One door or two?

[chicknmama]

We turned the kids old playhouse into the chicken coop. We have one entrance to the coop, a regular door. Do we need a second entrance for the chickens that's smaller? The reason I ask is that the chickens arn't using the door themselves and won't go in the coop by themselves. We have to catch them at night and put them in and they are really upset and want to go back outside. Would they go in and out if the opening was smaller?
Beth

 

[joletabey]

Another door could provide cross ventilation in the summer, plus if the second door is a pop door, then you provide more wind proof shelter in the winter by keeping the large door closed. You may have to lock your girls up in there for a bit for them to understand it's home. Do you have roosts there for them? Is your food and water inside? What time are you trying to put them inside? If they are used to free ranging, they may not want to go in until dusk.

 

[Brahma Mamma]

We just moved our layers to an enclosed electric fence with an old travel trailer in it. We are having some sleepless nights waiting for them to figure out THAT'S where they're supposed to sleep! They are slowly getting it though. We've been putting a solar powered lamp on at night inside as they can't see very well at night. We also put their food inside it and that seems to help. I've been putting chicken treats on the steps and inside the trailer throughout the day and that also seems to get them inside. I'm glad you posted that rounding them up and putting them inside isn't working too well because we have not done that yet to try to get them to think it's their idea to make that their home. Anyone have any suggestions?

I have pictures posted too in this topic of our trailer coop and also the small one we're building.

Good luck and keep posting!

 

[chicknmama]

We have two windows on opposite sides of the coop that have wire screens with less than 1/2 wide squares to keep out varmits. We put three milk crates with hay on the bench. For the perches we have the kids old bunk bed ladder in the corner opposite the nesting boxes. I've put a feeder suspended from the ceiling and a waterer on bricks on the floor.

When we first got the birds they were three months old, now they are 4 months old. We kept them in the coop for a few days so they would recognize it as home, but they free range and we might be putting them in too early.

They don't seem to want to go in the coop to eat or drink during the day either. So does anyone think the smaller door is neccesary?

 

[sunflowerenvy]

Quote:
what state are u in? most of untied states is going though a heat wave here in tenn it felt like 105 today
what size in your playhouse coop? is in direct sun all day no shade?
how many chicken do you have?
Do you have vents towards the top of the coop?
do you have a temperate guauge in the coop ? tonight in my coop it was 90 before they went in. my chicken are about 17 to 18 week old. i have to put my chicken in the coop about three night and have to put them on the perch for 5night.
also we made a small chicken coop door for them to go in n out.

they start to go in about half hour before dark half of them are all ready roosting on my 2x4 wide end up
I go lock the coop door about 15 minutes before dark and walk out of the human door.
i have their main feed in the coop and water. We open the chicken door about 1 hour after sunrise so they can eat in my run i have water and treat tray and throw out grain in there run.
They been in the run for about 4weeks and in the coop or 3 1/2 weeks and they are going in n out of the coop eating a drinking from the coop and started to lay one egg n the one of nest boxes in coop for the last 12 days. when it rains they all run inside of their home now

i believe they r to young to let them free range in the yard because they are not eating their food or keep them in for 1 hour after sunrise so they can eat first.

you can click on my BYC page to see my set up
laura

 

[powerline]

A pen with 2 doors is a Chicken Coupe.

 

[gryeyes]

There's just something "nice" about chickens having their own pop door. You might put a small door IN the big door; I've seen those and they're awfully cute. That way you can keep the big door closed and the little door open for the chickens.

And you are not gonna be able to get chickens to want to go into the coop before dusk. Especially if it's too hot inside there! But they're very resistant to 'going to roost' until dusk. Try earlier, and you'll be chasing chickens. NOT fun.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

Another advantage to chickens having their own door is that once they get used to using the pop door, they won't be rushing to get in or out of the man door every time you open it. This of course depends on how you coop is set up. Mine don't even pay the man doors any mind.

 

[chicknmama]

We live in Mi and it's about 80 degrees here. The coop is in the shade of a large maple tree and stays pretty cool. Most of the yard is shaded so much we have more moss than grass in the yard.

It's a great idea to put a door in the door, that would be really cute. What is a pop door?

Oh, I took the advice to let them out till dusk and they go in on their own now. Does anyone else think the chickens are too young to be out on their own? they're about 15 weeks old and they've been out in the yard now for 3 weeks. We have stockade fence all around the yard with about 20 large trees so it's very shaded.

 

[sunflowerenvy]

Quote:
a pop door is a little coop door for the chickens to go in n out of the coop most doors are slide down ones mine is a drop down ramp in my coop u can see it on my byc page