The Great Chicken Door Debate - show us your chicken doors!

[CityChook]

Frontporch, don't I remember you having some sort of folding ramp popdoor to keep Mr. Coon outside? Seems like I remember it being quite inventive.

My popdoor is a 15x15 hole with a door that hinges up and secures with a hook and eye. When closed, it has a hasp/eye lock and I add a keyed luggage lock at night. Unfort, it hadn't been installed yet when this photo was taken. Oh, and don't mind that ramp. Photo was taken before I wised up and put rungs on it. Poor girls had to slide down on their fluffy booties. They weren't very happy with me.

 

[Nana2KJS]

We used a pet door .. most of the work was already done.

 

[r-l-newell]

Quote:
Where did you get this Pet Door? I like it and want to buy one like it for my Coop.

 

[Nana2KJS]

Home Depot - it's the extra large by Ideal.

 

[nsight]

The best automatic door is found in Texas. Go to www.chickendoors.com This door is endorsed by Rob (author of "chicken for dummies") and has been written up in the farm show magazine in the United States and in Canada. if you need a automatic door this is the only one worth looking at.

 

[Zahboo]

Quote:
Actually, nope. We don't have pop doors, we just have a big covered and partially sided run that is the coop. It's never let us down and in the winter we cover more of the sides. And then the bantams are in breeder pens.

 

[Lifetime chicken lover]

Just spent the last week with my dad, who lives next door, building hardware cloth and wood doors to fit on my old recycled metal shed.
Used all recycled wood and only spent money on the hardware cloth, screws and door locks and hinges. It turned out very nice and my girls are very happy now that they have more ventilation than the full metal shed doors that I had before.
I'm having a hard time downloading pictures...maybe cuz I have an Apple?

 

[write2caroline]

I am not sure I understand what a chicken door is - Would you be referring to the actual door the chicken goes through from/to the coop into the run?

My husband, took a pallet and a fence pole. He put the pallet over the vertical pole and now it is a swing door into the run on a center (near center) axis. We filled the holes in the pallet between the flats with old feed bags to prevent the chickens from jumping through the holes. Of course they jump up and over but the door does keep out the local dogs. It is not pretty but very functional.

Caroline

 

[aritchey]

Here is my DIY automatic coop door. I already had been using this door manually for about five years. I would open and close it manually using a rope and pulleys. This allowed us to work the door without having to step inside the coop. I just modified it to open using a 12VDC surplus gear motor, roller type micro switches, a 120VAC DPDT relay and a plug in outdoor timer. I also have red and green LEDs mounted on the front of the coop that we can see from the house that confirm the door is at open or closed positions. I added a fault switch and strobe light to warn us if the door has malfunctioned. This switch is mounted to remain in contact with the door and kills the power to the motor if the door over travels the switch. I added an additional blade of the same 1/2" plastic the door is made from in the bottom of the door track. The strip is beveled and remains clear of bedding providing a reliable door stop. My biggest issue prior was the door would not make the closed switch from the bedding and the motor would continue to run and the cord would begin to wind back up on the motor spool and the door would begin to raise until the door would come off the fault switch. I will attempt to post photos a a wiring schematic. So far the door has been functioning flawlessly for about two weeks.

 

[starkist72]

We used a pet door .. most of the work was already done.

I know this is a VERY old post! I'm looking around for some pop door options and am interested in this one. Are you still using it 5 years later? Are your chickens able to push through the plastic sheeting? Have you had any problems using this door?