Need info on size and placement of chicken/pop door

[ceilidh]

We have built a large chicken coop and run, but also allow our chickens to free range on our small farm. Right now they come in and out of our door into the run, but we'd like to build a pop door for them to use instead. All the plans I've seen have the pop door elevated.
Does a pop door need to be elevated, and if so, how high? And how large does it need to be? We have standard hens, no bantums.
We are new at this, and trying hard to get it right for our hens.
Thanks in advance!

 

[RL]

My pop door is 12x14. I find it is a good size. The bottom of the door is only 6 inches above the floor of the coop, but I wish I had made it a little higher. I do the deep litter method and with 6 inches of litter they tend to kick it out of the door. Next time I think I will build it about a foot off the floor.

I would build it high enough to keep the litter/bedding in. Here is a pic of my pop door.

 

[patandchickens]

IMO you really do want it about a foot above what you expect the level of the bedding to be. Less, and you lose a lot of bedding out through the popdoor.

I can't help too much with popdoor size, I'm not even sure what size mine are

, I think the ones I've cut myself are like 12x14ish? The ones that used to be dog doors are obviously much larger.

I would say that in a mild climate bigger is better but in a cold-winter climate there is certainly something to be said for minimizing the size of the hole, even if you're going to hang plastic or burlap strips over it. Leghorn-size chickens would be *fine* fitting through something as small as the size of a magazine (8x11) if need be, but you'd want larger for big things like Orps.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[harrisville chicken]

My pop door is next to our "people door". The coop is always open to the run with no door (see more photos of that on my BYC page.)
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(click for larger photo)

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(click for larger photo)

 

[The Sheriff]

You could use our highly technical method of framing it in, one board at a time until a goat can't fit through! Feel free to use this idea.

 

[patman75]

Quote:
SON OF A BBBBBBBBBBB!!!!! I just cut, framed and painted my pop door and forgot about the deep litter depth.

Grrrr...How to fix this with tearing it all up.....Hmmm

Well at least i did not put the siding on yet.

 

[loralei]

The Warden Wrote:

You could use our highly technical method of framing it in, one board at a time until a goat can't fit through!

OMG! Too funny! Now I have a good excuse to get a goat or two! Hubby can't argue with that logic!

Thanks!

 

[The Sheriff]

Makes perfect sense to me!



Quote:
OMG! Too funny! Now I have a good excuse to get a goat or two! Hubby can't argue with that logic!

Thanks!

 

[ceilidh]

Thanks for all the help - hubby built the door while I was at work, lower than I wanted but oh well. My biggest concern is that a low door might be easier for a dog or other predator to get in. Maybe we'll try the adding board-by-board 'till we get it right method! Bet it works for more than just goats (although the pic made me miss my goats....)