How much weight can a raccoon lift?

[JimLake]

I am building a coop. The pop door will slide upwards on a rope. I plan to attach a 5lb weight to the door. The edges of the slide door will all be covered, along with a 2" sill it will slide down into. I think I will make the slide door out of something smooth, cutting-board or similar.


Could a raccoon somehow lift this?

Thanks!

 

[MillersFarm]

5 lb sounds a bit light for a raccoon. They could probably be able to push it open. Instead of a weight for my chicken door we have a lock on the bottom on the inside of the coop and another lock to keep the door up during the day so they can free range and have full access to the coop.

 

[JimLake]

5 lb sounds a bit light for a raccoon. They could probably be able to push it open. Instead of a weight for my chicken door we have a lock on the bottom on the inside of the coop and another lock to keep the door up during the day so they can free range and have full access to the coop.

It will slide up and down, not swing open and closed.

 

[MillersFarm]

It will slide up and down, not swing open and closed.

Oh right. In that case i'd probably double the weight or have it at 8 lbs.

 

[Dayrel]

Frankly, if the outside is smooth, I doubt you need much weight at all. I have a similar setup using an stainless steel plate for the door and have no additional weight attached. Wood would be slightly easier to get a grip on, but being protected from prying fingers by the sill will make it very difficult to lift. You might try building it without weights and try to lift it yourself. It will be quite difficult. You can always add some weight if you are still concerned.

One thought: I had to expand my sill gap a little after initial construction. I use pine shavings in the coop and some would get knocked out into the sill and prevent the door from fully closing. Allowing that larger gap allows the door to push any shavings down and out of the way.

 

[JimLake]

Frankly, if the outside is smooth, I doubt you need much weight at all. I have a similar setup using an stainless steel plate for the door and have no additional weight attached. Wood would be slightly easier to get a grip on, but being protected from prying fingers by the sill will make it very difficult to lift. You might try building it without weights and try to lift it yourself. It will be quite difficult. You can always add some weight if you are still concerned.

One thought: I had to expand my sill gap a little after initial construction. I use pine shavings in the coop and some would get knocked out into the sill and prevent the door from fully closing. Allowing that larger gap allows the door to push any shavings down and out of the way.

Great, thanks for the heads-up re the shavings in the sill, thanks!

 

[blackdog043]

My cutting board door in action. below is a pic of the bar I have so it can not be lifted up.

 

[blackdog043]

Here's what I came up with. I used a cutting board, for the door and metal shelf brackets for it to slide in. I drilled holes for the bar to go through, so it couldn't be lifted. The sill has spacers, It's not a solid bottom where the board goes into. This way the shavings, just fall through. My whole run is covered in 1/2 x 1/2 hardware cloth now.

 

[RonP]

Here's what I came up with. I used a cutting board, for the door and metal shelf brackets for it to slide in. I drilled holes for the bar to go through, so it couldn't be lifted. The sill has spacers, It's not a solid bottom where the board goes into. This way the shavings, just fall through. My whole run is covered in 1/2 x 1/2 hardware cloth now.

View attachment 1158924

Nice door!

Curious as to why you close the door since your run seems very secure with 1/2 hardware cloth?

 

[Fairview01]

How big is the raccoon?