Cat door, auto door combo

[Ominojacu]

Hi, I put an automatic door and a cat door together. The automatic door opens in the morning and closes at night. The cat door is free swinging and was added to keep out the drafts. It is made with clear plastic. Has anyone trained their chickens to use a cat door? Do you think this will work?

 

[Isadora]

I haven't used a solid piece of plastic like a cat door, but I had success with tacking up individual strips of plastic to make a curtain for my ducks and they went through it just fine.

 

[Mouthpear]

Trying to create a draft free environment for the winter. I have seen people advocating for open Coops but the ones I have see are much larger than mine. I feel like my tiny four nest coop would be better off it didn’t have an open door in the winter.

I don't think this is necessary. Thousands of coops don't have this, in fact most don't and the chickens do fine. Drafts directly on them while roosting at night are what you don't want.

The very first coop I built when I was 12, had an open bottom (hardware cloth) and they had zero problems.

 

[perkolator]

I've seen setups using cat doors, but not the type with a solid door like that; they were the loose vertical strips that can separate as the chicken goes through them. I dunno if a chicken would go through that style unless you trained them to do it

 

[Ominojacu]

It sounds like I might have to switch to plastic strips. The door doesn’t take much force to open but I am not a chicken. I will try to convince them to use it for a couple of days and see how it goes

 

[RojoMarz]

I made "insulated" flaps for my pop door (upcycled from a tablecloth). Glad to hear your chickens are using the cat door.

 

[Ominojacu]

It sounds like I might have to switch to plastic strips. The door doesn’t take much force to open but I am not a chicken. I will try to convince them to use it for a couple of days and see how it goes

Well they didn’t take to the cat door. Seems pushing against something is unnatural to a chicken! But I haven’t given up! My plan is to temporarily remove the door and add a couple of plastic strips, as they get used to that I will add more strips until they are pushing through the equivalent of the plastic door, then I will replace the strips with the plastic door!

 

[McChooky]

My door stays open even below zero.Their roost is above the door so they don't get a direct draft(blows their feathers)

 

[Ominojacu]

Good plan! Keep us updated

Well I did as I said and kept adding plastic strips. Today I finally replaced the strips with the plastic door, I removed the magnet from the door to make it lighter. It falls into place without it anyway. After 30 minutes of earnest effort I thought I was going to have to go back there and push them through, I watched them from my chicken cam, but to my surprise the first one made it through and the others followed within 10 minutes, success! It maybe complete over kill, but they used a cat door! Hopefully they get better with as time goes on. If nothing else it gives them something to do!

 

[Mouthpear]

I made "insulated" flaps for my pop door (upcycled from a tablecloth). Glad to hear your chickens are using the cat door.

View attachment 3304533

All I see is striped pajam pants someone left sitting around.