Chickens aren’t going to go through a dog door. They aren’t intelligent enough to learn to push it open.
The problem with a simple pop door is that you have to lock and unlock it manually in the evening and at daylight. It’s a twice-a-day chore that doesn’t allow you to sleep in on a bed-weather morning or let your hens out as soon as they’re ready (and trust me, they’re ready at 4 AM or earlier).
Should you buy a chicken door opener?
If you are going for a cheap automatic chicken door opener, this is an option. Since it doesn’t use electricity, if the power grid goes down (or some ding dong runs their care into a telephone poll, which is usually the case in our neighborhood), your chickens can just let themselves out, like the bosses they are.
What kind of door do you use for a chicken coop?
A commercial or DIY automatic chicken coop door is installed to keep your chickens safe from predators at night and to make it easy to let the hens out in the morning. The problem with a simple pop door is that you have to lock and unlock it manually in the evening and at daylight.
A second door on the coop is normally used to access eggs and to clean out the coop. Here is a photo that nicely illustrates a “run” and two entrances to the coop:.
How do you open a chicken coop door without electricity?
The idea is to use the combined weight of the chickens as they climb onto the roosting bar to sleep at night to pull the cables and pulleys and pop the door open. As it shifts to a lighter weight, the door closes. It’s simple and eco-friendly since you don’t need to use electricity.
This area is often called a “run” and provides the chickens with sunlight and exercise. The “run” also protects them from predators, such as foxes and hawks. A second door on the coop is normally used to access eggs and to clean out the coop. Here is a photo that nicely illustrates a “run”.
What should I look for when buying a chicken coop?
Look for spinal muscular atrophy symptoms. One or two hen doors which allow chickens to come and go when the weather is good. The second door is often a man-door which allows people to go inside and tend the birds, feed, and water. Seeing is easier than describing, here are some of my coops and how I’ve set them up:.
Why do they call a sedan a coop?
A: Because if it had four doors, it would be a chicken sedan. This joke is a pun. The word coop sounds exactly like the word coupe when pronounced using an american English accent (probably also other English accents as well, however I haven’t checked that out).