Side-sliding, locking chicken door?

[Scifisarah]

I was wondering if anyone has plans for how to make a chicken door that slides to the side to open and close, and somehow locks. In the past I've always done the chicken door with a rope and spring hinges, and then if I want to lock it, I have to enter the chicken run and put a clip through some latch hardware. I would like to open and close these new chicken doors on the three coops I am building with a bar that sticks out of the fencing and then somehow turns to lock the door into place. the door will be right next to the side of the exterior fence. This way, I would not have to hurdle over all the interior fences that separate my little breeding coops, every time I need to let the chickens out or close them up at night. Have you done something similar in your coop, and have photos you could share? I'm sure I could figure something out but I'd rather not reinvent the wheel if possible.

 

[ChicknCommander]

That's pretty complicated not being able to see a pic of it but simple is better

 

[Scifisarah]

That's pretty complicated not being able to see a pic of it but simple is better

I tried to explain my idea as best I could I am hoping someone else has done something similar to this and can share their pictures. Basically, I am looking for the simplest way to make a chicken door that I can open, close and latch, without entering the chicken run.

 

[ChicknCommander]

Seems like you could make a slide door attached to a rod that would poke out from the side as for lock may drill a hole into rod and use a big deadbolt

 

[jetdog]

I tried to explain my idea as best I could I am hoping someone else has done something similar to this and can share their pictures. Basically, I am looking


for the simplest way to make a chicken door that I
can open, close and latch, without entering the
chicken run.
Look on YouTube for"locking chicken door"I think it's the first couple of videos that pop up, it looks like 2 L shape piece of wood that lock in a hole, it's pretty simple to make I just did one on my new coop and it works great, nothing can lift it even me.

 

[Blooie]

Someone in the Coops Design section had that. They attached a broom handle or something similar across the pop door extending outside the run, and they just pulled it from outside to slide it open and pushed to close it. I'm sure there was a discussion on how to latch it too, but for the life of me I can't find the posts now. I'm thinking they had a metal tube on the coop side that the broom handle pushed into to secure it. I'm sorry I can't be more help than that. I just remember seeing it because we were looking to do the same thing. But then we lucked into a doggie door for $8.00 at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. It was just the right size and it locks, so we changed our minds about the sliding door. Wish I could tell you which coop it was - I think it was in the medium sized ones. I'm losing brain cells every day and the old memory just isn't what it once was!

 

[Scifisarah]

I like the L shaped locking pins with the rope on youtube, thanks. I'm at an early enough stage that I can alter my plans to do a vertical sliding door so I might go that direction. I just didn't think there would be a way to latch it without entering the run, but evidently lots of other people have figured out the best way to do just that.

 

[jetdog]

You could run a rope from the door to outside the run so you don't have to go in to close the door since it automatically locks when in the down position if you go with the L shaped arms. Take some pictures when your done.

 

[Scifisarah]

Unfortunately we didn't leave enough room above for the chicken door to slide all the way up, since we were planning on either doing hinged on the outside, or sliding to the side. I may just go with manual latches for now and keep going into the runs.

 

[Bunnyla]

there was a video on You Tube of a lady who had a sliding door that moved left to right. not sure if it locked. I think it was by manual chicken coop doors..