Recycled Pallet Coop

[Keliray1]

No, I just have ducks. I know lots of people who have both and what I've learned is that you can't have boy ducks with chickens or they will tear them up and kill them. Apparently roosters don't have the "equipment" that drakes do!

Ohhhh good to know!!! Thank you for the advise!! So what do you use for the bottom of your duck coop? For my chickens I usually wire the whole bottom for protection but I wanted to do a pond or bury a pool for them so I’m not sure how to do the bottom?

 

[Tre3hugger]

This link gives some nice step by step pics for a pallet coop I plan on building for my guineas. Pretty sweet.
https://summersacres.net/2014/11/diy-chicken-coop-from-pallets/

 

[DuckyDonna]

Ohhhh good to know!!! Thank you for the advise!! So what do you use for the bottom of your duck coop? For my chickens I usually wire the whole bottom for protection but I wanted to do a pond or bury a pool for them so I’m not sure how to do the bottom?

All we did for the "floor" was to put a pallet down and screw some plywood onto it. He put a board across the bottom so icky things couldn't get under it but I'm sure they still can but if the bottom is solid I guess it doesn't matter. We pieced small pieces of wood together to block off all holes and cracks where something could conceivably get in. It's not that pretty but it keeps out the bad stuff.

You want to do a pool you said but not in the coop right? If you bury it you better have a way to lift it out to empty and clean it. I wouldn't bury it unless it had a drain on the bottom and a place for the water to drain out away from the run or you'll have a horrid stinky mess.

 

[Jpat]

for good pallet scrounging check around plumbing companies and drywall companies and lawn mower sales. A lot of their pallets and shipping containers come with 3/4 inch plywood already over it

a sheet of 3\4 inch plywood is like 60$ now, I find 4x4 sheets on pallets all the time

 

[DuckyDonna]

for good pallet scrounging check around plumbing companies and drywall companies and lawn mower sales. A lot of their pallets and shipping containers come with 3/4 inch plywood already over it

a sheet of 3\4 inch plywood is like 60$ now, I find 4x4 sheets on pallets all the time

and we got some awesome huge long hardwood pallets that tile came on!

 

[Keliray1]

All we did for the "floor" was to put a pallet down and screw some plywood onto it. He put a board across the bottom so icky things couldn't get under it but I'm sure they still can but if the bottom is solid I guess it doesn't matter. We pieced small pieces of wood together to block off all holes and cracks where something could conceivably get in. It's not that pretty but it keeps out the bad stuff.

You want to do a pool you said but not in the coop right? If you bury it you better have a way to lift it out to empty and clean it. I wouldn't bury it unless it had a drain on the bottom and a place for the water to drain out away from the run or you'll have a horrid stinky mess.

Smart!! I

for good pallet scrounging check around plumbing companies and drywall companies and lawn mower sales. A lot of their pallets and shipping containers come with 3/4 inch plywood already over it

a sheet of 3\4 inch plywood is like 60$ now, I find 4x4 sheets on pallets all the time

I will definitely check into that! Thanks for the tip!!

 

[Keliray1]

All we did for the "floor" was to put a pallet down and screw some plywood onto it. He put a board across the bottom so icky things couldn't get under it but I'm sure they still can but if the bottom is solid I guess it doesn't matter. We pieced small pieces of wood together to block off all holes and cracks where something could conceivably get in. It's not that pretty but it keeps out the bad stuff.

You want to do a pool you said but not in the coop right? If you bury it you better have a way to lift it out to empty and clean it. I wouldn't bury it unless it had a drain on the bottom and a place for the water to drain out away from the run or you'll have a horrid stinky mess.

Smart!! I didn’t think about the drainage situation. Lol so how do they get in it? Do I need to build them a ramp to get in the pool too?

 

[Isaac 0]

That's one of the reasons why I'm upgrading my chicken coop! Us humans are slow learners Do you have chickens and ducks? If you do, do you let them in the same run and separate coops? Sorry. I just don't know how to set it up for these ducks

They can be housed together as long as you have a correct ratio for each species, and so they have plenty of space for them to roam around in. I've had chickens/ducks together for five years and not once had a drake even attempted to mate a chicken, that's because he has plenty of ducks he'd rather do his "duties" with and they aren't bord out of their mind in a tiny run.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Smart!! I didn’t think about the drainage situation. Lol so how do they get in it? Do I need to build them a ramp to get in the pool too?

Yes, I haven't got any in there yet but I'll build a little ramp for the middle pen too at some point. I need to get some heavy plastic or vinyl or something to put down on the floor before I put the hay in. I'm in no hurry to move anyone in there until after I hatch. You can see that the pens on either side have little ramps. The right has a board with cross strips for traction and the other was actually a bag of cement that had hardened in the bag at an angle that made it perfect for a little step/ramp for the red pen on the left. For the middle one I may just put some bricks. Idk, not thought through that quite yet.

Yes, you probably will need a pool step or ramp depending on how high up the pool is. I have learned that you are much better off getting the pool up off the ground. I've surrounded and sort of enclosed my little pool area with that black landscape silt stuff, then I put a pallet, then some flat rocks and then the pebbles to fill in. That pool is staying amazingly clean because they aren't drilling in the mud close to the pool and then drinking from it or getting in it. I can actually go about 4-5 days without having to change the water. I figure if I can still see the bottom of the pool its not dirty!

 

[RebekahTN]

No, I just have ducks. I know lots of people who have both and what I've learned is that you can't have boy ducks with chickens or they will tear them up and kill them. Apparently roosters don't have the "equipment" that drakes do!

I have my 2 male ducks and 5 female ducks with my chickens. They all get along fine.
You are correct chickens don't have the same equipment as ducks and they can't breed each other. My geese are in there with them as well. Never a problem, although if they tried to mate there could be an issue. They hang out in different spots together.