"Door" in the floor?

[dbvanw]

I am finishing up my coop and am wondering about a floor "door" vs a traditional wall door for my chicks to access their run. The coop is about 24" off the ground with an attached run that includes the area under the coop.

The reason I ask is because the wind really blows here. I didn't think about this much when I built the coop, but the only wall that would access the run is the West wall. With the door open the wind would blow through the opening and create a pine shaving tornado! Seems like the floor "door" would be better for heat loss in the winter too, as heat rises.

I have seen this door design in some 2-story tractors, but why do I not see this often in a more traditional coop/run?

Thanks!

 

[saddina]

I have a 2story "townhouse" with a floor door, 1/2 of the birds figured it out, the other half... well they're not quite there. In 4 months they still can't grasp the concept. So my guess is people who try to floor door will unstack thier coop to a side door if the hens are less than bright. I kept mine stacked, and put a nestbox on the ground for the less bright girls.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Yes, but pretty much the same will happen with a hole in the floor.

And the hole in the floor will have the additional features of a) substantially reducing usable floor space, and b) losing large amounts of shavings every single day of the year.

Truly I think that there are hardly any circumstances where a hole-in-the-floor door is the best option. Just build a traditional pophole in the wall, on the *usually downwind* side of the coop, and add any windblock as necessary -- privacy lattice fencing works well but so do a million other materials. It will work fine.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat