Coop door to run

[missydcpc]

He is making the doors today, so hopefully I will have pics this evening!

 

[habadaba]

we have catawba chicken coops, so the door is a portion of the floor that drops down to make a ramp. we have a pully system to raise the ramp from the outside of the house. our hens are like pets, so we thought that we would spoil them by adding shop lights with heating bulbs that are thermostatically controlled. the lights rarely turn on, whether we leave the chicken door open or closed, so the chickens seem to be able to produce enough warmth on their own. the cawtaba plans we bought also provide the designs for egg doors, a perch, and a chicken wired under-house area for ranging, but with the option of removing the sides to allow for greater range in the yard. the two houses we built have weathered well, and the alpha chickens dont have to share while the beta chickens have somewhere secure to hang out.

 

[AlienChick]

Because I have livestock guardian dogs that love to sneak into the coop and eat up all the chicken feed, I can't leave my chicken door open all the way. Cracking it open just a little also helps keep the wind/rain out.

I have a wire holding the door open.

Also, because the dogs can squeeze under the door, I had to nail a piece of wood across the door opening in an attempt to keep 'em out.

Here are some pics:














View from the inside:









When they're not inside the run, they all free range together.

 

[joan1708]

Alienchick - thanks for posting your pictures. I see plastic inside your coop. I assume you are using the deep litter method and using the plastic to protect your coop walls. Your chickens leave it alone? They don't peck at it?

 

[AlienChick]

Yeah, I use the dry deep litter method inside my coop.

I had some plastic sheeting laying around and put that down on the floor and up the sides of the coop because it makes the yearly cleaning way easy!

The chickens don't bother the plastic at all.

Sometimes they try to nest behind the plastic against the wall and they pull the plastic away from the wall when doing so.

I keep stapling the plastic up until it has so many holes in it that I just cut it off (so there's one wall that has the plastic cut down to the floor because it's their favorite nesting wall).

I had one of my Silkies brooding a nest of eggs behind the plastic once. It was nice and cozy, and none of the other chickens bothered her there.

 

[missydcpc]

Sorry it took me so long to get these pics up....Carpenter wound up taking an extra day...and then it was the weekend...and I was out and about.




I still need to put hardware cloth on this...as the carpenter used fencing that has too big of holes...but totally worth it.

 

[joan1708]

missydcpc- Did you cut through cinderblock to get those doors in? WOW!

I posted earlier about the pulley system for the pop doors and some one recommended magnets, which I thought was going to solve my problems of releasing the door and the door not completely closing. I went and got cabinet magnets from Lowe's, but they don't "grab" the door as well as I'd like. I probably don't have the right kind of magnets.

 

[missydcpc]

missydcpc- Did you cut through cinderblock to get those doors in? WOW!

I posted earlier about the pulley system for the pop doors and some one recommended magnets, which I thought was going to solve my problems of releasing the door and the door not completely closing. I went and got cabinet magnets from Lowe's, but they don't "grab" the door as well as I'd like. I probably don't have the right kind of magnets.

No, I can't take credit for that...If I'm anything...it's lazy! LOL This coop is the ultimate in repurposing. Previous owner of the house had a dog door there. There used to be a dog run on the side of the garage. When we decided to get chickens, we totally could have bought a coop for cheaper than "building" this one is costing, but the cement floor/walls gives me peace of mind once the birds are in for the night. Next project is to get the run, and gardens fenced. Our plan is to fence in the area beside and directly behind the garage for the chickens. Then directly behind that will be the first garden, we're going to put a gate from one to the other, so that in the fall/winter, the chickens can clean up the garden for us...and then the same between the 1st and 2nd garden. They'll have approximately 1/4 acre to roam.

 

[Chesca]

does everyone put a bit of a lip on the outside of the door to keep predators out? has anyone had one open a door before?

 

[karlamaria]

My coop and run is covered, and it's tarped to keep out the rain and snow so not worried about predators but I close my pop door every night and open early in the morning. I feel better since I worry something will fit through the dog kennel holes. But in 3 weeks I'm having a brand new pen built with tilt roof so snow slides off, and all hard wired. The thrilling thing is I'm getting a new electronic door opener! We can now go camping and out of town with out worry the chickens will not be bedded down. With water in the pen, and in the coop, feed also we can now have more freedom. Im tickled pink!