Where do you get your pallets? Do you have to pay for them?

[Bluemoon420]

They are free where I am in Michigan. Most of the manufacturing plants give them away. You could try some in your area, and might get lucky. Usually the plants that will give them away have HUGE piles stacked in an unorganized heap.
So far most of our wood for chicken house has been free. Try craigs list too. I've had good luck finding stuff there.


Bluemoon

 

[kees]

I think that a previous poster stated that some pallets might have come into contact with unwanted chemicals. How could a person figure out which pallets were "safe" and which weren't?

Suzy

 

[Bluemoon420]

My husband knew the answer to this question. Any pallet or wood shipping container that is being used to ship out of the country, or into the country, has to be treated with a certain chemical. ( not gunna try and spell it) They do this to make sure there are no insects, for example, imported in with the wood. Those specific pallets and shipping containers will be stamped. You can't miss it, It's a huge stamp.


Bluemoon

 

[kees]

This may sound like a silly question, but can you please ask your husband what color the stamp might be or what it says?

Suzy

 

[Bluemoon420]

It will be in black. It will have an HT on it somewhere which means heat treated or fumigated for insects. Hope that helps

Bluemoon

 

[sonew123]

I dont use them but I can get them for free at work we get alot of supplies delivered to us but not really good ones but they'll do in a pinch-great for bon fires haha-

 

[Robin'sBrood]

I was driving near my house just the other week and saw someone with a huge fire in the middle of a field. Guess what they were burning... yep, an enormous pile of pallets that looked BRAND NEW!

If I had had a truck I would have stopped and begged them to let me take some off their hands.

 

[Bluemoon420]

We're allowed to take any of the pallets or shipping boxes from my husbands work as long as they dont have the HT stamped on them. They pay big bucks for those I guess.

I've seen them on craigs list for free also. 15 bucks at home depot is just silly.


Bluemoon

 

[TheReidHomestead]

Check freecycle.org also. I got 20 from there last month and we are just wrapping up our new coop this week. Hope to have the chicks moved in this weekend!

 

[kees]

Thanks for posting that the HT pallets should be avoided!

Suzy