Securing pop door on new coop

[Sueby]

We have an automatic door in a set up that was just like yours. We removed the ramp & created a track for the door on the outside. We ran the string for the door with 2 pulleys to the outside of the run so we didn't have to go in if we needed to manually close or open it & it's also under cover from the weather.

 

[Clabbergirl]

We have an automatic door in a set up that was just like yours. We removed the ramp & created a track for the door on the outside. We ran the string for the door with 2 pulleys to the outside of the run so we didn't have to go in if we needed to manually close or open it & it's also under cover from the weather.

View attachment 1876505

We're thinking an outside door would be easier to install than one inside due to the way the roost is on the nesting boxes, but it won't look as nice. I suppose we could find some very narrow trim of some kind to make a track, or at least cut out a notch on any track material we use on that left side of the inside of the door.

Now that I think about it, I suppose we could install the ramp door upside down on a hinge with a pully system to open/close it. But the door/ramp is so heavy, I'd be afraid if it fell shut somehow it could hurt one of the girls.

We don't have the option for an electric automatic door, so it would need to be solar. The whole battery thing seems daunting. It's funny - we bought a premade coop so we wouldn't have to build anything. Ha ha ha.

 

[Sueby]

Ours is battery - they last forever.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ours is battery - they last forever.

x2. Mine's been on the same batteries for 14 months now, still haven't gotten a low power warning.

 

[Clabbergirl]

This is encouraging. Husband and I are now considering either making our run ‘officially secure’ so we don’t have to close the pop door, or getting an automatic door opener. He likes to check on them at night, so he may not use the automatic option, if turning that off is an option. Off to research the best door for the price. And yikes, the price!

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

We don't have the option for an electric automatic door, so it would need to be solar

The ADOR automatic door runs on a 6-volt lantern battery for about a year (so they say).

 

[rosemarythyme]

He likes to check on them at night, so he may not use the automatic option, if turning that off is an option. Off to research the best door for the price. And yikes, the price!

If you don't need an automated opener then a guillotine door that can be manually pulleyed open and closed can be crafted or even purchased for much less. Like the one in Sueby's post (#11), that opener and the door + tracks can be purchased separately, or you can rig up your own with some sheet metal and route some wood for the rails.

 

[SueHasChickens]

I'm looking for a coop door opener, that swings a door open and closes it at night. They are so expensive, does anyone have any ideas for DIY? Is anyone selling one that they are not using any longer?