Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

fuzzi said:

Cut a square out of an aluminum soda can and then trace & cut a hole in the middle that matches the bird house opening. Attach to outside of the opening. It helps to keep bigger birds from enlarging the hole and evicting the chicks inside.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback.

I have had some birdhouses in years past and never had a problem with larger birds enlarging the holes. Is it a certain type of larger bird that would do this?

In any case, could I use another piece of pallet wood on the outside instead of an aluminum soda can? I think that would look better. In the picture you posted, it looks like an additional piece of wood on the front attached to the bird house.

If not, I think I might sandwich the aluminum soda can between the bird house and the extra pallet wood piece on the front. If the goal is for the aluminum soda can to prevent enlarging of the hole, the larger bird might be able to make the outside pallet piece hole larger but would be stopped by the aluminum sandwiched between the wood.

I'll have to go back to the Audobon site for more information. I know there are some ways better than others for making a panel removable for cleanout. And drain holes, too.

gtaus said:

I have had some birdhouses in years past and never had a problem with larger birds enlarging the holes. Is it a certain type of larger bird that would do this?

Click to expand...

All my bluebird and wren houses have been enlarged. I have found small woodpeckers, mice in there.

gtaus said:

Thanks for the feedback.

I have had some birdhouses in years past and never had a problem with larger birds enlarging the holes. Is it a certain type of larger bird that would do this?

In any case, could I use another piece of pallet wood on the outside instead of an aluminum soda can? I think that would look better. In the picture you posted, it looks like an additional piece of wood on the front attached to the bird house.

If not, I think I might sandwich the aluminum soda can between the bird house and the extra pallet wood piece on the front. If the goal is for the aluminum soda can to prevent enlarging of the hole, the larger bird might be able to make the outside pallet piece hole larger but would be stopped by the aluminum sandwiched between the wood.

I'll have to go back to the Audobon site for more information. I know there are some ways better than others for making a panel removable for cleanout. And drain holes, too.

Click to expand...

Putting the aluminium between the house and an additional wooden piece in the front sounds like a good idea!

I like this idea!

Gray squirrels and flying squirrels chew to enlarge the entry in my bluebird houses.

Interesting fact about flying squirrels. They are nocturnal. If you shine a light on them, their eyes glow red.
Took me a while to figure out the type of ghouls were living in our woods.

Stackable Pallet Wood Compost Bin Follow-Up

Last winter I made a stackable pallet wood compost bin. I did not need another compost bin, but I wanted to see if I could make one with stackable tiers made out of pallet wood.

The challenge to using the pallet wood is that the thickness of the pallet wood boards is not consistent.

The original plan used 1X6 lumber and gave the outside measurements for cuts. Of course that makes sense because all the wood is the same thickness so the stackable tiers would fit without a problem.

I had to rethink the project for pallet wood and use inside measurements for the project, which allowed me to use any thickness of pallet wood boards and still have the stackable tiers. Once I figured that out, it was just repeat for each new tier.

Here is what the finished project looked like...



You can see that I used all kinds of pallet wood planks for that project. Each tier stacks into the one below. The advantage to this stackable compost bin is that you can make it as short, or tall, as you want.

If you bought even the least expensive untreated pine wood to make a stackable compost bin like the one I built above, it would cost you about $70 for the lumber. Of course, the pallet wood was free. And I had fun learning how to build a stackable compost bin measuring from the inside out instead of the normal outside only in a project. That allowed me to use all those boards of different thickness. It was a fun project.

I kind of just left it off in the woods, not being used for anything, because I do all my composting in the chicken run. But this fall I got the idea to move that stackable compost bin next to my chicken run gate, fill it up with leaves, and then use those leaves to put on top of the snow so my chickens will go outside in the winter. My chickens will not go out and walk in the snow.

Here is a picture of that stackable compost bin storing my leaves for winter snow ground cover...



We got about 2 inches of snow yesterday, and the chickens would not leave the coop. This morning, I raked off a patch of run and tossed in a few pitchforks of fresh leaves enough to cover the white snow. I let the chickens out and they spent all day outside, in +17F weather, but they were fine on the new leaves patch I put out for them. I tossed some chicken scratch and cracked corn on top of the leaves, so they had a good time scratching and pecking for treats.

For me, it's just good to see them outside and getting some sunlight. I have stored up lots of leaves to use this winter, so I plan on covering the snow all winter long to encourage the hens to stay outside. That stackable compost bin should work pretty good because I can remove each tier, as needed, to get to the leaves. In the spring, I can just move everything back to the storage area in the woods.

If I remember, I'll try to take a picture or two of the chickens out in the snowy run with the patch of new leaves to walk on. Honestly, though, when the weather gets this cold, I don't spend any more time outside than I have to and I have not been taking my phone with me outside to take pictures. The last thing I want to do is to take off my winter gloves to take a picture.

In the meantime, here is a Google picture that shows what I am doing inside my chicken run this year, putting fresh leaves on top of the snow so the chickens will go outside...

gtaus said:

Stackable Pallet Wood Compost Bin Follow-Up

Last winter I made a stackable pallet wood compost bin. I did not need another compost bin, but I wanted to see if I could make one with stackable tiers made out of pallet wood.

The challenge to using the pallet wood is that the thickness of the pallet wood boards is not consistent.

The original plan used 1X6 lumber and gave the outside measurements for cuts. Of course that makes sense because all the wood is the same thickness so the stackable tiers would fit without a problem.

I had to rethink the project for pallet wood and use inside measurements for the project, which allowed me to use any thickness of pallet wood boards and still have the stackable tiers. Once I figured that out, it was just repeat for each new tier.

Here is what the finished project looked like...

View attachment 3996858

You can see that I used all kinds of pallet wood planks for that project. Each tier stacks into the one below. The advantage to this stackable compost bin is that you can make it as short, or tall, as you want.

If you bought even the least expensive untreated pine wood to make a stackable compost bin like the one I built above, it would cost you about $70 for the lumber. Of course, the pallet wood was free. And I had fun learning how to build a stackable compost bin measuring from the inside out instead of the normal outside only in a project. That allowed me to use all those boards of different thickness. It was a fun project.

I kind of just left it off in the woods, not being used for anything, because I do all my composting in the chicken run. But this fall I got the idea to move that stackable compost bin next to my chicken run gate, fill it up with leaves, and then use those leaves to put on top of the snow so my chickens will go outside in the winter. My chickens will not go out and walk in the snow.

Here is a picture of that stackable compost bin storing my leaves for winter snow ground cover...

View attachment 3996859

We got about 2 inches of snow yesterday, and the chickens would not leave the coop. This morning, I raked off a patch of run and tossed in a few pitchforks of fresh leaves enough to cover the white snow. I let the chickens out and they spent all day outside, in +17F weather, but they were fine on the new leaves patch I put out for them. I tossed some chicken scratch and cracked corn on top of the leaves, so they had a good time scratching and pecking for treats.

For me, it's just good to see them outside and getting some sunlight. I have stored up lots of leaves to use this winter, so I plan on covering the snow all winter long to encourage the hens to stay outside. That stackable compost bin should work pretty good because I can remove each tier, as needed, to get to the leaves. In the spring, I can just move everything back to the storage area in the woods.

If I remember, I'll try to take a picture or two of the chickens out in the snowy run with the patch of new leaves to walk on. Honestly, though, when the weather gets this cold, I don't spend any more time outside than I have to and I have not been taking my phone with me outside to take pictures. The last thing I want to do is to take off my winter gloves to take a picture.

In the meantime, here is a Google picture that shows what I am doing inside my chicken run this year, putting fresh leaves on top of the snow so the chickens will go outside...

View attachment 3996862

Click to expand...

My flock has never seen snow. An unusual deep freeze (for us) is headed this way next week... maybe I should take a pile of leaves out to the coop?

fuzzi said:

My flock has never seen snow. An unusual deep freeze (for us) is headed this way next week... maybe I should take a pile of leaves out to the coop?

Click to expand...

Well, where I live, we have snow on the ground 5-6 months of the year. That's why I stored lots of leaves for this winter to cover the snow. If your snow typically melts after a day or two, then I don't imagine it is as big of a deal as to what I work with.

One option might be to fill some empty feed bags full of leaves. I am always looking for a second life for empty feed bags. That would be a good use for some of them.

Speaking of using old feed bags, I was looking for an old tarp to cover my leaves in that stackable compost bin I mentioned yesterday. I did not want to sacrifice a new 6X8 foot tarp to cover the leaves in that ~4X4 foot bin, but this morning I got the great idea to use a feed bag as a cover...





And then I put on the wire frame top to keep the feed bag from flying out...



Just about a perfect fit! That should keep off the snow. And a great use for an empty feed bag.

It was lightly snowing this morning, but I managed to take a few pictures of the girls outside on the leaves in the run. Yesterday, it was all brown in that patch where I put down the new leaves, but already the snow is starting to cover those leaves. At any rate, here are a few pictures today of my chicken run this winter...





By the end of the day, I imagine all those new leaves will be completely covered in snow. Tomorrow, we have a winter storm expected to hit on Thanksgiving. It might take a few days before I can toss out some fresh leaves. Oh well, that's why I have lots of leaves stored for use this winter.

FYI, I built my chicken coop with twice the recommended square foot per bird because I considered that they might be spending most of their time in the coop in our winter months. At almost 8 square feet per bird, it gives them enough room not to get too upset with one another like in a cramped coop. I think that is important for their health.

Anyways, the pallet wood stackable compost bin is now in use and serving a purpose. The chickens enjoy going outside on the leaves. So, we will buckle down for a few days when this winter snow storm hits tomorrow, but after that, I will have lots of fresh leaves to toss on top of the new snow.

I was in Menards this afternoon and a guy in front of me had a sheet of paneling that had the pallet wood design...



It actually looked very nice and I was thinking how fast it would be to cover a wall with a few sheets of that pallet wood design paneling. I have not looked at paneling for many, many years, so it was the first time I had seen a pallet wood design.

Although I suppose I should suggest using real pallet wood boards for a pallet wood wall, I have to admit that it would take me a very long time to cut all those pallet wood boards to uniform width and then plane them down to a standard thickness to cover a wall. If you used real pallet wood, it would certainly have to be a project of love to put in all that effort prepping the boards before you could even get them up on the wall. If you just wanted the look of a pallet wall, something like that paneling would be a whole lot faster.

gtaus said:

I was in Menards this afternoon and a guy in front of me had a sheet of paneling that had the pallet wood design...

View attachment 4001892

It actually looked very nice and I was thinking how fast it would be to cover a wall with a few sheets of that pallet wood design paneling. I have not looked at paneling for many, many years, so it was the first time I had seen a pallet wood design.

Although I suppose I should suggest using real pallet wood boards for a pallet wood wall, I have to admit that it would take me a very long time to cut all those pallet wood boards to uniform width and then plane them down to a standard thickness to cover a wall. If you used real pallet wood, it would certainly have to be a project of love to put in all that effort prepping the boards before you could even get them up on the wall. If you just wanted the look of a pallet wall, something like that paneling would be a whole lot faster.

Click to expand...

I am actually planning on paneling two walls, above my workbench in my garage, using pallet wood panels. I just need to disassemble a few more panels to acquire the needed materials.