Preditor Proof Pop Door

[Booswalia]

I made the pop door for my coop today. It went pretty smooth considering my carpentry skills and experience.

First I went to The Restore and bought a small cupboard door 14 x 15 inches. It already had a little lip on three sides. I then cut a hole in my coop wall that was 12 x 12 inches.

Next I took two pieces of pine wainscoting (I think that's what it's called), and sawed them in half lengthwise.

All I had to do then was chisel out half of the groove so the cupboard door could slide up and down in the groove after I screwed the two pieces on.

I also screwed a piece across the bottom and now I wondering if it will be preditor proof. I'm thinking... should I put another piece across the bottom like this? ...

Could a raccoon lift it up by the hooks I used for the pully system?

 

[pkeeler]

I would think a raccoon could lift it. Why not get a hasp and a padlock?

 

[Booswalia]

I would like to be able to close it without going in the pen which I'm also trying to preditor proof as best I can.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

If you aren't going to lock it, you will need a lip to come up on the outside of it where a raccoon or another predator can't reatch it's little fingers in and grab the bottom of it.

I don't have a lock on my automatic pop door. The door when it slides down 3 inches below the actual opening

 

[sillybirds]

Your pop door looks nice.

One thing you may run into in the future is warping and binding after awhile from moisture. I had that happen to mine.

I don't have a lock on my pop door either, however it is enclosed in the fairly secure run. I made my pop door out of fairly thick oak to be heavy. Like CoyoteMagic's, it slides down a couple inches below the margin of the opening, so I don't think critters could open it.

 

[Booswalia]

Thanks. I will put a piece of wood over the bottom of the opening then.

I guess I'll have to prime it and paint it really well to give it some weather proofing.

 

[sillybirds]

Looking at the bottom photo some more, where you show where you may put another board to prevent critters from getting a hold of and lifting the door . . . if by putting that additional board at the bottom you create a closed pocket, it will be more secure, but it could also be a place where bedding/poop/etc accumulates and could interfere with complete closing of the pop door. You don't show from the inside, so I can't tell if that will be an issue or not. Just something else to think about.

 

[Booswalia]

Yes, it does create a pocket there... but it's already done so I suppose I'll just have to scrape it out once in a while. So hard to think of everything.

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

We have something very similar with wood piece across bottom on outside to prevent any fingers getting in. We added a pulley to the door and then run a piece of clothesline thru to the outside so you do not have to go in. There is a hook on the outside that you slip a loop over to hold the door open. Works really well and when you open everyone comes running out.

 

[kipper]

My DH created a door like that. He used U-channel tio create slots for the door to slide in and a lip to prevent little fingers from getting under it. The board (3/4" Plywood, sealed and painted) warped despite no rain since installed. We have replaced it with a piece of plastic like the sort used for cutting boards. It is really hard, won't warp, and is UV stable. Works like a charm.