets. I have the plans from my pet chicken and have started collecting pallets. The problem is finding good ones. Most boards have a least small cracks in them. Are these ok to use, or should I toss them.

 

[AngelzFyre]

You could probably use them somewhere where it didn't matter if there was any weight or pressure put against them or they'd be covered. I wouldn't use the cracked ones where a predator could push against and break them completely or other animals. Our horses love to use the run's chained link to scratch on and they put huge dents in it. If this was against boards with cracks of any kind...they'd surely pop the boards in two.
Check with your local Farmer's Co-Op or feed store. A lot of times they will just give pallets away to save on having to dispose of them.

Put ads in different places that you are looking for pallets that are in good to excellent condition and that you will come take away. You should get lots of replies.

 

[bills]

I wouldn't worry about small cracks. Might help with the ventilation.

Seriously, unless the cracks are big enough for a rodent/mink to crawl through, or allow a lot of wind in during the colder months, I think you could use them still. If this was a problem you could easily patch them with some mortar mix, which you can buy a bag pretty cheap. Or in the winter, staple some plastic over the outside walls.

The chickens are certainly not going to break the boards and escape.

I would use the best boards for the floor and the roof of the coop, You don't want your foot going through them, and you don't want your roof falling in if it snows.

 

[CountryPantry]

We build our coops out of pallets. The cracked boards or missing boards don't matter much. You are covering everything in wire or boards. I will be posting pictures of our new coop we started last nite sometime today if the rains stop long enough for me to get pictures.