Small doors located on coops.

[GreenChic]

I've been looking at chicken coop designs today and I keep noticing the small door next to the lager door. I think its called the pop door what is is for and is it necessary?

 

[NattiFan]

Yes, pop door...or chicken door as I called it. It's usually the door that the chickens will walk in and out of and it usually leads into the run. So I would say that is why you usually see a larger door next to it...so a person can walk out into the enclosed run as well

 

[JPHorvath]

Our Chicken Coop is relatively large in it’s prior use it was a shed about 12’ W x 16’ L. Personnel door is on the West side of the building and chicken door is on east side. The prevailing wind is from the west on our property so I chose to install the chicken door on the east away from the driving winter wind. They took only one day to get use to using the new door once it was installed. During the warm weather we leave booth doors open to allow for good air circulation. It seems to work for my chickens they never told me it should be on the south side of the building. I can provide pictures if you are interested.

 

[GreenChic]

I was wondering if it was necessary to have one.

 

[Balbinka]

Quote:
It isn't necessary, but it gives your chickens a chance to escape to the coop if large animals (too big to get through the door) are harassing them.

I currently don't have a chicken door, but it would certainly be a nice addition.

 

[gryeyes]

Many of us also have automatic chicken doors, so the chickens don't need us to open their door for them in the morning, or close it up at night. This is especially handy for me, because I work and during the winter leave the house long before dawn and return long after the sun has set. So the chickens get let out and get closed in their coop without human assistance.

If the only chicken entrance and exit is the people door, you can get bowled over by chickens wanting out when YOU open it in the morning. A chicken rush is pretty exciting.

 

[elmo]

In the winter time, it's nice to be able to leave open only a small door to let the chickens go in and out of the coop. If you left only a person size door open, it could get very cold and drafty inside.

 

[AlienChick]

Yes what everyone else said.

We do not currently have a little chicken door; however, we plan on installing one eventually (especially before winter).

Right now I just go out whenever I'm ready and open the big door.

I also enjoy watching the chickens rush out for their morning foraging.

.

 

[Mallory]

Here's my question about automatic pop doors. How safe can that actually be? What if one or more of the chickens don't get back inside by the "close time" and then are stuck outside?

 

[latebloomer]

Quote:
can you tell me how this works, i mean, if it opens and closes on a timer, there'd be a risk of some cavorting chickens being left outside when it closes up, right?

yeah, what Mallory said.