Counterweight coop door??

[MontanaMomma]

I have free range chickens, and their food, water, nests are in the coop so they need to be able to come and go as they please throughout the day. However, there is a hoard of sparrows that have decided the coop is their personal buffet. I was wondering if anyone has successfully designed a counterweight door that opens when the weight of a chicken is on the ramp, and slowly closes once the weight is off. Any ideas how to do this or why this shouldn't be attempted?? THanks!!! mm

 

[ghillie]

I would be worried that the door would not work for some reason and the birds would be locked out from their food & water......

 

[TN_BIRD]

This is interesting.

I have pigeons and it seems the opposite issue is a problem the pigeon folks are trying to solve (wanting to keep heavier cats and coons out while allowing the lighter birds inside the loft). A spring loaded trap door that sorta looks like a mailbox is the design I've seen (kinda like those spring loaded bird seed feeders that shut when a heavy squirrel stands on them).

Any chance you can train the chickens to push a door flap open (sorta like a doggie door)?

I think your best bet is to modify your chicken feeder so the chicken has to step up on to a perch or platform. The perch would drop with the weight of the chicken and reveal the feed, but the sparrows would not be heavy enough to lower the perch.

Regardless of how you do it, it's probably going to require some conditioning/training of your chickens.

Treadle Feeder
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638-building-a-treadle-feeder

 

[MontanaMomma]

I thought about the flap idea... it might be worth a try. I'm just worried the sparrows would wiggle their way in through a flap...

 

[patandchickens]

I agree with the previous poster, a weight-operated feeder is probably a better bet than a weight-operated popdoor.

YOu can make your own (the previous poster's appears DIY? Nice job btw) or you can buy them (I know I've seen ads for one, I believe it calls itself 'Grandpa's Chicken Feeder' or something like htat? in Backyard Poultry magazine, or check major online poultry supply houses)

That way if something goes wrong ALL they're being deprived of is food, not water or shelter or escape from predators.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[MontanaMomma]

I love the feeders you posted! However, I would really prefer to keep the darn sparrows out of the coop all together. They poop all over everything and freak out over sounds etc., slam into the walls and kill themselves. Since they aren't thoughtful enough to remove their corpses, I have to do it. I also worry about my chickens getting some kind of disease from them. Yuck! I think I'll try a flap. Thanks!

 

[ggskip]

Ok, I know this is REALLY old thread but, yes, I have a Mechanical Only, Chicken-weight operated door closer and opener.

Their roost is hinged on the back side with the front attached to a counter-weighted lever (sand and bricks in a paint can), a fishing line attached from the lever to a gravity operated vertical drop door in tracks. When 6 of the eight chickens are on the roost, the door drops. I've learned that two chickens will usually just stay on the floor for a while but seem to roost by bedtime. In the morning, when three or more chickens hop off of the roost, the roost raises, the lever drops, the door opens. So far, it has worked for a month (it took them about a week to get the counter-weight adjusted correctly... and I had to check for stragglers the first week, but then they got used to it and they've been cooperative ever since. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Ok, I know this is REALLY old thread but, yes, I have a Mechanical Only, Chicken-weight operated door closer and opener.

Their roost is hinged on the back side with the front attached to a counter-weighted lever (sand and bricks in a paint can), a fishing line attached from the lever to a gravity operated vertical drop door in tracks. When 6 of the eight chickens are on the roost, the door drops. I've learned that two chickens will usually just stay on the floor for a while but seem to roost by bedtime. In the morning, when three or more chickens hop off of the roost, the roost raises, the lever drops, the door opens. So far, it has worked for a month (it took them about a week to get the counter-weight adjusted correctly... and I had to check for stragglers the first week, but then they got used to it and they've been cooperative ever since. I'll keep you posted.

You should start your own thread about this. I would like to see pictures! And updates!

 

[Moakster357]

Ok, I know this is REALLY old thread but, yes, I have a Mechanical Only, Chicken-weight operated door closer and opener.

Their roost is hinged on the back side with the front attached to a counter-weighted lever (sand and bricks in a paint can), a fishing line attached from the lever to a gravity operated vertical drop door in tracks. When 6 of the eight chickens are on the roost, the door drops. I've learned that two chickens will usually just stay on the floor for a while but seem to roost by bedtime. In the morning, when three or more chickens hop off of the roost, the roost raises, the lever drops, the door opens. So far, it has worked for a month (it took them about a week to get the counter-weight adjusted correctly... and I had to check for stragglers the first week, but then they got used to it and they've been cooperative ever since. I'll keep you posted.

Can you tell me more? Cmoak at hotmail dot com

 

[Sally PB]

@Moakster357, ggskip has not been on BYC since last October. You probably won't hear anything from him.

@Ruby Rogue, did you ever find out anything more?