#Wood chicken run how to
#Wood chicken run free

Right now we have a make-shift PVC gate (basically a frame made of PVC pipe with plywood screwed to it) but we’ll eventually make a framed gate for the pallet chicken run. Repeat, adding two pallets then a post until you’ve completely enclosed your area. Pack soil around the base of the post with the end of a shovel so it’s nice and stable. Use a post hole digger to make a 12″ deep hole for the 4″ x 4″. I would not use more than two pallets without adding a 4″ x 4″ securely in the ground to ensure your structure has adequate stability. Drill screws into multiple places of the pallet (top, middle, bottom) to secure them together.

We connected the first pallet to a 4″ x 4″ off of our existing chicken run, then secured a second pallet in place by butting it right up to the first.Ĭhoose your screws according to the thickness of the two pallets together. Now that you have laid out the pallets, it’s time to fasten them together. We dug out and added dirt as needed at each pallet to accomplish our level fence. The grade of your land will determine the level of your fence-line. We used an opening of 32″ - consider the possibility of moving large items in and out of the fenced area.Īttainable Sustainable the lost art of self-reliant livingĮmbrace handcrafting and homesteading with DIY projects, recipes, and gardening tips! 👉 Click here to get started 👈ĭepending on how technical you want to be, square up the “fence line” using a string and level. Determine what size opening will work best for you for your gate. Keep in mind that you may need to cut a pallet in half to make it fit your area like we had to.

#Wood chicken run how to

Then, measure your pallets to figure out how to lay them out to fit your space. screws 4″, 3-1/2″ and 2-1/2″ (we used Primeguard Exterior Screws by Grip Rite).4′ x 4′ posts to ensure the sturdiness of the enclosure.We picked the nicest looking pallets we could find and started building a pallet chicken coop extension to give them more room to roam. Oh, the glorious pallet with it’s 2,304,982 uses.

#Wood chicken run free

We’re on a tight budget and I wanted to try and come up with a creative way to use free resources, so I thought of pallets. Get a free excerpt from my book, Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living! You’ll also get my free weekly newsletter, complete with recipes, gardening tips, and a little peek at what’s going on around here - both the zany and the mundane. I built a few grazing boxes in the run to allow fresh greens for the girls, too. (I did manage to convert the tops of the pallets into small garden planters, though.) Originally, I was going to put two more 4′ x 8′ garden beds next to the two beds I already have, but I decided to sacrifice that growing space for the chickens to create a pallet chicken coop extension for them. We don’t have the option to let them free range in our yard because we don’t have a fence at the property line. A pallet chicken run seemed like the best way to extend the area for our girls.Īlthough our chickens do have a roomy outdoor area that’s completely enclosed, I still feel like they don’t have as much space as they need. Why pallets? Because they’re pretty readily available for free. The latest project at our backyard homestead was building a cheap chicken run out of pallets. You know how they say once you become a homeowner, the projects never stop? I’m pretty sure that applies to a homestead (no matter how large or small) as well. It’s essentially a DIY pallet fence, secured to their chicken coop. Building a recycled pallet chicken run is a great way to create cheap chicken coop extension for your hens.