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

[TXchickmum]

We used recycled wooden fence and other lumber scraps to construct our coops. -used some recycled hardware for latches, as well. We don't use shavings in the nest boxes. -use fluffy towels!! The gals absolutely love 'em! -can be washed, sun-dried, and re-used! (We also used towels in our brooder. -perfect for the chicks!)

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

3'x4'x2' Brooder I built with left over roofing panels and wood and screw from a stage that used to be in our church's activity center.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I have enough pallets now to start my coop. Just gotta wait for some dry days(in Oregon, that will be late spring)

 

[kuntrygirl]

How about a mouse trap.


An old cat litter bucket with about three inches of water in it. Some lightweight thin but wide scraps of wood firmly sitting on a ledge and the bucket edge with chicken feed on the edge. The wood needs to be solid enough that they can walk out there but once they get over the water, it falls. The sides are too slick for them to climb out. The wood is too light for them to climb on a raft.

Song birds can trigger it and escape. It needs to be where chickens can't get to it. I'm not sure they would be able to get out and they'd trigger it anyway. Use peanut butter instead of chicken feed if you wish.

Total cost: The water and the bait.

When I get mice, I wait until they are dead and dump this in the run. I retrieve the wood and reset it. The chickens play keepaway with the mice and eventually eat them. Free protein and the mice are not poisoned or contaminated in any way.

Good one! I'll give this a try! 

That also works well if you take some old grease and grease the sides of the bucket. Once they fall in they can't climb the greasy wall to get out.

 

[kuntrygirl]

3'x4'x2' Brooder I built with left over roofing panels and wood and screw from a stage that used to be in our church's activity center.

AWESOME!! Great job!

 

[Ridgerunner]

That also works well if you take some old grease and grease the sides of the bucket. Once they fall in they can't climb the greasy wall to get out.

With a plastic bucket, you don't need the grease as long as it is fairly smooth. More than once, I've found mice that fell in a plastic bucket setting upright and could not get out. The water is to get it over quickly for them instead of them dying of thirst or starvation.

 

[aoxa]

With a plastic bucket, you don't need the grease as long as it is fairly smooth. More than once, I've found mice that fell in a plastic bucket setting upright and could not get out. The water is to get it over quickly for them instead of them dying of thirst or starvation.

I have found a mouse in my feed bin when the cover was off. Plastic. Could not get out. I sent in a chicken after it. The mouse did not die as quickly as I would have liked.

 

[kuntrygirl]

With a plastic bucket, you don't need the grease as long as it is fairly smooth. More than once, I've found mice that fell in a plastic bucket setting upright and could not get out. The water is to get it over quickly for them instead of them dying of thirst or starvation.

I have found a mouse in my feed bin when the cover was off. Plastic. Could not get out. I sent in a chicken after it. The mouse did not die as quickly as I would have liked.

I have read that a rat/mouse can tread water for 3 days. :/ So that is why I never used water in the bucket. The old grease (old fish grease or chicken grease) doubles as far as them smelling the food aroma and coming to the bucket. They fight all night trying to get out and crawl the greasy walls until they tire out and kick the bucket (no pun intended). :/

 

[maidenwolfx80]

PVC pipe trough feeder. We used soup cans shoved inside the ends and screwed in to cap the ends.

This coop is made from privacy fencing

Behind the beautiful Talon, is a plastic covered cat litter pan used as a nest box and it is their favorite


In the background is the bottom of an entertainment center turned into nesting boxes

 

[TheCrazyChick]

We've used so far auto parts shipping crates and a craiglist 12 buck window. Most of the molding was also found on craigslist for 5 bucks. I have saved all of the nails we've pulled out of the shipping crates for future use, too.