Doors From Coop to Yard

[carolynm]

I'm building an 8x10 coop for my ducks/chickens. It is attached to my greenhouse and sheep barn (one wall is the side of the barn and one end is a door to the greenhouse which will also be attached to the barn). It has a people door from greenhouse to chicken coop and I was planning on a people door to their yard.

Then I got wondering if I should just have a pop up door to yard. I see most people don't have a people door from coop to yard-they just have a gate to access the yard. Why is this? What are the pros/cons?

I was planning on framing this today. I'll probably work on the other side while I mull this over and await feedback!

And since a picture is worth a thousand words..here is the coop to be. Main entrance will be on the far side. Door to yard is where the ladder is.

 

[aart]

Depends on what works better for you, might want both...snow management might play a part in the decision.

Is the 'yard' you speak of an enclosed run or just the great free ranging outdoors?

 

[carolynm]

The yard will be a fenced area but not a totally closed in yard with roof.

A slide-up door would definitely be easier to open in snow then a people door, something I hadn't thought about.

 

[aart]

The yard will be a fenced area but not a totally closed in yard with roof.

A slide-up door would definitely be easier to open in snow then a people door, something I hadn't thought about.

Best to have your sliding pop door mounted inside the coop....and you still might have to protect it from snow rain so it doesn't freeze shut.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Unless the people door opens inward. In either case raise and door high enough so bedding doesn’t fall out or block the door, let alone snow.

Think how you will access the different parts of your set-up. Are you feeding and/or watering only in the coop or maybe in both the coop and run? Where is the food stored and your water source. If you ever integrate in the future having different feeding/watering stations can really help.

How are you going to clean that in the future? Having gates and doors wide enough for a wheelbarrow to fit can be really handy.

A big advantage to a pop door over a people door is that a pop door lets in a lot less rain, snow, and wind. In either case, fix them so they are locked open when open. You don’t want a door to accidentally close and lock a hen away from a nest or food and water. You especially don’t want a door slamming shut when a chicken is in the way.

Another consideration when placing a door is rainwater dripping off the roof. I don’t enjoy water running down my collar when I’m standing there opening the door. Call me a wimp if you must.

Personally I like a lot of flexibility. My normal entrance to the coop is through a shed which puts me in the dry. But I use the door from the coop to the run quite a bit. But I use electric netting without a gate so is the only way into my run.