Recycled Chickens: Let's share what we do to save money and build with recycled materials

[aka Rachel]

I LOVE reusing/recycling/reclaiming items for my chikens!

My husband gets alot of wood cut in funny dimensions from work and we use that all the time for tons of projects. Example, I divided their coop up to make an entry way to hold their food and supplies out of the coop and add a sick coop. Their nest boxes were built out of an old headboard! (the type with the shelves and mirrors, lol) We have one 5 gal nest box too.

I use the tin pans from lasagna for feeding treats outside.

I used a rubermaid clear box that hubby saved from the garbage to turn into my brooder! And a cooler that the lid tabs broke off on as an incubator. For which I recycled two computer fans, a left over bit of 1/2" wire and saved glass jars as heat sinks.

 

[Marty1876]

Today I brought home some large #10 cans from a school kitchen to use for feeders in my hen house. Also, my DH is building me 98% recycled hen house w/large run under and in front of it. (We ran out of the right size of pulled used nails and had to buy a small box - but the hinges are recycled off of free doors, and much heavier than I can even buy at the hardware store nowdays.

 

[Marty1876]

What recycled things do you use for your chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quail, or any other poultry ?

 

[Stumpy]

Anyone remember these? They are slick plastic with little bumpers at each end and were used for exercise, sliding back and forth. I picked some of these up at the thrift store to use for interior siding in my little rolling coop.




Here it is used for paneling:

 

[Stumpy]

This is an old sign we had on hand, plus an oak table that had been discarded, and some Habitat Restore paint. I used the sign for my sliding pop door and the table for siding my coop (along with other wood). The paint was used to seal the plywood floor before installing discarded vinyl on top.




Dismantling the table:




This photo shows the pop door (through the tunnel) and some of the table wood used:

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Leftover materials from deck construction became our tractor coop. DH does work with a roofer so we put a house vent that was dented - so could not be used on an actual house - on the roof along with leftover shingles.

Our first feeder was made from a Folgers can and I loved it. The bottom part of it gave out so had to actually purchase a feeder. BAH! Our water heater was made from a leftover Christmas tin.

We use leaves in the coop and run and the girls love it. We mow the leaves with the bag attached to the mower and then dump them straight into the coop. No raking!

Egg shells are fed back to the girls for the calcium and they get whatever dinner leftovers we have.

 

[Mootworm]

Leftover materials from deck construction became our tractor coop. DH does work with a roofer so we put a house vent that was dented - so could not be used on an actual house - on the roof along with leftover shingles. 

Our first feeder was made from a Folgers can and I loved it. The bottom part of it gave out so had to actually purchase a feeder. BAH!  Our water heater was made from a leftover Christmas tin. 

We use leaves in the coop and run and the girls love it. We mow the leaves with the bag attached to the mower and then dump them straight into the coop. No raking!  e

Egg shells are fed back to the girls for the calcium and they get whatever dinner leftovers we have.

How did you make the Christmas tin heater!? I'm intrigued! And are you talking about the popconr tins? We just stocked up for the season

 

[Mtn Laurel]

How did you make the Christmas tin heater!? I'm intrigued! And are you talking about the popconr tins? We just stocked up for the season

Actually, the cookie tins. I got the idea from BYC and - when I found their water frozen last week - it took hubby all of 10 minutes to put this together. He did have to run to the hardware store to pick up an item or two but we already had most of the stuff.

The link is below. It really works well and doesn't appear to be a hazard as the mechanics and bulb are inside the metal tin. We have ours sitting up on a block so it's not directly in the shavings.

Here's the link > https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/cookie-tin-heater-for-water

 

[Mootworm]

Brilliant! Thanks for the link

 

[smilot]

At X-mas time Home Depot and Lowe's set up a tree coral for the sale of tree's, but after xmas is over they sell the fencing they use dirt cheap. It's a great start for an outdoor run. We wrap smaller chicken wire under and around and on top of course but a few 8' metal fence posts (we used the kind you can hammer right into the ground) and you have a pen. I used the fencing and wire for the roof over the pen as well. I made sure to leave the roof pretty loose so I could use a longer post in the center, kind of like how a circus tent is assembled. Instead of a posts in the center I ended up using those unsightly tubular steel T shaped posts for hanging close outside in the yard, which I am not a fan of. I used 2 white vinyl signs over the top to create a roof, the kind you would see outside a club or store for advertising usually hung up in the windows. It's thicker and more durable than a tarp but easier to manipulate than corrugated plastic. I also converted and old dresser that had draws that were to shallow into a coop. I also had a nightstand that was way short so I hollowed it out and attached it to the side of the dresser/coop as a nesting box. It took some engineering because I wanted them to still look some what like what they were but somewhat "French Country-ish".
Now as for feeding them I totally went and bought a metal 3 gal feeder for $30.... Totally wasted my money. It wasn't big enough to feed all my girls so they would get a little feisty at the feeder, had to create another, sure wasn't going to spend another $30 on something inefficient either. so I used the Family sized P.B. jar plastic of course and a dog frisby. Their water is the old 5 gallon bucket and plant coaster method, doesn't freeze here either.