Easiest way to build a custom sized human door??

[katelk]

I am converting a shed that had no front on it but has a 4x4 wood frame. It seems that the easiest way to add a door for my coop purposes may be a sliding door (human door). It is going to be about 5.5 feet tall because the shed is a bit short.
I just want a simple wood frame with hardware cloth for the door, I just have no idea where to start when it comes to making a sliding door or any functioning door for that matter.
I have researched it online and have an idea, but would really appreciate some tips for a custom sliding human door for a chicken coop.

Thanks!!

 

[anirishfarmer]

hi ya

sliding doors use a track and wheel system

and can stick out a bit more thus leaving

room for small animals to get in

some use a bottom rail as well

it'll most likely get full up with gunk and poop, and may leave it sticking

i found this article here with pics



Health and happiness

 

[katelk]

hi ya

sliding doors use a track and wheel system 

and can stick out a bit more thus leaving

room for small animals to get in

some  use a bottom rail as well

it'll most likely get full up with gunk and poop, and may leave it sticking 

i found this article [COLOR=FF0000]here[/COLOR] with pics 



[COLOR=FF0000]Health and happiness[/COLOR]

I was afraid of that. I read where people sweep out the track like once a week and keep it working fine. I was worried about having space where small animals can get in though.

As far as I know, the only small animal I really deal with around here is mice. *fingers crossed* I have never had any issues with predators, just mice and I gave up on keeping them out of places long ago haha. I started just using traps and haven't had issues since.

I am a bit new to this though, what small animals am I not thinking of when it comes to a shed style coop? I have only had the typical off the ground style coops til now.

 

[Irishhenman]

Sliding doors can be a lot of hassle, a hindered door would be a lot less effort to built and most likely be a lot cheaper. As for small animals, it would be very wise to prop the shed up on blocks. Rats love living in under sheds that are just lying on the ground because it is hard for people to get in under it not get them out. Mice could be a problem if you don't store your feed correctly but otherwise they should be fine, if anything they would make a nice snack for your hens (they love catching them)

 

[katelk]

Sliding doors can be a lot of hassle, a hindered door would be a lot less effort to built and most likely be a lot cheaper. As for small animals, it would be very wise to prop the shed up on blocks. Rats love living in under sheds that are just lying on the ground because it is hard for people to get in under it not get them out. Mice could be a problem if you don't store your feed correctly but otherwise they should be fine, if anything they would make a nice snack for your hens (they love catching them)

I have heard that chickens will catch and eat the mice but have never witnessed it myself. I imagine they would have a blast with that I have never understood how they eat them though? Do they just tear them apart and leave the bones or what?

 

[Irishhenman]

They usually catch them kill them and awing them around by the tale for a wile hitting them off things then they all have a pecking frenzy and the remains are left for the crows or the cat which ever gets there first

 

[enola]

They pull and tug on the mouse until the mouse is pulled apart. Then they swallow the mouse one piece at a time.

 

[4 the Birds]

A swing door would be alot easier to construct than a slide door and operate with less hassle. I often leave my coop door open to a secure run during most of the year. You can also prop it open partially. Ideally a canopy or covered area outside the door will keep out rain.

I have made many many doors here on the farm and one can be made in 10 minutes! Simply cut 2x4's to the size of the door you want and outline on the ground. Then cut a sheet of plywood or bead board to fit the door frame. Add screws about every 12" to attach and you have a door! If you want the door to have added strength then you can flip it over and hammer truss connectors where the 2x4's meet (metal spike plates that hammer into the wood.... they run about 50 cents each). Adding a cross brace from corner to corner will save you the headache of door sag over time and resetting the door latch height (cross braces are not on the two doors below).



Hope this Helps!

 

[Baymule]

It would be easier and better to build a swing door hung on hinges. Measure your available space, let's just say 5 feet high and 3 feet wide. Cut two 1"x4"s five feet long. Then cut three 1"x4"s three feet long. Make sure you don't build your door wider than the wire you plan to use on it! If your door is 3 feet wide on the outside measurement and you use 36" wide wire, then you have several inches on each side (on the 1x4) to staple the wire to. Lay the long 1x4s on a flat surface, three feet apart, deck or driveway works fine for this. Cut your wire to length and lay on the 1x4s. Center the wire and staple one side, keeping it as straight as possible. Then lay the cross brace pieces on the side pieces. Don't nail them in place yet. You want to make sure everything fits before you nail it down. Using the cross brace pieces as a guide for the right width, staple the wire on the other long 1x4. Now you have two 1x4s that are five feet long with wire stapled to them. Lay the cross brace pieces in place-one on the top, one on the bottom and one in the middle. Now you can nail or screw them in place. Turn the door over and staple the wire to the back side of the cross brace pieces. Congratulations-you just built a door!

Because my carpentry skills are limited, I built the door first and then the door frame. If you look closely at the picture, I put up one side of the door frame and secured it with "L" shaped metal brackets bought at Lowes. Those metal brackets are a God send to the unskilled like me! Look at the right side frame board, the red one, if you look at the bottom of it, where it joins the brown boards running from side to side, you will see a silvery bracket. I nailed it to the red side board, then to the brown bottom boards. I toe-nailed the frame boards too, but those metal brackets really help secure things! Look at the yellow board at the top of the door frame and you will see a flat bracket that I used to hold the two boards together. I love those things!

I put the door on the brown boards, this is where a small child or grand child comes in handy to hold the door up, then I marked the brown boards where I wanted to other side of the door frame to be. Be sure to allow a small space so the door can swing freely, maybe 1/2" on each side. After you build the door frame and want to hang your door, shim the bottom (insert a spacer) so the door is not resting right on the bottom of the frame. This is so the door will not stick, and make it hard to open or close.

I hope this helps. If it is not square, not perfect, but it opens, closes and keeps chickens in and varmits out, then you are a MASTER DOOR BUILDER!!!!!

 

[yogifink]

If you want to make a sliding door, go for it! I have made a few in the garage for cabinets using pocket door tracks that you can buy at Lowes for a few bucks. They work great and are pretty sturdy. If you use pocket door tracks, or hanging tracks, a bottom track is not needed, so you wouldn't have to worry about sweeping anything out. Think about how big barn doors are made.