Reviews by paintedChix

Beautiful BUILD but even better write up of supplies and how you built it.

Thank you for sharing!! I love re-using & re-purposing - so you touched that side of me & wow, what an impressive coop while re-purposing pallets. I've used them as well, but have not taken it nearly as far as you have!

Do have a question that I don't think I've missed. How are you supporting the deer netting over the center of your run? How did you go around the trees (or are they outside your run and I'm totally blind)? Do you ever have cats that walk (or try) on it? I'm looking at trying this on a couple of runs and curious if it will work. May be putting in center "rafter" supported by posts down the center length to hold our netting.

I feel like this article isn't done. You don't (here) say what you use for waterers (think you mentioned nipple drinkers in Inventions? - how have they lasted?) & feeders. I did read your Lions Club/Dr & vayca article/thread and it stopped in 2014 ( ). I haven't had a chance yet to go back and research where else you've posted - saw other pics completely in the Inventions thread.

It's been at least 4 years since this post/article. How is it holding up? What type of birds did you introduce to the Island? How is your donation of birds, clothing and services going? Pics of the birds in this layout?

LOVE the way you've built and so wish we could get some of the materials you have access to and maybe even some of the labor/help to build it. So beautiful/looks like it is very efficient. Would love to know how it really turned out. Did you have to replace the roof since it originally went up?

Here's hoping you come back and add to it!

Thank you for posting this - especially in regards to size!

We, too, have a couple of pre-fab coops. They sit under a portion of our carport - on bricks, so mostly protected from weather & not directly on the ground. They aren't very picturesque anymore, have survived the rabbits (intended for) and chickens and ducks. They are both set up on bricks - one is 7 yrs old and the 2nd is 5 yrs old. The one that is 7 yrs old went thru a move from previous house to this one.

While I prefer my "custom" built CP coops to be able to walk in and easily clean, access water/feed & eggs, I wouldn't discount the pre-fab coops with all the recommendations that you have.

GREAT ARTICLE!

I love pallets. You built a neat little coop. What a great way to do the roof! I have trees all over the place and this past summer I was shown how they could be de-barked & dried (and then protected) to allow them to last much long for many different uses. I may "borrow" that idea! THANK YOU. Also like the way you supported your nesting boxes - again that is an easy "trick" I hadn't thought of...

You may find, as you get older, that a coop that short is very hard on your back. You can stack the pallets - there are many different ways to attach & support them. For bricks (underneath foundation) - if expense is an issue - make your own! You can combine Quikrete or Portland cement & shredded paper to make blocks and use card board boxes for your forms... Just have to work on the mix to find what ratio of quikrete(or Portland cement)/paper/water works best for set up in your area. If you google papercrete and garden stepping stones, you will find many different ways/recipes for that. Using paper as part of the filler (or even shredded plastic from what ever plastics you use in your household - do need a shredder that will shred plastic) will extend the other that you purchase AND keep both out of the landfill.

I haven't yet tried to stack pallets - instead we use cattle panel and do hoops for the roofs. I've used these structures as sheds for the past 5 years and just this fall, started using them for building inexpensive, mostly re-cycled products, coops, too.

Thank you for sharing your great little pallet coop. I love it.