Coop Doors (For Humans)

[TheRealDelia]

Hey All,

I'm looking for some insight on what kind of material of doors I should use for my coop's human doors.

I am planning to buy doors like the kind you'd buy for your home's exterior doors, not build my own. (Unless someone has an alternative that will look good and protect the girls.)

I feel like a metal door might get too cold in the cooler months, right?

Should it open into the coop or outwards?

Let me know your opinions, and what you have on your coops!

 

[berryncherry]

Hey All,

I'm looking for some insight on what kind of material of doors I should use for my coop's human doors.

I am planning to buy doors like the kind you'd buy for your home's exterior doors, not build my own. (Unless someone has an alternative that will look good and protect the girls.)

I feel like a metal door might get too cold in the cooler months, right?

Should it open into the coop or outwards?

Let me know your opinions, and what you have on your coops!

So I only have a wood door. It works fine, but it looks quite funny. The door also depends on your coop. If you have more of a wooden-and-brown coop, for example, it might just look better with wood. I would prefer the door opening outwards. If the door opens into the coop, you may just hit one of your chickens. Of course, some people also have the habit of swinging doors inside, so it's also depends on what you feel more comfortable using!

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm repurposing old doors from various remodeling jobs. DH complained that I made him save the old screen doors and the hideous, cheap door from SIL's remodel of the single-wide that came with this property (replaced it with a window and put in a glass slider for the second egress instead), but now we're going to put them to use.

You can usually get old doors, especially old screen doors, cheap at your local Habitat ReStore. Just cover the screen with hardware cloth.

In your climate I wouldn't open it out unless you are making a covered porch for it because you'd have to shovel to get it open. In takes up space in the coop, but this is one of those "because climate matters" questions that are why we ask where people are.

If you open it in then you'll need to make the sill high enough so that the door swings clear of the maximum depth that the bedding will ever reach.

 

[wordgirl]

I live in Minnesota, and mine opens out but I do have to deal with the snow/ice that builds up in the winter (I have metal roofing and the snow sometimes just comes off in sheets and piles right in front of my door). It's not the biggest deal in the world but I do have to occasionally grab the ice-breaker and/or shovel. It's not an every-day problem, but just when it snows.

Having it open outward does make your indoor arrangements more flexible (you can put something right in front of the door or build the doorframe low enough so that you don't have to worry about bedding falling out), but if it would be a pain to you to deal with the snow and ice in the winter, opening in might be the way to go.

My (repurposed) door is wood with a glass window, which works out fine most of the time, though it and/or the doorframe can expand/shrink given the weather, so sometimes it's easier to open and close than at other times. Then again, our own house front door is metal and its opening/closing also varies depending on the temperature and weather, so it might not just be a door material thing.

I feel like I haven't helped you get any closer to a decision.... "Option A works...or Option B works. And this can be annoying about Option A...and this can be annoying about Option B."

 

[Aunt Tat]

Hey All,

I'm looking for some insight on what kind of material of doors I should use for my coop's human doors.

I am planning to buy doors like the kind you'd buy for your home's exterior doors, not build my own. (Unless someone has an alternative that will look good and protect the girls.)

I feel like a metal door might get too cold in the cooler months, right?

Should it open into the coop or outwards?

Let me know your opinions, and what you have on your coops!

Hopefully predators are as brilliant as Wile E. Coyote...or THIS chap

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

I have a wooden door that my dad built for me. It opens into the coop. The coop consists of two pens inside an "above ground basement" to my dad's shop.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I made my human door out of the same material as the walls by cutting a big hole in the wall and framing it.

GC

 

[21hens-incharge]

I made my human door out of the same material as the walls by cutting a big hole in the wall and framing it.View attachment 2611514
View attachment 2611517
GC

Same here.

Cut the siding to make the opening, use cut out piece for the door. Pretty simple and cost effective.

I definitely prefer opening outward. No chance of smooshing a sick bird or having to shove shavings around.
If siding isn't available there are of course other options.
This one is made of 1/2" plywood. Not painted at the time this pic was taken.

 

[bill3607]

Mine is made out the same material as the wall that it is in as well. I think opening to the outside is always better for obvious reasons. Sometimes I think it would be a good idea to open to the inside though since every time I open it to go inside all the chickens are standing right in the way wanting to see what I may have for them. Then, I have to wade through them nudging them out of the way with my feet. I guess if the door opened to the inside I could sweep them out of the way. lol Gently of course.
If you do make it to swing to the inside, raise the door up off the floor a few inches or more so that you have to step over the threshold. That way you will not have to worry about bedding being in the way. I did that even though mine swings outside so that I will not have bedding falling out either. I use a deep bedding system.

 

[junior67]

we are just working on our coop now so haven't built it so loved seeing all the ideas.

But I am doing mine inside the run next to the chicken door (so on the same well). There will be an attached roof covered run so I won't have to worry about the snow etc. and can use the rest of the walls for windows, vents, nest boxes and roosts/poop boards and not have to worry about door space there. So mine can open out with no worries with anything.