Questions about using pallets to build a coop.

[dapper]

1. Where do ya'll find the pallets in such good condition. All the ones I see are in pretty bad shape, and finding all the same size to make things easier is nearly impossible.

2. When making the floor out of pallets how to you attach the pallets to each other?

3. When putting up the walls how do you attach the wall pallets to the floor pallets?

4. How would you attach together to make it like 2 pallets tall? Don't want the wall to fall over you know.

5. How do you attach the 4x4 post to the bottom of the floor pallets so the coop sets off the ground? I am looking to make it 2 pallets wide and 2 pallets long, so the square footage will depend on the size of pallets I find.

6. Would you put something in the wall and floor pallets to work as insulation? If so what?

 

[Trollkiller]

I can't help you on most of the questions but the answer to #1 is commercial print shops.

 

[EllyMae]

The one I saw a while back was made from pallets that the builder dismantled and was pretty much reusing the wood to make the coop. I am still looking for that info....

 

[GaDawg]

check craigslist in your area for free pallets

 

[dapper]

I saw one where this lady took the pallets apart here on BYC. She got the pallets from I believe a siding company. I have tried to take pallets apart. Whoever put them together used ringshank nails and I would have to take a hammer to try and get each board off and one end or the other of each board would break. Plus everything was different sizes and there may have only been 1 or 2 boards on each pallet that were worth using. The ones this lady got were in really good shape. Each board looked to be same length,width, and thickness.

 

[EllyMae]

Yeah, that is the one I saw, too. That one looked very complicated to build, but I also have zero carpentry skills. I would need something that a 5th grader could build

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

My son used pallets to build my duck houses and one of the goat houses. He took the pallets apart. But he did use the complete pallets for the floors he just added additional slats until it was a whole floor. It works out really well for the duck house as there is space between the floor boards so the water runs out when we clean. He gets his pallets in town at various businesses. The best are from an elevator company. Alot of businesses have stock piles of them and are very glad to get rid of them Try riding lawn mower stores and boat yards they seem to have alot.

 

[jforsness]

Take the pallets apart, inventory the materials and develop simple plans from what you have attained. Once you know what you have to work with, you can develop a working plan.

 

[MandyH]

My husband works for a company that makes marine loading arms and a bunch of other BIG stuff, so the pallets they get are HUGE. I think they were 6 x14 ft. The runners they are on are 4x4 and 6x6, and all the wood is kiln dried oak, poplar, and ash. He brought home a bunch of them and I tore them apart all Spring and we built a 20x40 coop for free!!! We found the tin in somebodys yard and stopped and asked to buy it and they let us have it. All the 2x4 welded wire was rolled up nice and neat in a dumpster behind a car garage, I picked up the old wood door off the curb. The only money we invested was for new 2x4's for the roof and hinges for the doors. I need to get a pic of it and post it, it;s not a beauty, but it's huge, free and built to last!!!

 

[Tailfeathers]

Try your local feed store or Co-Op for the pallets. Ours give tons of them away that are in really good condition. I've also seen them on FreeCycle and I think I got some from either Home Depot or Lowe's once.

If I remember right I found two typical sized pallets, one was 36x36 and the other was 48x48.

Attach the pallets together with 3" screws. You can also screw a piece of wood to both the top and bottom to reinforce but I've never found a need to.

Hope that helps.

God Bless,