Pallets for chicken coops and animal pens
Animals chew and peck, so be stricter than for a garden. Use only clean, HT-marked, unpainted pallets with no spills or odours, never MB-marked or painted ones. Remove protruding nails and splinters. Where animals produce food, check your processor's or certifier's bedding and housing rules first.
Which pallets
- Yes: HT-marked, dry, unpainted, no stains or smells.
- No: MB-marked (methyl bromide fumigation); see MB pallets.
- No: painted, stained or coloured pallets, including pooled pallets, which aren't yours to keep anyway.
- No: pallets that carried chemicals, fertiliser, pesticides or fuel.
Building tips
- Dismantle with a reciprocating saw through the nails rather than prying, to keep boards whole.
- Sand surfaces animals touch, and set or remove every nail point.
- Keep the wood dry; mouldy wood is on EPA's do-not-burn list for a reason and is bad bedding too (EPA Burn Wise).
Bedding from pallets
Commercial bedding made from ground pallets is one of the main uses EPA names for recycled pallet wood. See animal bedding for what to ask a supplier.
Sources
- Burn Wise: Best Wood-Burning Practices U.S. EPA. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- ISPM 15: Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade (2018 edition) IPPC / FAO. Accessed October 27, 2026. Annex 1: heat treatment (HT) to a minimum of 56 °C for 30 continuous minutes through the whole profile of the wood.