how to secure pop door

[crumptz]

My run is complete as is the coop... or that's what I thought. My pop door is on a hinge and it is REALLY a pain to open and close.. and secure with a lock. So, I need to make it into a pop door with a pulley. My problem is, I want it to lock and I don't want to crawl into the run every night and morning since it's low.
I plan to have the pop door slide on the inside of the coop rather than the outside.... but can't a raccoon just push it up if it isn't locked? I keep looking at other coops and they don't seem to have a lock on them.

So, this photo isn't the best but you get the idea. You can see the ladder and it leads to the pop door. I can't have pop door slide up from the outside due to the run which is attached. That's why I have to build the door sliding up the Inside of the coop.

 

[The Lazy L]

On the outside threshold fasten a piece of angle iron the width of the door. Then a coon can't reach under the door! I'd leave a small gap between the door and the angle iron so if the door swells or litter doesn't keep the door from shutting all they way.

OR how about making your chicken door slide side ways? Then you can fasten a metal handle to it and a pull (to open) and push (to close) from the coop side of the run?

 

[Tweakster]

First, I agree with Lazy L comments above.

Second, I note the run is fairly secure, greatly reducing the need to provide a highly secure pop door. Not sure of what predators you deal with, but you may want to evaluate the need.

Third, There may be some other limits to installing a sliding pop door on the inside:
- The window above the pop door will severely limit the use of a vertical sliding pop door.
- Framing inside the coop can also be a limiting factor.
- If you use pine shavings, straw, or other litter method on the inside of the coop, that litter has an opportunity to jam up tracks and even prevent the pop door from closing entirely, giving predators an opportunity.

Fourth, I have seen some extravagant designs of sliding pop doors with internal locking mechanisms. I cannot recommend these as they are soooo complex, I question their usefulness, and they are usually designed around a vertical sliding pop door.

All that said, I really have to agree with Lazy L, a sideways sliding pop door appears to be the easiest, most secure method for this application. The push-rod going to the front (right side of the photo) would push the door closed and have a hole or ring on it that could be secured to an eye-bolt (or similar piece of hardware), attached to the coop or run, with a carabiner or padlock. Just make sure the end of the track (left side), where the pop door stops in the closed position, does not have an end frame which would catch litter between it and the pop door. Best the pop door just push the litter off of the end of the track than to bind it on a stop or end frame. And I would mount it on the exterior as I believe the nest boxes on the coop (I think that's what I see in the photo) would be problematic with the track mounted on the interior. Having a push-rod stick out the front when the pop door is open can be a pain, and I've noted that many designs will include a pivot point in the push-rod where the part of the push-rod that extends out of the coop/run can swing down and out of the way.

BTW, Nice coop and run! That took both thought and skill to construct! Somebody obviously takes pride in their work and it shows.

HTH!

 

[chfite]

My pop door slides up and down. I have a rope and pulley arrangement to open and close it. I have a 2x4 in front of the opening preventing reaching under the edge of the door from the outside. In this manner, I expect that a raccoon would be unable to open the door from the outside.

Chris

 

[crumptz]

Thanks everyone! I'll give the push rod a try. I positioned the current door 6 inches above the floor to avoid too many issues with the shavings (pretty smart, huh?) Thanks for the compliment on my coop/run! I built it without plans and with VERY few tools. It was supposed to be my 17 year olds first building experience and he quit after cutting some of the large pieces of lumber (figures). Gotta say, I'm proud of the finished product for sure!