coop door!?!?!

[Chickenrunlady]

I am wondering if my coop is connected to a predator proof run, is it necessary to have a coop door? I was looking at some videos of coop on you tube and this one video made a comment about not needing a coop door since the unit is predator proof. What are your thoughts? Awesome coops by this company.

I am getting ready to purchase some part to make an automatic door and want to make sure I am doing the right thing. And not waste money.


Also here are my plans for the automatic door, I copied the idea from others who had the brilliant idea of coming up with this. Wish I knew who first thought of this. I would love to thank them for their brilliant idea and set up

 

[PD-Riverman]

I am wondering if my coop is connected to a predator proof run, is it necessary to have a coop door? I was looking at some videos of coop on you tube and this one video made a comment about not needing a coop door since the unit is predator proof. What are your thoughts? Awesome coops by this company.

I am getting ready to purchase some part to make an automatic door and want to make sure I am doing the right thing. And not waste money.


Also here are my plans for the automatic door, I copied the idea from others who had the brilliant idea of coming up with this. Wish I knew who first thought of this. I would love to thank them for their brilliant idea and set up

Where does the open and closing times be set at------with these relays?

 

[Chickenrunlady]

the relays have built in timers

 

[PD-Riverman]

the relays have built in timers

That's what I figured----even though I have no experience with them. My opening and closing is controlled by a 24hr dc battery clock movement. Works good.

 

[Chickenrunlady]

Do you have pic of it? I would love to see your set up

 

[PD-Riverman]

That's what I figured----even though I have no experience with them. My opening and closing is controlled by a 24hr dc battery clock movement. Works good.

I have never offered pictures of my set-up because its all home-made----even the electronic circuits. The motor is off a childs battery operated yard car. It closes and opens 2 ramp doors about 3ft long at the same time(2 section coop). Once they close nothing bigger than 1/2" square can get into the coop. The Timer also turns on a light outside that shines through the 2 windows---1 on each side---just before the doors open. I can set it any time to open---3 am if I want then the chickens days are extended.

This is the only pic I can find at this time that shows one side---ramp door and nesting boxes are on the other side too.


Since I built this coop and 3 chicken yards----I have added over 60 more pens and coops, but none are with automatic doors. I bought a Great Pyrenees that patrol all the area and so far after 2 years I have had no chicken loss to predators. I keep having to remove a dead predator like a raccoon or a possum, a stray cat, a snake, etc. saves a lot of automatic doors---LOL.

This is a pic of 32 of my 67 pens now.

 

[Chickenrunlady]

WOW!!!!! that's a lot of coops! Lot's of experience and knowledge you have. So what are your thoughts one having an electric door if your run is predator proof? I do not have a dog here at the farm. I know the door certainly won't hurt. But wondering if it's a must.

 

[Chickenrunlady]

huge set up, what do you do with all of them?

 

[PD-Riverman]

huge set up, what do you do with all of them?

I use a solar powered set-up because my chicken farm is 1/2 mile from the closest electricity---I use solar panels. I loved my automatic doors, but after adding on--increasing the flock size a HUGE amount----I needed a better way-----so far the dog is working out great. All my coops/pens are in a 6ft high fenced in area about 1 1/2 acres in size so she(dog) is contained in that area but gets to patrol around the pens to watch over them. She hates a big bird---Hawk, buzzard, etc and will try to jump in the air and catch a low flying one and will chase and bark at it until it gets past the fence area. I free range some of the chickens every day now and so far have not lost one to a predator flying or on the ground since I have had her on patrol for 2+ years.

I sell "them"----2015 was my biggest year. I sold probably 5000 chicks. Also about 1000 grow out birds---from a few weeks old to just starting to lay. The bird-flu scare closed down a lot of Auctions with-in driving range from me----most did re-open but the one closest to me(1hr 15min away) never reopened----3 months ago one close to where that one was opened---It is having problems, bad problems with management/trying to get it going so I am not doing alot of breeding/hatching(maybe a 1000 or so in the last few months) even though this morning I have a small hatch of 70+ eggs in the incubator with alot of hatching going on when I looked through the view window last night---Looked Kinda like this Older pic inside my home-made hatcher---LOL.



Another pic of some pens.



A pic of her when she was a puppy!