My husband is going to build a pallet coop / run for 2 or 3 chickens (although I may get carried away and expand the flock ) and I've been looking round for ideas for a design.
It will need to be fairly big as I can't realistically allow them to free range in our garden - I have a veggie patch and a nice flower bed, and there are alot of cats in the area - which means they need a nice big run to flap about in, but not so big that it takes over our very modest garden (it also needs to be relatively tidy looking as we have neighbours either side). I've been keeping an eye out for pallets and have found a local source with more than enough who is currently giving them away. What I'm not sure though is how many we are going to need. I'm thinking probably around 10 to 15 but we've never used pallets for anything before so it is purely a guess. Would you think that that sounds about right for what we want to do?
Never having built a chicken house I would have a guess at around twenty. If you can get hold of some long six foot pallets to give you longer planks that would help, they are also slightly easier to take apart. I get them from Wicks and Plumb Centre, places that have radiators delivered.
Loving that thread with all the pictures! So much inspiration in there The kind of thing I had in my head is pretty much like meandmine's on page 4 or tucker's on page 2, although I just emailed that to hubbie at work and he thought it was quite big, oops! I think he may be thinking more along the lines of the size of our guinea pig hutch! lol. I feel a major sit down at the drawing board and some mutual brainstorming may be in order lol.
Ilona, do wickes etc give you the bigger pallets for free or do you offer a small 'donation'?
Can I suggest that you make the coop big enough for 6 birds, as 3 are really the minimum to make up a flock, also should you wish to get more (and you will!) it is sooo much easier to get them all at the same time rather than go through the trauma of trying to intergrate new flock members.
Also this will probably give you a slight surplus of eggs which are good for giving to neighbours who may have concerns about chooks next door.
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I think all stores might have their own policy. I went in Wicks to ask about the pallets at the back door. I was told you can take anything from the left hand side on the grass verge, but not the other side because they have to go back to the supplier. I asked at Plumb Centre and was told take any you like from outside the back door, because they store the ones they need inside the building.
It's a matter of asking or you don't get. Tell them you are getting some rescue battery hens and want to build your own coop and run. Tell them you can't afford to buy the wood and wondered if they have any pallets that they dont want. Dont offer any money. Go in dressed a bit scruffy, give them a sob story. They have two choices, yes or no. If they say no, be pleasant, say not to worry I'll try somewhere else.
) and I've been looking round for ideas for a design.
