Do I need a second door inside the coop ?

[rosemarythyme]

I would add a pop door because even if it's unlikely, you may have times where you need to keep the birds confined in the coop (i.e. extreme weather emergencies).

 

[mowin]

HC was a good choice, but staples will not hold. A coon, stray dog ECT could easily rip that off. At a minimum, fender washers with screws every 12" is needed. Ideally sandwich the HC with another piece of 1x2 and fasten that with screws.
As far as the pop door, it can't hurt. My coop and run is predator proof, so the only time I close the pop door is in very windy, cold weather.

 

[Fowl_Language_]

Just to be safe, I would add a pop-door. It would be an extra layer of security. I like a regular wood door I have to open and close. It forces me to physically check the safety of the coop and enclosure every night, and make sure everyone is alright. Forces me up the the mornings, too - to see how they fared the night and check for any overnight breaches in the fence (I have occasionally found some). You can get an automatic door and opener if a manual door doesn't fit your schedule and lifestyle.

I imagine it this way: Without a pop-door, the chickens might well be relatively safe, but predators will still lurk around trying to find a way in. They can SEE the birds, the birds can see and hear the monster and they'll PANIC, and the monster will HEAR and SMELL the birds panicking .... he's just gotta find a way to get at 'em, you know? But with a pop-door in place, the birds are removed from sight. Neither the monster nor the birds will see each other, the birds likely will remain calm and quiet, and the monster will be discouraged from trying further and wander on down the road.

Thank you. That makes sense and I didn’t know the name of the type of door so thank you for that as well! I think I was confusing with my wording!

 

[aart]

I have added hardware cloth to the whole unit and there are garden bricks on top of that around the bottom edge.

How far out does your anti-dig apron go?
The bricks may be negating the effectiveness of the apron.

 

[3KillerBs]

In Florida the interior of that coop may become too hot to safely close them in.

I personally would remove the entire enclosed coop area, leaving only the roosts, nests, and just enough exterior wall to shelter the roosts from sideways rain, then focus on predator-proofing the exterior as a whole.

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation
Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

 

[BarnyardChaos]

In Florida the interior of that coop may become too hot to safely close them in.

I personally would remove the entire enclosed coop area, leaving only the roosts, nests, and just enough exterior wall to shelter the roosts from sideways rain, then focus on predator-proofing the exterior as a whole.

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation
Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

X 2!
Good catch - I regrettably did not notice the location and climate!

 

[SourRoses]

Hi, fellow central Floridian!

In Florida the interior of that coop may become too hot to safely close them in.

I personally would remove the entire enclosed coop area, leaving only the roosts, nests, and just enough exterior wall to shelter the roosts from sideways rain, then focus on predator-proofing the exterior as a whole.

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation
Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

X3!
It is just too hot here for these closed-up style coops.
If you at least remove that interior wall, they will have better ventilation to sleep comfortably on the roosts at night.

 

[3KillerBs]

Hi, fellow central Floridian!




X3!
It is just too hot here for these closed-up style coops.
If you at least remove that interior wall, they will have better ventilation to sleep comfortably on the roosts at night.

Just as an example,

While this coop is a holding facility, not a permanent coop, I've been able to use it most of the winter with no issues on various batches of birds.

Camp Cockerel

 

[Fowl_Language_]

Hi, fellow central Floridian!




X3!
It is just too hot here for these closed-up style coops.
If you at least remove that interior wall, they will have better ventilation to sleep comfortably on the roosts at night.

Sorry it took so long to reply! That interior wall with the pop door actually comes off, so I guess I’ll just leave it off!!

 

[Fowl_Language_]

In Florida the interior of that coop may become too hot to safely close them in.

I personally would remove the entire enclosed coop area, leaving only the roosts, nests, and just enough exterior wall to shelter the roosts from sideways rain, then focus on predator-proofing the exterior as a whole.

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation
Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

Thank you! That inside pop door wall actually comes right off, so I’ll probably just remove it altogether! I’ll have to figure out how to predator proof the whole outside ! thanks for that, I did notice it was stuffy and was going to add ventilation windows but just taking the whole door off makes sense