Tell me about your "pop" /chicken door.

[Dixiedoodle]

It's the only thing left to do in my coop..

Where is your's located ? How wide/high is the actual opening? How is it secured? Does it open to the inside or outside? Thank you

 

[scooter147]

Mine is 12 inches wide by 18 inches high.

The door opens in, this prevents the wind from blowing it shut and banging it on the side of the coop. I do latch it open as I have had chickens jump up on the door and then when they jump down the accidentally kick it shut.

It locks on the inside, this way I don't have to worry about predators especially coons unlocking it and getting in and I don't have to go into the run to shut it and lock it.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Mine is about 12x18 too and I have hardware cloth in the center of it and a wood frame. That way the chickens get air . Ours is under our roost area ( I would not do this again

)

 

[WoodlandWoman]

The original door on our current shed coop, opens to the inside. I wanted a quick and easy to use latch, that didn't need a padlock to keep out the many raccoons we have in this area. I've had padlocks on dog kennels before and hate messing with them outside in the middle of winter. Whenever I was opening or closing the door, I could give a quick look for eggs, check food and water or do a nightly head check. Also, we get a lot of snow here, that can drift against the shed and occasionally freezing rain that's no fun on latches.

The opening is elevated, as I planned for using deep litter. The latch is on top, with the hinge at the bottom. It folds down to make a ramp, resting on whatever depth of litter is in the coop. This worked really well for us.

On the outside, we installed a little porch/shelf, with a ramp going down to the ground. This was also to help with snow. When we originally built the shed, it didn't have a covered run over the pop hole door. It does now!

We've also added an automatic door. I think it was last year. It's a metal door that slides up and down, over the original door opening. I like it a lot.

 

[bluie]

12"x17". Planned for 12"x18" but made a booboo and got 17" instead.

 

[Cetawin]

My pop door has an opening of 15" w x 17" h. It is framed with 2 x 4's and is flush with the outer bottom frame so there is nothing for a predator to grab and pull it open. It opens from the inside to the run and lifts up and is secured by a chain.

Inside there are two spring latches to latch it for the night. I also have an inner door I am working on which will slide up and down in front of the latching pop door and it will also have two latches on it.

So in essence, I will pull the inner door up and leave it up, push open the pop door and secure it up with the chain. At night latch both from the inside.

This is the door with chain in place, 2 latches and handle for me.

This is it painted on the inside and open:

I will get pics once I get the sliding door in place too on the inside.

 

[Anny]

I can tell you what I WISH I did with my pop door.

I wish I had a sliding door rather then a hinged door, I feel it would be more "draft free"

I also wish I made the door higher up to account for the deep litter method, so I wouldn't end up with litter leaking out the open door.

my door is 12x12 and all my girls fit thru it just fine.

One thing I do like about my door is that it locks, I highly recommend you put a lock on your door.

 

[Fowler]

Mine is about 12X18 and slides up

 

[pips&peeps]

Mine are about 1'X2' and are sliders. They are on a pulley system so I do not have to go inside to close them.

My husband used two pieces of wood to make a track on each side and it slides up and down by a rope attached to the pulleys.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

My pop door to the large run is 9x12 automatic and like Anny's is up off the ground. I though it would better deter dogs from getting in. (this door used to just open to the outside so the girls could free range, until a dog got them when they were out) I also have another pop door (same size) that leads to a 10x10 covered dog run that they have access to 24/7.