Lazy persons Pop door

[kizanne]

My husband I got chicks and then promptly had a bunch of family emergencies so the coop was finished late and then there was not run.


Anyway we are now looking to finish quickly so all our plans for cheap recycled stuff went out the window.

This weekend we were trying to add a pop door and he was talking about grooving wood and blah, blah. As we were at Lowe's we noticed a bathroom window is about the perfect size for a pop door. We cut a hole in the coop. Screwed it to the outside, removed the screen. Whala! Pop door that can be closed, locked and somewhat weather tight.

The latches that lock it just get pushed in against a spring, so later if I don't want to lock it every night he's just going to drill a small hole in the each latch and tie them together with picture hanger wire so the locks stay open til we want them closed.

The window cost was $54. Wood definately cheaper but it looks nice and was super easy.

 

[colebarnhart]

$54?!?!?! Lazy and RICH!!!

You could've gotten an automatice door for that price and taken it a step further with the laziness.

 

[kizanne]

I wish an automatic door including door was $54. even the homemade one with car antennas would cost that for parts and don't have time to put them altogether.

If you know of a $54 kit please send me the link cause that is what I want for Christmas.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Just the 'add a motor' kits that install to your existing door cost $99. Not sure I would have paid $54 for a window to use as a door, but whatever works for you!

I bought a piece of plexiglass that I am going to use as my pop door. It was $7.58 for a remnant scrap piece, I'm going to drill a hole at the top and put my rope thru that to create a door I can open from the outside. Thinking in the future, of getting the add a motor next year... maybe!

We'll see how this works out. I'd love to see a picture of your 'window-door'. I bet it looks pretty nice, that's for sure!

 

[gale65]

I just bought a 15" wide (by 18" I think) cutting board at walmart to use for a pop door. We'll just use strips of wood to make the tracks on both sides and the bottom and drill a hole and use a pulley system to raise and lower the door. The nice thing is this cutting board is pretty heavy so I shouldn't need to worry about critters being able to open it. Or I can add some weights to the cable to make it heavier. And the pulley system means we can open and close it without going in the run (which is my goal for night time lockup when I don't feel like pulling on boots just to close the pop door).

 

[cottagechick]

Ok...really, really clueless...what is a pop door?

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
the 'pop' door is the opening the chickens use to go in and out of their coop. The door can be made any which way you want. Most people use a guillotine style door that can slide up and down, but others have doors that swing, slide sideways.... use windows

Whatever! But they are all considered a pop door.

 

[ladyride]

Doggie doors work great as well

& you can lock them

 

[PtldChick]

Why not just a piece of plywood with hinges over the door cut out?...you can add a hook and eye screw to hold it up, and another to lock it down...cheap and easy!

Or easier yet, hinge the bottom so gravity holds it down, and it could act like a ramp depending on the height. Ony one hook and eye needed to close it - you can get the kind with a spring that critters can't get open. That;s what I did for my duck house (converted 'log cabin' dog house).

Window idea is kind of cool - could probably find one at a garage sale, or even the 'free' pile at the end of the sale - or a used building supply place. I just got some linoleum squares for my duck house and coop out of an after sale free pile

Cute blue and yellow, heavy duty.

What is the advantage of a sliding pop door vs. a hinged one? Other than being able to add the auto opener, although I bet you could set up the auto for a hinged door, too.