Crazy? Maybe! Coop door

[rosemarythyme]

interesting, my instinct would also be to have a sliding door on the outside of the coop but with what you have said here on the inside makes far more sense with an automatic door opener. Since I am debating getting one that is good to know.

I also have mine on the inside, though in my case I was more concerned about the possibility of the door freezing in the rails, and just the general wear and tear of the elements outside vs having the door (mine has wood rails) inside.

 

[Jenthehen127]

Definitely put a board across the bottom so the door drops behind it. I'm confused by the description "outside the hen house, but inside the coop". What do you call a hen house, and what do you call a coop? Do you mean "run" when you say "coop"? Can predators get to the mechanism of the door? I would strongly recommend installing the mechanism on the inside of the secure structure where they sleep, whatever you call that. A lot of people put it on the outside wall and I just don't understand why. It would be safe from the elements if inside, and it would be safe from animals messing with it, too - like pulling on the string.

Lol, I call the hen house the enclosed space where they sleep. I call the coop the whole structure the hen house is a part of. It "coop" is enclosed with hardware cloth. The run is separate. Let me see if I can find a picture. The mechanized part is on the outside of the hen house, but in the enclosed coop part. It's pretty secure, but I'm just trying to make every aspect as safe as I can. This picture is while the run was still under construction, but you can see the "coop".

 

[Jenthehen127]

interesting, my instinct would also be to have a sliding door on the outside of the coop but with what you have said here on the inside makes far more sense with an automatic door opener. Since I am debating getting one that is good to know.

Check into the settings too. Open\close bright level or timer!

 

[K0k0shka]

Lol, I call the hen house the enclosed space where they sleep. I call the coop the whole structure the hen house is a part of. It "coop" is enclosed with hardware cloth. The run is separate. Let me see if I can find a picture. The mechanized part is on the outside of the hen house, but in the enclosed coop part. It's pretty secure, but I'm just trying to make every aspect as safe as I can. This picture is while the run was still under construction, but you can see the "coop".

Oh! I see now. Okay, yes, that was pretty confusing So, in terms of the broadly accepted terms, a "coop" and a "hen house" are the same thing and it's the enclosed house-like structure with solid walls, and the outside space where they roam but are fenced in is a "run" or a "pen". So what you have there is a coop, a mini run, and a larger run As long as the mini run is predator-proof, the door mechanism should be safe on the outside of the coop, but it still wouldn't be protected from the elements, so I'd still put it on the inside of the coop where it will be sheltered.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I have the aluminum auto drop door too. Mine is also on the inside of the coop. My run is secure, so I don’t worry too much about predators. When we built the coop, we initially had just a wooden drop down door that I secured with a latch and caribiner. Now if it’s below zero at night, I can close both doors. Same if there’s a predator that I know is lurking around the chicken area.

 

[aart]

Did you find a solution @Jenthehen127 ?
Got any closer pics of door?

 

[Jenthehen127]

Did you find a solution @Jenthehen127 ?
Got any closer pics of door?

I attached a piece of wood across the bottom so that if something were to get in, they can't get a paw/claw under the door. It's really an extra precaution, but you know...can't under estimate those predators!