dog door

[sheila3935]

question... has any of you used a dog door for chickens to get from coop to run? Was thinking of this for winter. We are going to enclose the run when it gets cold so they can still get outside of the coop and not be enclosed so much Thought that if they would use a dog door then would keep the coop warmer. Cant afford auto door opener. Got a brand new dog door at a thrift store for 5 dollars never been opened. If not will use it for the dogs

 

[Keens2050]

I hope somebody responds to this as well. We have a coop that had a metal sliding door on it now (horizontal). But wow! Auto door openers at about $80? No thanks. My brother gave us a doggie door but it's not same dimensions as existing door. This was supposed to be a cheap hobby and I'm sticking to my principles of not buying an electric door. Also don't want cord strung across run (would love to see a solar option but not for $100!). I don't relish the thought of having to remember closing their door every night when it's cold out.

 

[calicokat]

I don't know if I'd go that route. If it lets the chickens in and out easily, it can let a raccoon, oppossum, rat, etc. in and out pretty easily too. Maybe if my attached run was fortified like Fort Knox, but only then.

 

[midget_farms]

I'm sure the dog door frame would work - BUT - will a chicken push against it to get out?? I'm not sure. Maybe - give it a shot & let us all know.

As mentioned before - if the chickens can get out - critters can get in. I have lost several complete flocks to raccoons because they got into the coop. They will kill them all even if they are not hungry. You really need to have a door that you can lock nightly.

 

[swordgeek]

I've thought about installing a pet door, but really don't think my birds would try to go through a seemingly-closed door.

My husband used a Sawzall to cut a small "door" out of the back of the coop, leading into the run. He slapped a hinge on it to make it a proper door, but I still wanted it to be lockable from the outside. (In retrospect, I probably should have made it lockable from the INSIDE!) Even though the fencing is buried fairly deep and surrounded by all sorts of obstacles, occasionally something tries to burrow under, and I batten the hatches for a week or so. Just in case.

At first, he put on one of those cheap hook-and-eye locks, but I insisted we at least upgrade to the kind you have to slide back to open the hook up. The kids have some trouble with it some days, and it's not easy to open, but I prefer it. He thought I was being paranoid - till I described to him how my pet raccoon (way back in high school) set herself go free one night by simply flipping up the hook on the cage she was kept in and swinging open the door.