Wondering how to build a pig pen out of pallets? The cheapest way I found to build a pig pen is using free pallets.
This is the only way we build an affordable pig pen on our homestead. We love our mini pigs, but all pigs can use this simple pig enclosure.
The day we drove home from picking up our mini pig Bently I was filled with emotions. I’ve never had a baby pig in my house before. At the back of my mind was the ease of knowing if this doesn’t work out, he goes out to the barn.
Except our barn is super old. Crooked. And just may fall down today, or 10 years from now.
You can see a picture of it here, or Follow me on FB where I share pictures of the old beauty.
We have land, but we don’t really have a place for Bently to go.
Life with a mini pig is much like having a toddler. They want to explore everything and they want to eat all the time. A little bit here and a little bit there.
If they do not want to eat, they want to be cuddled up with blankets and a belly rub.
Many times of chasing my own kids and our pig in the house I find myself shouting frequently,
“THAT’S IT, YOU ARE GOING OUTSIDE!!”
So we decided to use some pallets my husband has collected along his way home from work for free and make a sturdy frugal quick pig pen. My husband had this up and ready in 30 minutes.
*Update- It’s been a year since we built this pallet pen and have expanded it. We now have two pigs inside. Check out our VLOG to see a video or scroll down for the pictures and explanation.
Related:
- The Truth About Raising A Mini Pig Indoors
- How to Keep your Mini Pig Entertained in Winter
- Check out our VLOG where Bently Gets the Zoomies
Here is How To Build an Affordable Pig Pen Out of Pallets
- Figure out the size you would like for your pig pen and how many pallets you need. Ours is 7′ x 10 ‘
Frugal Tip: Check Craigslist for Free pallets or other online selling sites. - Stand the Pallets up on end starting in one corner and screw them together one pallet at a time until your perimeter is complete.
- Leave the last pallet loose as a door.
- Add two hinges to one end to create a door for your pig pen.
- Add a latch to keep your door closed.
Your pig pen is now complete. It is amazing at how strong the pallets are when secured together. We crossed pallets every other.
We have added on to this pen over the last several months. Another perk to having a free pig pen you can expand it when you need to.
It’s been almost two years since we built a pen out of pallets for our mini pig Bently. Now we have added another pig Olive to the mix and expand it everytime we gather up pallets. The best part about this is it only cost time.
The time to find decent pallets for FREE. My husband wasn’t sure about the look at first but honestly, it doesn’t bother me. You could always paint/stain it. I don’t mind it. I love looking out there knowing they can’t escape and it was FREE!
We all know how expensive fencing can be so this is a great cheap solution. The pigs like it, I can see them and they use it as scratching posts too.
We created an outdoor covering when we decided to have Bently live outside. It was a cheap temporary fix.
We used tarp and extra pieces of wood we had in the barn. We put his igloo under it to protect him from the wind and a little bit from the rain.
This set up worked because next to it was a little space for when we brought home Olive our adopted mini pig. I had the blanket draped over the top at night in winter.
Now that we have a barn built the shelter is quite an upgrade. The igloos are still out and the pallet fence has been extended. They are loving it outside.
We removed the outside door you saw above and now just bring the pigs out through the barn doors.
The pallets worked to fill gaps where we are going to make little swinging doors. There are so many amazing uses for pallets. We would drive around town looking for one’s businesses no longer needed. Stores closing are jackpots!
*UPDATE: We have since had this pallet fence for two years without any issue. We have expanded it and now have our ducks, chickens, goats and pigs all in it.
What are you using for your pigs outdoor pen?
Zul
Thursday 6th of May 2021
Don't forget to use only pallets that are marked HT. Pallets with MB are treated with toxic chemicals. HT is heat treated.
Erik
Sunday 24th of May 2020
Hi. So I have a baby butcher pig. Want to make a bigger pen using pallets. So can I use 2x4 for support and sturdy. Or do I do the cross every 3 pallets with t-pist. And get more. Will your method hold up from big hogs around 200+
Tasia
Sunday 24th of May 2020
Hey! So it should work with larger pigs. Our oldest pig is a big boy and loves to root and scratch against it and it is still holding up. We crossed the pallets every other. We would suggest adding more support if you think you'll need it for larger and more pigs.
lisa hurwitz
Saturday 4th of April 2020
Hi! i loved this post. I have 3 potbellied pigs that live in my home, but graze outside during the day. they have destroyed my only 2 acre property. So i decided to finally build a pen, and re plant the grass. I was told to use "screeners" or small gravel in pen over the ground to ensure no mud. Do you use a material that works for you? the idea of lugging that much gravel (i'm a single mom solo farmer) to the pen, seems agonizing. Do you have an insta account? love to see . I'm @lisahurwitzdesign if you wanna check out mine....
Tasia
Sunday 5th of April 2020
Hi Lisa! Yes same here out of the three only one isn't a fan of rooting like crazy. I haven't found anything that would work to keep them from not destroying the next new grass in the pen. We have even extended it and still it is only a matter of time and they root it all up. The only thing I have found that works, if you are wanting them to graze on grass is letting them outside of their pen and free roaming around the yard for an hour or so. Yes my insta is @thefrugalfarmgirl :)
Eliza Evans
Wednesday 22nd of January 2020
Hi, how did you get your fence to stand up? Did you use wood or T-post every so often? I've tried using pallets for fencing for my pot belly pigs (2). And it took them one day to push them over. I'm interested in how you did it. Your fence looks very nice and as you say "it looks even nicer when it's free". :)
Tasia
Thursday 23rd of January 2020
Hi Eliza, we screwed each pallet together. Then about every third pallet we put another pallet horizontal for support. I'll look through my pictures to see if I have a better one to show you. This way the pigs can't really lift them up or push them down.
Clare
Friday 26th of July 2019
I'm curious to know how you manage to keep greenery in the pen? We have 2 minis and all sign of vegetation in their pen was gone within a month or 2.
Tasia
Saturday 27th of July 2019
It's almost impossible to keep grass in the pig pen. Unless you rotate it once they start rooting and block off a section. I've found it's easier to take our pigs out to the same pasture the goats are in for a few hours a day to let them eat grass and such and not give them time to root it up and destroy it. Our pigs do grow pumpkins, zucchini, and watermelon in their pen. That's about the only greenery they have this summer.