Pop door in people door?

[User395221]

I have a "new" chook house (recycled cubby house) and I'm trying to decide how to give the chooks access. The front has a (small) doorway (without a door at the moment, I'll have to make one) and a window hole. The whole thing is raised and is about 80cm off the ground. There's a verandah in front of the door/window hole.

To give the chickens their own door, I'll need to either cut another hole (under the existing window probably) or cut a chook-sized door in the people door. Is it possible to do this? I presume it is, you can cut and insert cat flaps, but is there anything special that needs to be done to the door to have a"chook hole" in it? I was just planning on doing a cheap panel door.

The other option (which I'd like, but for the cost) is to put in a solar-powered automatic chook door, but I'm up for a lot of expense to mesh it in so that the girls have an enclosed run.

aarrghhh. Help me obi-wan, tell me what to do, you're my only hope.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Careful Grasshopper, don’t let the chickens catch you. That could be dangerous.

Are you building that panel door yourself or using a prefab “real” door? I always build my own but if I had an old one I’d reuse it.

One potential issue in putting an opening like that in the door is that you don’t want the door to be weakened so it sags or warps. I put diagonals in mine so they won’t sag or warp. A panel has the same effect. You can’t see them but stress lines form in that panel where diagonals normally go. Panels stiffen a door a lot. If you frame around that hole so you stiffen it you should be OK.

Are you going to make that door so heavy that the hinges sag? If your hardware is robust that should not be an issue but if you try to use cheap undersized hinges you could have problems.

You need to make sure that pop door doesn’t accidently close and lock the hens away from the nests or away from food and water. If there is a chicken in the pop door opening you would not want the wind to slam it shut. That has nothing to do with whether it is in the door or under the window, just think how you manage that.

If you are eventually going to go with an automatic door, think how you would do that in either location. That could be really challenging in the door. Under the window you may have problems using a guillotine type door vertically but probably could sideways fairly easily. Or rig up some type of swinging hinged door.

Good luck!

 

[User395221]

Are you building that panel door yourself

Yes. When I say "panel door" I mean a basic frame with a piece of plywood or masonite attached. The doorway is only 46cm wide and not very high. It's so narrow, I don't think a light door like that will sag but I'm guessing, I've never made a door before.....

If I get a solar door in future, it can't go in the door, it'd have to go in the wall. Maybe I'll do the pop door not under the window, but next to it. It'll look weird, but it'll be able to be "upgraded" with the auto door, if I ever win the lottery and can afford it.

 

[Hokum Coco]

 

[User395221]

Thanks hokum coco. Yes, it would also need to have a decent amount underneath for the stability of the door, I suppose. What are your doors made from, I notice you don't have a frame. Maybe I can avoid having to create a frame if I get the "right stuff" just to cut a door from.

 

[Hokum Coco]

. What are your doors made from, ½"plywood I notice you don't have a frame. Maybe I can avoid having to create a frame if I get the "right stuff" just to cut a door from.

 

[User395221]

Thanks, I'm thinking plywood would be sufficient and much easier.