Helpful hints for building coops

[GardenTillers44]

What brand door is this @GardenTillers44?

Fleming Outdoors Basic Automatic Chicken Coop Door - Model EQP-03435

http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/hen-house-automatic-chicken-coop-door.html

Worked as advertised this morning. Hoping it's more reliable than the neighbors kids.

 

[GardenTillers44]

I think the only issue is to set it so that everyone is inside before it shuts at night and once the girls get used to it, they are pretty much trouble-free.

We got the girls used to only coming and going through the little trap door for a couple weeks before installation. They adjusted just fine. The unit is so quiet it barely rates a murmer from the flock when closing at night. We set the timer for darkness to make sure all were in before the door dropped. We don't feed or water inside the coop, but perhaps leaving some crumbles and water inside for the overnites we are gone will hedge against door and neighbor failure.

 

[tigger19687]

Got the ground level Sat and put up Shed/coop on Sun.
I need an auto door soon too. Need to figure out how big/small to make the opening for the hens.

 

[aart]

Fleming Outdoors Basic Automatic Chicken Coop Door - Model EQP-03435

http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/hen-house-automatic-chicken-coop-door.html

Worked as advertised this morning. Hoping it's more reliable than the neighbors kids.

Here's a BYC search on that manufacturer:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/se...g+Outdoors+Automatic+Chicken+Coop+Door&o=date

 

[jvls1942]

good morning,
all this automation.
we are thinking about getting a dog containment device to keep our two dogs on our property.
they recently have discovered that they can go onto the road if they choose.
we have a metal building close to the house.
it is the garage/shop . two stories tall.
would that block an electric signal ?
I read up about one that uses a buried wire.
I like that idea, but how do you bury the wire across a hard driveway ? If I ran the wire under the driveway through the culvert, do you think that would be a good idea ?

.......jiminwisc.......

 

[User395221]

Riiiight(heavily facetious sarcasm) like the tiny chicken coops that they don't sell anymore.

hahahaha, but there's a bit of a difference. They sell tiny coops, people get chickens and then they feel bad and go and buy a bigger coop. You buy a do-dad that doesn't work, you bundle it up and take it back for a refund. It isn't gonna get them anything except headaches to sell a crappy brand/model that is problematic, over one that isn't. It's no guarantee you won't get a dud, but if a shop has been selling a brand for a while, it shouldn't be completely hopeless.

 

[Crooked Chicken]

good morning,
all this automation.
we are thinking about getting a dog containment device to keep our two dogs on our property.
they recently have discovered that they can go onto the road if they choose.
we have a metal building close to the house.
it is the garage/shop . two stories tall.
would that block an electric signal ?
I read up about one that uses a buried wire.
I like that idea, but how do you bury the wire across a hard driveway ? If I ran the wire under the driveway through the culvert, do you think that would be a good idea ?

.......jiminwisc.......

You can purchase a gadget (can't remember what it's called) that attaches to the garden hose and it will blast a tunnel under the driveway. You then need an approved conduit to run the wire through to prevent shock and it needs to be grounded.

All this talk about auto doors. Wondering if I might be in the minority. I leave my chicken door open 24/7. It goes into the run, so the chickens are free to come and go at will. This may change in winter time.

 

[User395221]

All this talk about auto doors. Wondering if I might be in the minority. I leave my chicken door open 24/7. It goes into the run, so the chickens are free to come and go at will. This may change in winter time.

It depends on where you live and what predators you have to consider. I also never shut the door, but I'm in a suburban area with very few potential critters to worry about.

 

[jvls1942]

thanks for that idea. I worked at a telephone company for a few years. they had a large version of that water borer for going under roads.

I talked to my bil this morning. he just retired from that phone company. but he has a little pull left. he is going to see if he can borrow a small ditch witch that they use for burying drops. there is no actual electric current running through the wire. it is more like a radio signal.
I want to surround about 3 acres that won't ever get plowed by me. that should be plenty of room for the dogs. they usually stay within that area anyhow. I just don't want them on the road any more.
. the wire has to be just at grass root depth so I don't hit it with the lawn mower.
I am all for getting rid of all the dogs. Annie has other ideas. . this is one of her ideas..
she brought home a radio frequency thingy a few months ago. but it put our a circular pattern.
I could reach the 100 yards to the road with it, but it would go to the side 100 yards also. that land doesn't belong to me..
I made her take that one back.
.....jiminwisc......

 

[GardenTillers44]

All this talk about auto doors. Wondering if I might be in the minority. I leave my chicken door open 24/7. It goes into the run, so the chickens are free to come and go at will. This may change in winter time.

It depends on where you live and what predators you have to consider. I also never shut the door, but I'm in a suburban area with very few potential critters to worry about.

We were in your camp a couple years ago, and even free ranged the chickens. But due to our remote location, the coyotes, feral dogs, coons and weasels changed that. We have foiled all the preds to date but don't trust the weasels, especially mink. They have gone on killing sprees at two of our neighbors flocks and dig, climb, chew, squeeze into and seemingly magically appear in the coops and runs. I feel confident the coop is secure, so we like to see them in their coop at night. We do have a large fully enclosed run that the coop door opens into. When we are away we'll leave the run-to-fenced yard doors closed but let the flock have access to the run during the day, and let the automatic door secure the coop at night.