coop door opening directions

[yyz0yyz0]

Ok, so I'm totally confused at what I read.

Was googling coops and runs and I can across "24 Tips to Help You Build the Perfect DIY Coop!" on http://www.chickencoopdiy.com/

Listed under tip #4. Easy Maintenance & Cleaning

• Install doors that only open inward, not outward.

I am still in the Winter planning/dreaming stages of my future coop, so can't speak from experience. But to me this seems counter intuitive, I would think that a door opening out would be better for cleaning as it's now outside the coop leaving the inside clear for cleaning. Is there something that I'm not seeing here since I don't have a coop yet? Could this be a typo?

Help me understand this before I finish the design of my future coop.

thanks

 

[sourland]

Doors opening outwards do make it easier for cleaning in my opinion, but they also make it easier for birds to escape as you are accessing the coop - again JMO.

 

[RonC]

I'd have to say outwards too. The bedding piling in front of an inward opening door could be a problem also. It appears in the sample plans at your link the door opens outward also.

 

[yyz0yyz0]

Ah! I didn't think of chickens escaping during the cleaning process.

Several times a year I clean out a neighbors coop to be able to add it to my compost pile. When ever I go over if his girls won't all go out of the coop he just throws out some bread into the run and they all go out to munch it. I then close the coop door to the run and clean away. I had just assumed that I would do the same thing when cleaning my future coop.

thinking of it from this perspective I can see where door opening direction might be a factor is escapes.

thanks

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mine open outward and I've never had an escape because of that. Once I did not shut the door behind me and a hen snuck out of a nest behind me but that is another issue. That might depend in what your coop and door look like too. Mine is a walk-in if that matters.

One thing I considered when planning mine was the height of the bedding. If the bedding gets high enough that could be an issue.

Another was clear space for the door to swing. It depends on how your coop is set up and where the door is relative to everything else. You cannot put roosts, feeders, whatever where the door is going to swing. It helps for the door to open fully if you are carrying things in or out.

I find it convenient to be able to lock the door open. That means I need a wall or something to attach hooks or such to.

Some people write suggestions that fit their unique circumstances as if their way is the only way that will work for any of us. With chickens that is usually not quite right. We all have unique situations and often have different answers to the same question. We just have to take what is suggested and see if that fits ourt own unique circumstances.

 

[canesisters]

I would say that a pop door should open out (if it's not the kind that slides). Harder for a predator to break into.
The people door into my coop opens in and I've never had any trouble with the bedding getting too high. Since none of the chickens have ever gone out that door, I don't think that they actually see it as a 'door'. The same with the run door - it opens in and even if I forget and leave it ajar they will go over and look out but none have ever tried to walk out it.

 

[macgeoghagen]

I generally don't have a problem with escapees from the coop. During the day they are in a run attached to the coop. I remove the back wall and the roof, and close the chicken door to the run. The I can sweep the coop out, sprinkle shell flour, and let the sun shine on it for a couple hours.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Mine open outward and I've never had an escape because of that. Once I did not shut the door behind me and a hen snuck out of a nest behind me but that is another issue. That might depend in what your coop and door look like too. Mine is a walk-in if that matters.
One thing I considered when planning mine was the height of the bedding. If the bedding gets high enough that could be an issue.
Another was clear space for the door to swing. It depends on how your coop is set up and where the door is relative to everything else. You cannot put roosts, feeders, whatever where the door is going to swing. It helps for the door to open fully if you are carrying things in or out.
I find it convenient to be able to lock the door open. That means I need a wall or something to attach hooks or such to.
Some people write suggestions that fit their unique circumstances as if their way is the only way that will work for any of us. With chickens that is usually not quite right. We all have unique situations and often have different answers to the same question. We just have to take what is suggested and see if that fits ourt own unique circumstances.

Just use any suggestions as a guideline. There is no hard and fast rule to raising chickens. I have found that each person and chicken is different and what works for one doesn't for the others. My chickens usually "rush" the door when I let them out into the run in the morning and if my door opened in, they would all be squished! That being said, my (walk in) door to the coop opens out as well as the gate that leads out of the pen into the pasture (where they go to freerange). I have no problem getting them back in as they have been trained to come when called and all (20) are regularly handled. I could see escapes and issues if you had a huge flock but if you are "pet" farming, I bet your chicks won't be trying to escape unless they think there is better treats on the other side of the door!