Pop door

[pattyjean73]

I finally started working on my playhouse coop. (Don't worry, pictures will be coming soon).

I have searched and searched for ideas or instructions on how to make a pop door and can't find anything. Can someone instruct me on how to build the pop door?

I'm pretty sure I can get the hole cut out but where do I go from there?
And how big should the hole be for a LF orpington?

 

[Judy]

I don't know what "LF" means, but orps are usually pretty big, so I would go with about 12" wide and maybe 16" tall. The one in my new coop is about 18" wide and they will run out about 4 at a time through it.

People make them many different ways. Mine have hinges on the bottom, and open out, so that the door becomes the ramp when open; there are some small boards (maybe 1/4"x1") screwed across it for treads. Some have them slide up in wood runners placed alongside the opening; you can just mount a piece of something on it to grab, and lift it out of the way, or have a system to prop it up. No reason it can't simply have hinges on the side like people doors do, or on the top, for that matter. Sometimes people rig up a rope pulling system so that a bottom hinged door can be pulled up to a closed position from the inside of the coop.

If I build another coop, I will make it so that I can secure it from the inside; raccoons can open a lot of stuff, but not a door fastened inside. In my older coop, I never open the pop door any more, I just prop open the people door. Just depends on your arrangement, and whether you will be closing and securing it from inside or outside the coop.

 

[GardeNerd]

I have a sliding pop door that goes up and down. I am not very good at explaining things, but I will give it a try. This is how I made mine.

1. I cut the opening and had a piece of plexiglass cut to match just about an inch wider all the way around.

Next I made a channel for the panel to slide inside of. I didn't have a router so I layered wood to achieve the same effect.

2. I took a couple of 1x1/2 pieces about double the height of the opening and attached them vertically to sides of the opening on the inside of the coop. The door panel slides just inside of where I attached these. I left the space on each side for the panel to overlap the interior wall.

3. On top of the 1x 1/2s and overlapping to cover the extra 1 inch lip on the plexiglass panel, I put another 2 x 1/2s in the same length as the 1 x 1/2s.

4. I drilled a little hole in the top of the panel to run a string through before dropping it into the channel. Then I put a header across the top of the channels I created and drilled a hole straight down to also run the string up through. It has knots in the string to stop it at the up and down points and it feeds out the front of my coop. I have a locking cup holder to hold it in the up position on the outside top corner of the coop.

I used the light weight plexiglass panel so I can later put in an automatic coop door opener. Wood could be used if you don't plan on having an auto opener.

***An easier solution that I originally planned on using was a large pet or dog door. Some of them have plastic panels that slide up and down and have latches***

edited to add the pics.