Need suggestions for door...picture attached

[Stephanie739]

Hi there. I am converting this metal shed into a chicken coop. In the spring I will be moving my dog kennel run to the side and attaching the two. For now, I just need a door. My big chicks love this shed already. I have nest boxes and hay in there - it is very cozy. They wander around in it often, and lay eggs in the boxes. Without a door, however, they cannot sleep in it.

What would you do? I am a small woman with no real construction skills (I do have a drill, but never used it on metal before) very little money, and no real people help. My neighbor would probably help if I asked at the right time, but I am looking for something I can do on my own, if possible. I do have a lot of chicken wire and some old wood boards. Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated! Thanks!

 

[bobbieschicks]

It looks like you have a door on the shed? Are you wanting a human or chicken door?

If chicken you could cut a hole in the metal with a sawsall with metal blade, frame it out with some furring strips and put a flap door on it by cutting a piece of 3/4" plywood as big as the framework and attaching with hinges. Put a locking hasp in place and you'd have your chicken door.

For human door you could frame out an opening with 2x4s and then use a real human exterior door like the kind you can get at Home Depot prehung is easiest. You could also put a chicken door cut out at the bottom of that door if you didn't want to cut the metal shed.

For a door that is just wire you could frame out the opening with 2x4s and then do a hardware cloth door like my screen door for my run. Pic below. Basically it's hardware cloth sandwiched between 1x2s. I used corner braces to keep it square and give it strength.

At the very least you could fashion two vertical pieces of wood on either side of the opening and frame out some hardware cloth. Then use hinges to attach the framed hardware cloth rectangle to the vertical pieces of wood. Make sure to put a hasp or lock in place and a pull to open it up. Just be careful about not leaving gaps at the top or bottom.

Also I would not use chicken wire as a predator can simply rip it open. I use 1/2" hardware cloth and/or welded wire for screening on my run and 1/4" hardware cloth for all window and door screens. I use the 2x4 welded wire up high and 1/2" hardware cloth down low on my run exterior. The only place I've used chicken wire is inside my coop above the door opening on the side where I have my brooder/storage area.

Hope this helps.

 

[ll]

I have the same type of shed.

We are building the winter/weather doors now, so they aren't complete.
But I have a photo on my Hen House page.

We took the sliding metal doors off because they were rusted thru on the bottom and broken.
If your doors are good and solid you can cut squares, rectangles, or a cool design in the doors and add hardware cloth.
The hardware cloth can be screwed on thru the metal with a washer under the head and a nut with a washer in the back of the metal for reinforcement. You can also frame the cutouts with trim wood and attach the hardware cloth to the trim.
We need to keep out wet weather and snow so the majority of our doors will be filled in with scrap plywood, then primed & painted.

Good luck!

 

[teach1rusl]

So is half of the pair of doors missing??? If so, I think the EASIEST (not necessarily best) thing to do would be measure the opening of the missing door section and screw a big sheet of plywood over the opening.(the plywood would need to be slightly larger than the opening so you'd have overlap to screw into). Get a drill bit for your drill - that metal is pretty easy to drill holes through - then simply use screws to fix the plywood in place. Use the door that's already there (to the right) as "the door." You will need to attach a latch (from the door to the plywood). Next spring, you will probably need to do things better - cause there are many better ways to do this. But this would be a quick, simple fix.

 

[ajlynco]

teach1rusl:
I'm so sorry, I should've specified the Kruer Bantam Coop. I'm only starting out with 6 hens and, living in town, I have to stay small. Your little coop is the best design and closest to what I want in my design. So, I ask the same question in regard to your Kruer Coop. BTW, how did it get the name 'Kruer'? Your user inbox is full...I tried this reply via PM

Thanks a lot

 

[Stephanie739]

Quote:
Thanks for your reply. I only have 1 of 2 doors, and the door that remains doesn't slide well at all. I would like to remove it and start over (with people doors-the chicken door will be on the side to go into the run). At the very minimum I need to figure out something to do with the big (doorless) hole in the shed

I really like the idea about a ready to hang door from Lowes......and now I remember I need a new storm door for my people house! I have to get a new door (to my home) before the chickens do. Must keep my priorities straight

 

[Stephanie739]

Quote:
Your coop looks fantastic! That is wayyyy beyond my construction skills, but it is really great to see the creativity you used to transform the shed. Congratulations and thanks for sharing! Yes my (1 of 2) door is in bad shape. I want to start over. Your coop floor gave me more to think about. I have an old wood floor. I suppose I do need to line it. I saw someone post about using an old trampoline for a liner. I have one of those.

Your suggestions are appreciated and useful. I'm thinking!

 

[Stephanie739]

Quote:
Thank you for your reply. I am considering all options! This is the easiest so far, but I can't really use the existing door well. I want to remove that one too. Still, this fastest and easiest solution just might be the route I take at least for now. I have realized home made coops are works-in-progress.

 

[Bobbert]

I think if your existing doors work well I would cut a hole in the side of the shed. If you try to put the chicken's door in the existing door you will have trouble with : 1) holding the door while you cut it, 2) when you install a small door to cover the hole you will have clearance problems with the side of the shed. If you use the side of the shed it will be much easier to cut. I would recommend outlining the chicken door in pencil then in each corner of the proposed doorway drill a hole. Start with a small drill bit such as a 1/8" and then redrill with a 1/4" or 3/8." Maybe up to 1/2 ". With a hole in each corner you can borrow tin snips or use a hack say blade mounted in a plunge cut handle. Lowes has a 3 in 1 mulit saw for about $12.00 that would do the trick. You could use that saw to cut your board for the door too. If your boards are wide enough for the chicken door I would make the opening a little smaller than the board. In the board that you cut for the door drill a hole through it near the top center and through the shed. Place a small bolt through both and it will be your hinge This way you can just swing the door up out of the way when you want it open. A simple stick will keep it propped out of the way. I think this will be the cheapest and easiest way for you to fix your problem. Just be careful when drilling the holes. As the drill bit finishes its job it will very likely catch and spin the drill in your hand . Just make sure you have two good hands on your drill. The edges of the sheet metal will be sharp. If you have any kind of duct tape or electrical tape you can use it to cover the sharp edges. Hope this helps Bob