Building a chicken coop from pallets - Building our off-grid homestead in Central Portugal

[@vickiwalker3486]

Maarten’s chicken coop is so nice, quite pleasing aesthetically. Now your chickens seem very happy!

[@pianobar7801]

You did a great job on your chicken coop. Bravo 👏- from Texas USA 🇺🇸

[@anthonysinclair5721]

Nice job! You could extend the rope on the chicken door all the way to your sleeping area so you won't have to get out of bed in the morning to let the chickens out! lol 😁

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

That would be nice, although I am down in the valley to water the garden anyway. Maybe it is an idea for rainy days :)

[@timothyjones314]

Great to hear from Maarten and he has built a beautiful coop. I found your channel a week ago and have unashamedly binge watched all the episodes! You've done an incredible job clearing the land and settling your homestead. I love seeing the land, how it is changing, your vegetable patch and the cooking. Great content.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Ah thanks for watching! It’s been a crazy ride this past year but we love it :)

[@shermdog6969]

Ventilation is good. Chickens can handle the cold. We've been -20 and they are perfectly fine. Very nice job. I'm sure they will love the new home.

[@tantrictami]

What a fun project! I might put a gutter on the backside and gather rainwater for the chickens. They LOVE a good fresh drink every day and I have seen some creative feeders made from plumbing supplies that would fit right in with that vibe. You will love adding some chickens to the family they are super amusing and usually good with kids once they learn to respect each other. Remember to throw some charcoal in the bottom of the coop or in your compost piles they help you create and destroy. It's the easiest way to make biochar I have found.

[@larifari4371]

Amazing! Lucky chickens. Looks really cozy. If you would double the size I would rent it as a tiny cabin for vacation!

[@parvathynayer354]

Watching all your videos from the beginning. Wonderful.

[@ronnalavadure2152]

Congrats on an awesome coop build !

[@Swahiliangift70x7]

This was a pleasant surprise. I like it.

[@bomiddel36]

Een super mooie ontwikkeling in centraal Portugal. In een jaar een stuk land, een yurt, een eigen groente tuin, olijfbomen bevrijden van bramen en andere wildgroei, Puck een prachtige leer en speelomgeving bieden, een jonge hond opvoeden, net een jonge kat erbij en nu een mooi kippenhok en dat allemaal zeer doordacht en zo duurzaam mogelijk. Wij genieten ervan om mee te kijken en te leven. Onze kleindochter leert aan het leven en voor haar valt iedere dag wel iets mee te maken.

[@Ryan-ul4tx]

Love the chicken coop! My wife and I made a collection area for under their roost at night and have old baking sheets to collect droppings for our garden.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Hi Ryan, thanks for watching! That baking sheet idea sounds great. I usually just cover it with some straw. Every 4 to 5 days I bring the wheelbarrow and just rake it in and bring it to the garden compost pile. It is not a perfect system, but it works for now :).

[@stephenmoss9842]

Nice job on recycling the pallets . I was thinking if you had some guttering placed on the back of the coop you would be able to harvest the rain water for your vegetable garden. You would be surprised how much water comes of a small roof.

[@maarton]

That is a great idea. We’ll keep an eye out for guttering. Why didn’t I think of that while complaining constantly about the rain haha.

[@arturjcrebelo3275]

@@maarton I do think they have a lot of water in their property. That's not a issue for them. With a small electric bomb they can pump all the water they want from their well. It's true that in some land in Portugal in the end of the summer the water is a issue, but not for them (see the other videos).

[@maarton]

Artur João Costa Rebelo thank you for being so involved, but I am actually the guy in the video and think it’s a great idea to add some guttering and catch as much water as possible during the rainy time of the year. We probably have enough water from the well, but if I can catch and store water at the point of use (in this case for the chickens) without having to pump/haul it there I’m all for it. Again, thank you for following the channel!

[@glendaruff125]

Yes lots of people are doing that now with a catch bucket attached for water catchment.

[@sarapulford5957]

🇬🇧 Just remembered a Canadian utube series called My Self Reliance. He built an outside kitchen with wood from his land and made a base with a metal grill òver it to fry food etc, something I think is called a rocket stove and he built a pizza oven in which he cooks what look like marvellous meals and of course everything is fired by wood which is economical. I think the pizza oven was made with clay. Edit I like the coop, its colourful.

[@kayblack6484]

Love the chicken coop, they will be happy hens there.

[@linamora9169]

The chicken coop low great Leah!

[@christophemeathrel508]

Congratulations on reaching 1,000 subscribers, a well deserved landmark. Keep calm, keep farming.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks, and happy to say we just went over 14.5k!

[@maryweeks9474]

Looks great! 🐥🐤

[@ANXIETOR]

Nicely done. Consider keeping a layer of straw, or grass, or leaves, whatever you have on hand, on the floor of the coop and nesting boxes. It makes clean out easier, and the girls like a soft spot for egg laying. If you can get one, put a golf ball in the nesting box. It will give them a hint where to lay eggs. Neat channel, just subbed.

[@linamora9169]

Good going Leah!

[@johnklima1814]

Great coop, an artwork! so much love.

[@lancedaniels]

Thanks for posting and sharing.

[@cobberdig]

That’s an awesome chicken house Maarton. Chickens are so much fun.

[@Cate7451]

Almost 5000 subscribers! Two kittens!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Just one kitten for now! But yes, growing well :)

[@alvaalvarado2587]

a beautiful chicken coop

[@Carlo-a-life-less-ordinary-]

Mooi gedaan. Ik heb er één gemaakt van surplus compostvat met een stuk betonijzer erdoor.

[@julierawlins5984]

Really a nice coup

[@davidbroughton7599]

Good Job ....I like your design.

[@vyvienvp3413]

Well done guys. Wish you the best in your endeavours. I found you only a week ago and subscribed immediately. I never do that! Tot ziens.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

That's nice to hear :) Thanks for watching!

[@CindyVine]

Congrats on reaching your goal! And the chicken coop!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks!

[@beachfiredude]

Great work Thank you for sharing

[@noorzaidi220]

The chichen grass and waste dont throw around , let it dry for few days , and you dig about 2,3 inch deep around the big tree , or do a mixture with the present soil , it became a natural furterlizer to the soli and your plant , good luck .

[@MariaCandelaful]

Beautiful,!

[@piawal]

Maarten, such a beautiful and clever chicken coop with a great choice of colors! Maybe you have to build a small nest for Puck too, could imagine, she also would like to move in there ;) And hey! 1000 subs, big congratulations!!

[@MrCrazyFox1]

Good job

[@IrelandGoldsluice999]

Wow well done on 1000 , and nice to see and hear Martin, he done a great build for the chucks so excited for you all.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks! I'll try to get him in the videos more often ;)

[@lightdark00]

Wow, I'm on video 50 of year one playlist, and this is where they first hit 1000 subs? Great endurance got this channel going!

[@careynorman6414]

Very good 👍

[@anabatalha2991]

Really smart chicken coop!

[@vivthespiv1]

how fascinating ...Mr & Mrs both have the same rhythm in their speech

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Never noticed that, but I guess that's what happens after almost a decade together ;)

[@naritapuina1932]

Good morning fr NZ AUCKLAND love u girl n ur family all the best l will follow you n ur farm n new life. 😂😁😁💜✊

[@sempi8159]

Great video as always!

[@Onubense-zu4ei]

Un gallinero perfecto y barato.

[@Sean-hf5mn]

Prima.

[@thesquatterman5939]

Congrats with the 1000subs Wow Maarten looks very nice and great to see you in the video

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks! I'm a fan of the new hair :)

[@martinswaine2140]

Hi loved the branches to make fencing I did that in my allotment using old branches not sure if you have a problem with foxes in Portugal but make sure your chickens are locked up at night and then you have another problem when you keep chickens vermin I used live traps you don't want to catch chickens and the other obviously you have a got a little one not a very nice job but it needs doing all the best Martin 👍 and the chicken💩 very good for your soil🐣🐔🐓 🐀🐀keep on top of the pest's🐀🐀🐈🐱

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Don’t worry we lock them up at night and we have a dog who barks and chases foxes off our land as soon as he can see, hear or smell them. There are some other predators, but in the coop they are safe and during the day they spend most of their time in and under a hawthorn which keeps them safe from most thorn shy predators (buzzards etc.)

[@martinswaine2140]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Hi ye it's not nice to see all of your heard work going to wee beastly fox ? and filling their tummy's when they are for you and family😱👍

[@bernardbouchard3212]

Nice

[@johnsonr9]

Great improvising with available resources for coop. Congrats on reaching 1000 subs. Hopefully channel will grow even faster now!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I hope so too! Thanks for watching and commenting all this time :)

[@sandrascotland3639]

wow good job, like the wee door for the chooks

[@christophemeathrel508]

And the next instalment ...... selecting the perfect breed or breeds of chicken. I had thought of adding chickens into my small holding, but I have not done so as I have several sources locally.

[@OfficalMrBlue]

New subscriber, Enjoying the videos. Lets see the chickens in the new coup. :)

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks for watching :) We seem to be doing all projects at once, but I hope we can get chickens soon!

[@gregorycouch4360]

Congrats on reaching your goal you deserve it ...we have three cats they are cute but a handful haha..keep it up 👍✌🙏...can do so much with pallets

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks! It's a great motivator to reach this goal :). And pallets are amazing, many more things we want to build with them.

[@gregorycouch4360]

@@ourportuguesehomestead cant wait to see what you two are going to do with your new projects

[@mark_mthws]

Well done, the chicken coop looks good and well thought out 👍🏻

[@arturjcrebelo3275]

Hum... they need to make a strong one. Portugal is a dangerous place for chickens. My grandmother always (every month) lose chickens/chicks to some predators, fox (are the most dangerous because they can enter in anyplace for more strong they can look, they are very smart), badger, wild boar, egyptian mongoose, hawks, snakes (chicks), European wildcat and even eagles. But their chicken house look strong enough even for foxes.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks! Think it will be strong enough to keep everything out :)

[@antiloop3000]

Hey, just found your channel and loved it. Great chicken coop, I would live there :) Good job, all the best for your family.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Well the chickens just moved in so it may be a little full ;)

[@davetrev4328]

Great to see Maarten... Not sure about eating chicken periods though.... ;-)

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks! We were vegan for quite a few years, so I understand what you're saying. However, I'm not sure you can be self-sufficient and vegan, but I plan to make a video on this sometime in the future.

[@magma9138]

Veganism is unsustainable in every way for human health and planetary ecology. We are totally interdependent on animal protein and animal fats for our survival and evolution. (Breast feeding is clear evidence of this). Yes, I am a former vegan who was not only anemic, I also developed fibroids from soy every day for my protein needs. Big mistake. I'm thankful it was never malignant, but did have surgery. Lesson learned: follow nature. I eat 2-5 eggs daily. Best source of fat and protein available, affordable for all. I am healthy and happy and cherish the sacred relationship of life between humans and animals. ✌

[@scatteredseedsofhappiness3285]

Great coop! Gave me some ideas. We bought a coop for almost 200€ in France and it's not big enough for all the chickens we realised we need (we have 4 kids and eat a lot of eggs) and we were thinking about building one from the free pallets from our nearest Ikea. We have 2 chooks already but still no eggs, they seem to be a bit young still. Wish you all the best with your life and all your projects. Will be watching your videos as soon as you post them. Hugs

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Ah yes you need many more chickens for a family of 6! Great to hear that you got something from the video :)

[@scatteredseedsofhappiness3285]

@@ourportuguesehomestead I am incubating some fertilized eggs for more chickens but I just couldn't wait and got the first two. My kids are inlove with them.. Hahaha

[@rfc5544]

Congrats on 1k 😀

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thank you!! 😁

[@bertiesbargains]

I love your life style. You have such a cute family.

[@supercharger2605]

I know it's hard work, but so is everything in life worth doing. Keep at it! You are doing a great job. Just stop and play with baby more, time goes too fast.

[@jamescarey6559]

I really like the chicken coup. Great use of pallets. Are you going to put a gutter on the back to collect rainwater ?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

We might do that in the future.

[@jenniferquerubin5165]

That's lucky some friends give you, a cat, it brings you a good luck living in your new big land. Wait en see. You be survive living there put u two guys in a good place end give u lots of money. BLESSED BE. THATS A CHINESE SAYING ITS A GOID LUCK BY IF SOMEONE GIVES YOU CAT, PLANT, DOG,

[@veronicabalfourpaul2288]

Great fence round the coop! Is it sheltered from the wind? I wonder if it might blow over in a storm. Where I live the wind takes everything if you don't fix it securely to the ground... I look forward to meeting your chickens.

[@maarton]

Hi Veronica, the fence should stand up to some wind. We dug in every post and every third post is extra thick and dug down a bit deeper with rocks hammered around them. We also built it in an oval pointing in the predominant wind direction and on top of that the whole run is at the bottom of the valley where it is sheltered from most of the wind. Fingers crossed 🤞

[@veronicabalfourpaul2288]

@@maarton it's the coop I was worried about in a strong wind. Is it secured to the ground. It looks brilliant and the nesting boxes accessible to the outside. Yay!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Because it is made from pallets it’s really quite heavy, we can’t even lift it with the two of us, so I don’t think it will fall over in the wind.

[@martinswaine2140]

Me again just wanted to tell you a little story. When me and the wife got are first chickens we were like two little children we kept checking to see if we had any eggs when we did like a pair of idiots we stood looking at it and said who's going to eat the 1st one 😱😰😨😵😲😂😅

[@zemiguens9774]

Be carefull. As I have learned the hardest way, there are, at least, 4 predators for your birds in central Portugal. Nocturnal. I suggest te chicken coop net in all holes, even the smaller ones. Of course, dogs are usefull too. Greetings

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

That’s why we got Louis :) We got some netting yesterday to finish the last few holes

[@harles5000]

I would definitely add some Chicken wire to keep the predators out, I assume there are some predators, weasels, faxes, feral cats etc.

[@thefirstsolution3675]

Once a chicken knows where its home is after a few days or weeks of getting used of the place it should not run away

[@ivansheppard1520]

Baai Lekker

[@faithrada]

It's not a real homestead until you have chickens! Have you thought about a pygmy goat for milking? They are so much more practical than a cow... plus they keep the land cleared.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Will address the goat issue in an upcoming video ;)

[@mohammedashikmp5143]

Move on.... You are living a dream life

[@mhill3884]

I have heard chickens like thicker sticks to sit on...

[@pedrovaz3182]

Olá

[@beijoztwo]

Bem-vindos, eu vivo com a família, mulher e 2 e filhos em Lisboa e gostaria de regressar à aldeia no distrito de Viseu onde tenho uma pequena quinta. Bom trabalho pessoal.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I hope you can make it happen some day! We stayed in the Viseu district for a few months, lovely area :)

[@daisymonsalve1485]

This is just superb, been searching for "chicken hen house" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Machaaldity Coop Blaster - (do a google search ) ? Ive heard some great things about it and my brother in law got cool results with it.

[@johnbillinghurst4351]

Holden caulfield.... you do know they’re living in Portugal.. coyotes !..racoons !..european foxes maybe ...lol..

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Foxes for sure, before we had the dog there was even one fox that would come quite close to our camper but no more luckily.

[@Dottie1039]

@@ourportuguesehomesteadHey, I live in the Azores and we have lost chickens do to hawks and wild ferrets/weasels and even stray dogs which have had to revert to hunting chickens in order to eat. Even in Paradise there are dangers.

[@brianjohnson1273]

Careful with the cats around the litle one. A lady in the EU had 3 cats and she took them to the vet and found that two of the cats had a this crazy virus and the other one did not have the corona virus.