Coop door help!

[rosemarythyme]

You can always divide your run into 2 sections. A more secure part that is roofed and hardware cloth that they can access 24/7, and a bigger area like you described for daytime..

This is a great suggestion! I have my run split though I rarely close the door between the halves. But back when I was having hawk issues I was able to net off one side while we worked on securing the other (two different fence heights, so just throwing netting on the whole thing wasn't going to work).

Split runs also makes it easy to do maintenance on the run, since you can lock the flock on one side while working on the other.

 

[jreardon1918]

Great, thanks! How do you have your camera set up? I am considering getting one, but have had trouble getting any to connect to our wifi, and the signal might not be strong enough out by the coop. What do you use?

We have some blink cameras. They are ok quality. The night pictures are not the best. The one I use for the coop is probably 100' from our indoor router.

 

[masonrenosolomon]

Thanks again for your reply. N your right, I’ll get it before I put a door in. N if a chicken would get trapped outside, she’ll be in a secure run.

 

[olivigus]

Weighing in. I really love our automatic coop door. It was a great investment for us, even though it cost almost as much as the entire coop, which we build out of recycled lumber! We got it when we realized our first year that come fall it was going to be dark before we would be home from work, and we didn't want to leave our girls vulnerable. I am almost always up when they get up and go out nightly to put the food in and check that all is well come dark--but it's a relief to know they will get closed in if we happen to be out in the evening and will be able to get outside should we happen to sleep in. Ours runs off a small solar panel and has a "second chance" feature, which means that 1 minute after closing it opens all the way again and stays open for about 10 seconds so any stragglers have a chance to go in. I got it from chickendoors.com. It was around $200, but it looks like they may have gone up a bit since then. I've replaced the battery once in 4 years. You do have to keep an eye on changing daylight and reprogram every few weeks when days are getting shorter or longer, but it's quite easy to do.

 

[Helloworld]

My chickens get out according to the weather. Let’s say its 830 and its 40. Sleep in time. Lets say its 730 and 80. Well I get up and let the hens out at 730. I thought of an automatic door because the routine gets old and restrictive after a while. My fear would be that it would not open at some point. So I would put my money towards a better coup. And maybe an Anatolian dog.

 

[Callistalyn]

Do you just have a cut out then for them to go in and out? Or do you shut and latch a door manually? I'm trying to figure out if I would need to do that or just leave an opening. Thank you!

My coop to the safe run just has an open hole. I used to go out every night and close it, because in the winter I didn't want them to be cold. I gave up on that a couple years ago and took the door off. Even though it gets down to -50 windchill (I'm in Minnesota) they are just fine. As long as predators can't get into the run, an open hole to the coop is just fine. I like knowing they can get out of the coop on their own.

 

[kwaple001]

Hi there,

I am a new member and there is just so much to look through that all looks great! My husband and I live in South New Jersey and have 10 week-old chicks. We are converting our shed into a coop and have most of it figured out, but are stuck on the door. There are a lot of predators in the area as we are pretty rural- fox, eagle, hawk, roaming dogs, etc. Because of this we plan to make our run predator proof and not free range, with a covered ramp up to the door for the chickens to enter and exit the coop.

I do not like getting up before 8 am, so we are interested in an automatic door. I have been researching doors for week and there seem to be several kinds, but they are all so pricey! I have seen reviews that the ones with wires/cables seem to break or snap. The ones that are all one unit as the door seem pretty expensive. In your experience what is the best option? We do have power to the coop so the power supply isn't a big deal. What would be best in my my situation? We plan to eventually have up to 30 chickens. Thanks in advance!

My run

 

[kwaple001]

My first coop had a door that had to be opened and closed every day. It was a cheap Chinese coop with insufficient room. I decided to upgrade and now have a Carolina Coop. I only mention the name to assure you it’s a quality coop with the needs of the hens being a primary concern. The run is completely predator proof and the ramp leading up to the coop is a doorless entrance that allows them to come and go as they please. I’m in SW Ohio. We just had a fairly harsh winter but other than closing all the windows on the coop and hanging a Sweet Heater the absence of a door wasn’t even an issue. I wouldn’t bother investing in any door.

 

[Coop Z-ville]

Hi there,

I am a new member and there is just so much to look through that all looks great! My husband and I live in South New Jersey and have 10 week-old chicks. We are converting our shed into a coop and have most of it figured out, but are stuck on the door. There are a lot of predators in the area as we are pretty rural- fox, eagle, hawk, roaming dogs, etc. Because of this we plan to make our run predator proof and not free range, with a covered ramp up to the door for the chickens to enter and exit the coop.

I do not like getting up before 8 am, so we are interested in an automatic door. I have been researching doors for week and there seem to be several kinds, but they are all so pricey! I have seen reviews that the ones with wires/cables seem to break or snap. The ones that are all one unit as the door seem pretty expensive. In your experience what is the best option? We do have power to the coop so the power supply isn't a big deal. What would be best in my my situation? We plan to eventually have up to 30 chickens. Thanks in advance!

OK, so I guess I am a little over-the-top with my my small flock of 5 "girls" that I have had for almost a year now. I have a wonderful Amish built coop with attached covered run-very strongly built and we made the whole thing pretty predator proof, as we dug down several feet to install a "sandbox" for the coop to sit on (coop is raised off ground). We also have an electric fence all around it. We are adding a lovely extension run at the moment, for more room for chickens to run around in and interesting things for them to play with. This also has electric fencing all around-the predators do not go near the coop and run. They seem to sense the danger of the wire, and once any curious passerby is "hit" they seem to warn others-ha!

Anyway, we started out with a regular pop door that I would go out to open and close every morning and evening. I'm an early riser, so it was no problem in the morning, but sometimes in the evening in summer (dumb DST), they would want to stay out longer and resisted going into the coop when I was ready to close the door, so I left the pop door open all night, since the run is secure.

As fall (and the thought of cold Indiana weather) approached, we decided to purchase an automatic door that opens at first light and closes when it is dark. We got the Pullet Shut Automatic Chicken Door, and I cannot say enough good things about it!
https://chickendoors.com/?doing_wp_cron=1553944531.7927069664001464843750
It works on a battery, has a photo sensor that performs perfectly! My girls are roosting well before it closes, but it has a feature that opens one more time for stragglers to come in then closes for the night. It also has a magnet override in case you want to manually open and close the door for any reason. Keeping the pop door open all the time is fine, especially with a secure run, but this past winter, with wind chills at -25 degrees, I wanted the coop door to close at night, for sure.

Also, my very talented husband rigged up a simple sensor on the door that lights up a small light under the coop when the door is closed-I just have to look out the window to see when the light is on or off to know if the door is open or closed. That wasn't enough for me, because I wanted to know for sure that all five girls were in for the night. So we installed a baby monitor camera in the coop. We couldn't get WiFi out there, but the monitor is bluetooth and it works fine. We have the V-Tech video monitor with 5 inch screen and a wide angle lens. I just turn it on and watch (and listen to) what's happening in the coop. I can see when all 5 girls are safely tucked in for the night. It also shows the temperature in the coo[.

I guess I'm a worrier, but this set up really is wonderful-for me and my chickens! I know it is pricey, but I am lucky to be able to have the fun of chickens without some of the worry-there's still enough to go around!

 

[Cryss]

OK, so I guess I am a little over-the-top with my my small flock of 5 "girls" that I have had for almost a year now. I have a wonderful Amish built coop with attached covered run-very strongly built and we made the whole thing pretty predator proof, as we dug down several feet to install a "sandbox" for the coop to sit on (coop is raised off ground). We also have an electric fence all around it. We are adding a lovely extension run at the moment, for more room for chickens to run around in and interesting things for them to play with. This also has electric fencing all around-the predators do not go near the coop and run. They seem to sense the danger of the wire, and once any curious passerby is "hit" they seem to warn others-ha!

Anyway, we started out with a regular pop door that I would go out to open and close every morning and evening. I'm an early riser, so it was no problem in the morning, but sometimes in the evening in summer (dumb DST), they would want to stay out longer and resisted going into the coop when I was ready to close the door, so I left the pop door open all night, since the run is secure.

As fall (and the thought of cold Indiana weather) approached, we decided to purchase an automatic door that opens at first light and closes when it is dark. We got the Pullet Shut Automatic Chicken Door, and I cannot say enough good things about it!
https://chickendoors.com/?doing_wp_cron=1553944531.7927069664001464843750
It works on a battery, has a photo sensor that performs perfectly! My girls are roosting well before it closes, but it has a feature that opens one more time for stragglers to come in then closes for the night. It also has a magnet override in case you want to manually open and close the door for any reason. Keeping the pop door open all the time is fine, especially with a secure run, but this past winter, with wind chills at -25 degrees, I wanted the coop door to close at night, for sure.

Also, my very talented husband rigged up a simple sensor on the door that lights up a small light under the coop when the door is closed-I just have to look out the window to see when the light is on or off to know if the door is open or closed. That wasn't enough for me, because I wanted to know for sure that all five girls were in for the night. So we installed a baby monitor camera in the coop. We couldn't get WiFi out there, but the monitor is bluetooth and it works fine. We have the V-Tech video monitor with 5 inch screen and a wide angle lens. I just turn it on and watch (and listen to) what's happening in the coop. I can see when all 5 girls are safely tucked in for the night. It also shows the temperature in the coo[.

I guess I'm a worrier, but this set up really is wonderful-for me and my chickens! I know it is pricey, but I am lucky to be able to have the fun of chickens without some of the worry-there's still enough to go around!

Very interested in your blue tooth set up. Wifi won't reach my coop either. Can you give me some info?