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Coop door lock works too great!

post #1 of 28
5/19/11 at 7:54pm
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So we built a smaller coop for the younger chicks to get used to the outdoors or for a breeding coop for the older chickens.  Today I was moving the little ones (12 weeks old) into the big coop.  The coop door is not wide enough for my shoulders to fit straight through so I have to turn slightly to get partway in.  The coop is only 4 feet by 6 feet but the door is not even 2 feet.  As I was trying to get the chicks, one started moving towards the door.  Now I had to twist to try and stop it (the coop is in the shape of a C) and so I quickly grabbed the door and pulled to almost closed to stop the chick from running outside.  Well, the door closed and latched.  hu  So yup, I was locked in and no one was home but me and no one would be for over 24 hours.  Luckily, I had my cell-phone on me and called neighbors (3) until I found one home to come get me out.  So there I sat, on a perch, waiting for someone to help me out, looking out the window. We made the perches in front of the windows so the birds could see outdoors.  My husband did a great job of making sure the coop was safe from predators or chickens escaping!  The sad part was I only had 2 more chickens to move and I could see my one neighbor in front of his house but he could not hear me, I was about 700 feet away from him.  I wish I had a video camera.  This will be a story to be told for awhile.  Hope it makes you smile and have a back-up plan to get out of the coop if you have too good of a lock!

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post #2 of 28
5/20/11 at 4:52am

"My husband did a great job of making sure the coop was safe from predators or chickens escaping!  " 
So are you a Predator or a Chicken? 
Just kidding..... Glad to see you made it out ok  I hope your neighbors allow chickens and knew you had them.......How was ventilation?  I haven't started to build coop yet due to rain but i will remember the latch part and I think that will be a good way to see how stuffy it is in the coop.

1 Daughter, 1 Son, 2 grandchildren, 1 male cockatiel, 3 SLW girls and 6 Buff Orpington girls D.O.B. 4-19-2011  & 1 great wife to put up with birds.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops, Then your barns will be filled to overflowing.
Proverbs 3: 9,10
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1 Daughter, 1 Son, 2 grandchildren, 1 male cockatiel, 3 SLW girls and 6 Buff Orpington girls D.O.B. 4-19-2011  & 1 great wife to put up with birds.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops, Then your barns will be filled to overflowing.
Proverbs 3: 9,10
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post #3 of 28
5/20/11 at 4:58am

That has happened to me b4.  Luckily I am small enough that I crawled out the pop door.gig

1 Rhode Island Red Foxy Loxy, I New Hamphire Red (Peeps).  Rest in peace my Henny Penny.  You will never be forgotten.  1 outside kitty (Ivy) and 3 very grown children.

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1 Rhode Island Red Foxy Loxy, I New Hamphire Red (Peeps).  Rest in peace my Henny Penny.  You will never be forgotten.  1 outside kitty (Ivy) and 3 very grown children.

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post #4 of 28
5/20/11 at 5:12am

Glad you made it out OK.
You are not alone.

I've seen where some people tie a string on the latch and thread it into the coop so they can open the door from the inside after this has happened to them.

 

 

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post #5 of 28
5/20/11 at 5:24am

I have a string on my latch that feeds through a hole but thankfully I could PROBABLY make it out the pop door if I had to. I'd be covered in poo but if I HAD to I would. Yuckies!

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post #6 of 28
5/20/11 at 5:28am

laugig I too have been locked in the coop and run. To many times to count. My DH also put string inside the coops and runs so I can escape. I laugh now but when it happened I was not laughing. But from what I have been told on here many people have. Thank goodness you had your cell phone. I had nothing.

Have wonderful Husband of almost 25 yrs. 25 yr old daughter, 23 yr old son, 2 cats, 4 dogs, 5 goats, and 19 Hens, 3 Roosters and 9 guinea's. My Dh made me get rid of the other 8 guinea's but I will get more. LOL
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Have wonderful Husband of almost 25 yrs. 25 yr old daughter, 23 yr old son, 2 cats, 4 dogs, 5 goats, and 19 Hens, 3 Roosters and 9 guinea's. My Dh made me get rid of the other 8 guinea's but I will get more. LOL
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post #7 of 28
5/20/11 at 5:47am

People think it's funny until it happens to them!  It happened to me while I was building a coop.  Luckily I had tools in there with me and was able to pry the wire off so I could reach the latch.  Now there is a wire from the latch that goes through in case it happens again.  I've used it many times and always show my "chicken sitters" where it is! 

As for crawling out the pop door---ewww!  Too much poop and I doubt that I would fit through it anyway.  Being stuck halfway would REALLY be humiliating!

Glad you got out okay. 

frow

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post #8 of 28
5/20/11 at 9:47am

gig  I'm glad you made it out before 24 hours! 

I was thinking about which way I wanted my run door to swing last night, and what kind of latch to use.  I had a horse stall type latch picked out, our door has spring loaded hinges so I thought that would be perfect, luckily I then thought about what would happen when I went in to clean the run.   I had images of myself trying to crawl into the pop door to get out the human door in the coop, or trying to climb over the 6' run wall!


 

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post #9 of 28
5/20/11 at 12:10pm

gig

Thank you for the laugh. I also thank you for the reminder that being cooped up is not all it is cracked up to be.
I got locked in our flight cage for the doves 10 years ago lol. Had to wait until someone decided I had been gone to long and came looking for me. ( It was the middle of winter and yes I got soaked. )
I think I will be making the door for the shed open inward lol. No need to give hubby anything else to laugh about.

Life is to short to fuss and argue over the small things.
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Life is to short to fuss and argue over the small things.
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post #10 of 28
5/20/11 at 3:24pm

It happened to my wife, easy fix with a nylon string.

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