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If you've ever thought about getting chickens so you can have fresh eggs every day (thus saving any money that you spend on eggs), then you probably already know that you will need a chicken coop.
The problem is, most prebuilt coops cost several hundred dollars, thus erasing any money you'll save on eggs. Even if you go through a couple dozen eggs a week, it would be well over a year before saving enough on eggs to offset the cost of a prebuilt chicken coop. Besides, not everyone has hundreds of dollars lying around.
Fortunately, if you can gather some scrap wood and are willing to do a little work, you can build your own chicken coop for less than $15. If that sounds too good to be true, watch this video by DIY Homestead Muddy Acres.
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Here's what she used to build it:
- Used pallets – Free on Craigslist
- Screening for windows – $9.70
- Hinges and latches for doors – $1.97
It took her three days to build the coop from these materials. It ended up being 7×10 feet and includes four nesting boxes, windows for light, roosting bars, and everything else a chicken needs. Watch the video below to check it out.
You can use woodprix, it has the best handbooks and ready instructions. You can learn much from them and make it yourself.
Hi. If you do need protection from critters chicken wire isn’t good . You have to use hard wire cloth. You gave some good ideas . Thanks
You should use sand on the floor. It can be cleaned easier. Also, you probably will need dropping boards under the roost. This will also be easier to keep the coop clean. This reduces the smell and flies.
Is that cardboard on the walls? If so, is it for insulation?
How is it possible that that entire coop is made from pallets? I’m sorry but that access door isn’t, the front isn’t and that door isn’t. If you’re going to advertise something at least make it look like what you’re saying it is.
No diy throws anything away so the price is what you spend out of pocket. Let us see yours and evaluate the
Work of a true engineering genius who is obviously as intelligent as he is critical.
Was thinking the same thing. Always someone not happy with what others offer for free. Always someone having a go and finding fault. Ugh.
The title is definitely misleading. You could just as easily go find some old windows and hinges for free on CL and then the cost is 0.00. They clearly used items other than pallets which is fine but you could just as easily keep your eye for a free coop.
I agree, not made from only pallets.
Do you have some kind of instructions to show how you put this altogether?
Stand the pallets up. Screw them together. Use hinges for a door. I used the door of an old dog crate for our door and hammered the sides of the door into the pallet with metal staples. It took my husband and I about 2 hours to make a run that’s about 10’x8′.
Well done. Excellent design /engineering. My company occasionally receives product or machines that require large skids / pallets and have solid plywood larger than the size of the door you used. Unless we could find anyone who wanted the skids / pallets, they were discarded. Again, well done!
My husband and I did this and it came out really amazing!! Our property had an old raised playhouse already there, so we used that as a covered run area and then used the pallets to expand for an uncovered run (albeit we did run wire mesh over the top to deter birds of prey). We had prefab coops that we are using for nighttime lock-ups also. Some of our pallets were painted odd colors, so we opted to spend a little money on paint for aesthetics. I wish I could post pics!
I just built a ‘free’ coop too. Moved and old shed, cut up some metal posts from some road work and used some leftover lumber. BUT, it wasn’t free, rather repurposed stuff from around the yard