Chicken door... pop door size ?

[zekii]

What is a good size for a chicken door... we are right now considering 10 inches x 13 inches.
Coop will be too far off the ground to do a drop down hatch...we'll be making seperate ramp.
What are some idea to open & close this door...manual setup ? We are thinking door will be on a slider...like a gilotine type setup...?

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Mine was to small so I had to make it bigger so I guess it depends on the breeds your going to have as for opening and shut I would go with the slider on auto with a timer so it will be open well before it's time and close after dark..



Good luck to you

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is your door in the floor or the side wall of the coop? I don't have any experience with the floor model so I can't comment on that. My vertical, in-the-wall model is 12" x 12". That is plenty big, but mine is only about a foot off the ground and floor. It is real easy for them to hop up without spreading their wings and flying. With a ramp or landing platfrom, your size should be good.

I made my pop door to hinge, but I have guillotine type doors as well. I suggest something to lock it closed that would frustrate a raccoon either way. I use a hasp and carabiner with both types of openings. It's worked so far.

Good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

Assuming you are talking about a normal popdoor in the coop wall (not the floor) --

10x13 is not too bad as long as you have modest sized chickens, but a bit wider wouldn't hurt if you feel like it, and if you have BIG chickens then you will want it taller as well.

A guillotine-style sliding door is the best arrangement in most circumstances, IMHO, and the most secure thing is to have it on the INSIDE of the coop with the popdoor raised significantly above the maximum level of bedding you'll ever have, so that when the door closes the bottom of the popdoor is several inches below the sill (the hole cut in the wall). This way an animal cannot easily slide it open. Although if you want even greater security, an actual latch is not a bad idea either.

Most people either have it where they can reach it directly (in a small reach-in coop) or have a lever or a rope and pulley(s) to allow them to operate it from further away or even from outside the coop. If you have it operable from outside, make real sure it's done in a way that a *predator* can't (accidentally) operate it from outside!

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[bills]

Great advice from Pat on the door.

I put my guillotine door on the outside, but I have a spring that holds it down firmly when closed. I have to overcome this spring with my rope and pulley system when I open it, but that is not really an issue. The pulleys reduce the tension. The door opens in to a smaller outer run that is enclosed with hardware cloth, and has a roof as well, so the spring is almost overkill. Never lost a hen to a predator though!

 

[Lesa]

My door is on a timer- and one thing I notice is that, when the door opens in the morning the first chickens out have no problem squeezing through about a 4 inch opening! And these are good sized birds. Of course, they could wait a second and not have to scrunch down...I have the guillotine style door on automatic, but a hinged version that I can close by hand, when necessary.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
For anyone with an external guillotine-style door, one usually-easy way to make it more predatorproof is to add a piece of wood that amply covers the bottom edge when the door is closed. Obviously you will need to install this with correctly-sized spacers so there is room for the door to move freely. But, done right, it can act fairly similar to having the door inside the coop, by preventing anyone from hooking their claws on the bottom of the sliding door and pulling upwards.

Pat

 

[Aria]

We are interested in installing an automatic door. One that is on a timer. Does anyone have one? Where did you purchase? Any information would be helpful. Thanks Aria

 

[N. Virginia]

I bought a guillotine style door on ebay, but haven't installed it yet. Seems to work well, but that's just testing it in the house. I'm sure many people on this bulletin board would say they can make a cheaper one - I'm not mechanical or handy at all!

Cheers,
N. VA

http://automaticchickencoopdoor.com/easy-installation.html

 

[zekii]

OK thanks for all the replies, and good information, I think now we are going to put two doors 12 inch x 13 inches, and the opening 6 inches off the floor.
Still staying with the manual vertical sliding door type. The door will drop down to the sill plate.