Reclaimed and pallet wood coop build

[Machetesquad]

I've been working on building a coop and thought I would start a thread to track it.

There were a couple of cages of some sort out back behind the house when we bought it. I think they may have been for rabbits. I took one partially apart and going to use that as the base for a chicken coop. Here is what I started with. Its about 6x12.

I didn't have any 4x4s and wanted to make it taller so I just used 2 2x4s.

Cut the legs a little shorter, put down some of the floor and framed the walls.

Back to breaking down pallets now!

 

[NewBoots]

Excellent work! I'll watch your build with great interest, I'll likely be using a good deal of pallet and other scrap wood for our coops.

 

[Machetesquad]

Not much update, broke down a couple pallets this weekend. We did put in a order for some chicks though! 6 barred rocks 3 white rocks 2 buff silkie bantams and 2 mille fleur bearded d'uccle bantams.

The rocks are coming April 16 so I'm officially on the clock

 

[chickpeasoup]

How do you break down the pallets without ripping the wood? I was going to make our coop with pallets but it was difficult to work with without the wood splitting. For the record I'm 90lbs soaking wet so..... that didn't help....

 

[Machetesquad]

I don't do anything special, just a hammer and a pry bar. Pry up the ends first and then the middle as carefully as I can. There's still quite a bit of splitting going on though. Some pallets come apart harder than others

 

[Ted Brown]

How do you break down the pallets without ripping the wood?

I have read that there is a special tool but have not researched to find it.

I use a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade. place the blade so that it will "slide" between the cross boards and the inner stretcher boards. You want to cut the nails so that the boards will separate. Takes a bit of strength and patience but if you can arrange the pallet properly even your 90 lbs can cut the nails.

Youtube is your friend.

 

[7acres]

I sometimes cut through the nails as mentioned. If I need the complete length I have an antique cast iron hoe that I place under the boards and lift them up with little splitting. It works much like the dismantling tool mentioned. If I don’t need the complete length I just use a circular saw and cut them off at the 2x4 leaving only the middle to pry a loose. If it has the spiral nails it makes it tough. Anyway good job.

 

[archeryrob]

Man, I feel like a dumb azz now! I am scrounging for wood to build a breeders coop and tried pallets and gave up as I broke 75% -80% of all the slates. Now coming from a guy with a construction back ground, rebuilt his entire house and designed and built a three car detached garage. Plus I have a DeWalt 10 amp Reciprocating Saw just in the other bay where I was trying to take them apart with a pry bar and destroying them all.

 

[Machetesquad]

Got a reciprocating saw my birthday and it makes breaking then down a breeze.

Update on the coop, I quickly realized it was going to be way too heavy for the wheels I planned to put on, so I took a couple of 6x6 posts I had lying around and chiseled out a mortise to make skids. Plan is to lift up one end with the tractor and drag it to move it. Got the nest boxes framed. Still need to figure out the roof.

 

[Ted Brown]

As you have discovered tools can make life much easier.

What are you doing with those April chicks?