Good "pop door" designs?

[wateboe]

Our flock is housed in a modified horse stall in one of our barns. It has worked well, but we are a bit sick of the chicken mess throughout the barn aisle (the stall door has so far been their only entery/exit point) so we are going to add a pop door in the back wall of the barn. If we leave next boxes where they are currently, the space for the pop door will be beneath the nest boxes. This makes a guillotine-style door impractical.

Does anyone have experience with hinged pop (or other fancy solutions) door designs that have worked well for them? Security and ease of use are my goals.

If you have an example in the coop photos just send me to the correct photos. I have been looking over these as a group, but my free time is quite limited so I can't look at all of them in my search for just pop doors!

 

[agirly4chicks]

I am new to this and interested about this. Very good question. Thanks

 

[Linda in San Diego]

Our pop door is hinged down - we need to change it so it swings from the side. Right now, each night when we close it, the hinge has "stuff" blocking it, so it has to be cleared out - not a big deal, but annoying.

Best of luck!

 

[jprinc44]

My coop door is hinged at the top, with a slide bolt at the bottom to hold it closed. I had just a hook at first, but didn't trust that against a 'coon or possum. Don't have much problem with stuff blocking at the bottom. The hook holds it open during the daytime. Wish I could figure out a timer, though. HTH, Janet

 

[wateboe]

I like the top-hinged idea. I could latch the open door to the bottom of the nest boxes during the day...

LOVE the slide-bolt idea as well. You all are wonderfully helpful! Don't stop though, keep the ideas coming.

 

[agirly4chicks]

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I agree, keep them coming!

 

[mmtillman]

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Same here..glad you asked!