Coop door to run (Guillotine or Pop)

I now only build three sided coops here in Texas but I do have one 4 sided coop. I like auto pop doors. The one bit of advice I can provide is place the door away from the cold wind. Just that little hole can make the whole inside of the coop very cold & miserable for the birds.

A pop door I think should be on the the same side of the sleeper/brooder so there is no draft of them. If the roosting bars are on the same wall when the pop door is down it will not offer any draft. Just for information we have posters in much colder regions and areas than you or at least as much that rave about open coops with just 1/4' hardware chicken cloth on 3 sides of the coop and no wind breaks at all. Just keep them warm and draft free in the sleeper and do not worry about the days as long as they have a place to get out of the wind. Great luck and post some pictures for sure.

I put up a piece of tarp to help shield wind.

Also, I only keep the pop door open slightly; just enough for the chickens to get in/out.

This helps with the wind/rain; but I really did this to keep the dogs from going inside the coop and eating up all the feed.

This door stays open 24/7 since there is an attached secured run with a gate that I open in the mornings to allow the chickens to free range.

I think if you are a good builder you should do a guillotine door. Then if you decide you want an automatic door, it will be easier to install. I put a pop door in mine because I have a short coop and it is easier to build. I think pop doors are cute on a chicken coop but I think the guillotine door is more functional in the long run. (Just what I think from what I've read, I don't have personal experience to back it up). Whatever you do, install it at least 6 inches off the ground so that litter and stuff doesn't fall out or get stuck in side glides.

how do you build a guillotine pully type chicken door.

Hi and welcome to BYC!

I grew up in Northern Ontario, so I know what you mean about those winters!  :)

Our coop is elevated so we needed a drop down door/ramp.  What we did was cut out a 12" wide piece of the floor long enough to reach the ground.  We hinged the back end of it and put cleats on it for the chickens to climb.  We ran a line thru holes drilled on each side of the ramp about 3/4 of the way down and the over a spacer (just a piece of wood the same length as the width of the ramp). We put a pulley on one of the braces near the roof and then ran the line outside the coop through a hole we drilled.  After the girls go to bed at night we pull the ramp up and secure it.  In the morning, we put the ramp back down and leave it all day so they can come and go as they please.  Mostly they only go in to lay.

We ended up having to re-do it, though.  The floor of the coop is 3/4'' ply and it was really heavy and difficult to secure.  Plus the configuration only let us put cleats about 3/4 of the way down and the girls didn't like that last bit with nothing to hold on to.  So DH removed it and used a piece of 1/4" ply and configured it in such a way as to be able to put cleats all the way down it.  He put in 1 x 4 boards on their sides around the opening to help keep the bedding inside and now it works fantastic!  It keeps them very secure, is draft free and can be operated very easily from outside the coop.