Flight Door Poll!

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Poll: Question for fun!
I’ve been adding a run and renovating the Guinea coop. I’ve always wanted a flight door, where they have to fly up to use it. I’ve also always wanted to have two doors, so they have less chance of being trapped in the coop by a daytime predator. My thought was that the flight door would be the only one open in the day when hens are brooding coop nests. But, as we know, Guinea fowl are not so smart with doors and fences! So… will they figure this thing out?

The flight door has been installed on the run for one month. 5/28 (18%) of my guineas used the flight door to leave the run yesterday. I’m trying to train them to use the flight door by putting scratch along the perches and by leaving their usual, ground level coop door closed until 1 PM.

 

[sourland]

Monkey see/monkey do. Or is that Guinea fowl see/Guinea fowl do ?

Edited to add that is a great pen/setup that you have for your birds.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Poll: Question for fun!
I’ve been adding a run and renovating the Guinea coop. I’ve always wanted a flight door, where they have to fly up to use it. I’ve also always wanted to have two doors, so they have less chance of being trapped in the coop by a daytime predator. My thought was that the flight door would be the only one open in the day when hens are brooding coop nests. But, as we know, Guinea fowl are not so smart with doors and fences! So… will they figure this thing out?

The flight door has been installed on the run for one month. 5/28 (18%) of my guineas used the flight door to leave the run yesterday. I’m trying to train them to use the flight door by putting scratch along the perches and by leaving their usual, ground level coop door closed until 1 PM.
View attachment 3039543View attachment 3039544

I know ZERO about guineas. But I am going to make a wild guess in your poll. That is so cool!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Monkey see/monkey do. Or is that Guinea fowl see/Guinea fowl do ?

Edited to add that is a great pen/setup that you have for your birds.

Thanks! Still a work in progress but I want to make a coop page when it’s a little farther along!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks! Still a work in progress but I want to make a coop page when it’s a little farther along!

Oh, absolutely do that! From just the little I can see in that pic, it looks fantastic!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Oh, absolutely do that! From just the little I can see in that pic, it looks fantastic!

Thanks! It’s honestly been a lot of work and more $$ than I had hoped! I really need the run though, so they explore less and stay (mostly) on our property. Once I get the nest/brooder area done I may lock them in all day for a few days to encourage them to make their nests there.

 

[Aunt Angus]

It’s honestly been a lot of work and more $$ than I had hoped!

This is me literally EVERY project I start.

Notice I said START and not SEE THROUGH TO COMPLETION. The wording is very specific.

 

[southwind00]

I’ve been adding a run and renovating the Guinea coop. I’ve always wanted a flight door, where they have to fly up to use it. I’ve also always wanted to have two doors, so they have less chance of being trapped in the coop by a daytime predator. My thought was that the flight door would be the only one open in the day when hens are brooding coop nests. But, as we know,

I have a upper coop door that I thought was a good idea for probably some of the same reasons you do,

but It turns out that although they have used it and some of them more than others, it became another opening that critters could get into and another to always remember to have to be closed. During the summer , they all like to perch on the fly way in the evening so then it seems to work ok, but other times when they are all dusting til late evening I find I can herd them in the lower door all at once. Yours looks awesome, it might work out great, but guineas being guineas , I wouldn't bet to much money on them loving it.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I have a upper coop door that I thought was a good idea for probably some of the same reasons you do,View attachment 3039863 but It turns out that although they have used it and some of them more than others, it became another opening that critters could get into and another to always remember to have to be closed. During the summer , they all like to perch on the fly way in the evening so then it seems to work ok, but other times when they are all dusting til late evening I find I can herd them in the lower door all at once. Yours looks awesome, it might work out great, but guineas being guineas , I wouldn't bet to much money on them loving it.

Oh yeah, I’m definitely not betting that they will love it - it’s an experiment for sure! And my biggest challenge is convincing them to use it for entry! I’ve only seen one enter so far… o love your Wood’s-esque style coop! Do you have another pic of your upper door? I’m having a hard time seeing how it works… I actually have three pop doors for tue guineas, two exterior and one between coop and run, with all in timers, so I don’t have to close it at least… If my flight door is unable to do what I want, I will eventually move it to the ground. I wanted to give it a try though.

 

[southwind00]

Do you have another pic of your upper door? I’m having a hard time seeing how it works

It just has an electric actuator and I do have a timer for it and also a remote switch I can use but I have had a couple of them plop down right in the entrance at dusk and had to over ride the timer. What can I say, they are guineas