Chook Me!

Chickens, and their coop door options...?

too bad there isn't an agriculture section, unless there is, and i missed it. sorry! I am in the process of designing a chicken coop/ tractor but i am hung up on the door leading to the run. what are the pros/ cons of bottom hinged, top hinged, side hinged, and sliding doors? i would like to avoid having the door get stuck, and i just can't find a consolidated answer online. thanks in advance! thank you so much, i think i will go with the top hinge then.

Public Comments

1. It depends on the layout of your coop and personal preference. I had a sliding door in my previous coop that slid upwards. It was a hassle because it always got shavings, litter, and dirt stuck in the sliding part and would get jammed. Also, it wore out quickly and had to be replaced. Now I have a top-hinged door that swings upward and connects to the wall with a latch. It works very well. The only problem I have had with it is that the chickens often knock the latch out of place so it slams shut, but that was easily solved with a lew locking latch. Whatever you deciede, make sure it is very secure and both stays tightly shut at night via a bolt or latch and stays open during the day, so the chickens dont get stuck out or in. Have fun with the tractor coop!
2. I use a top hinged door on my coop - it has a little hook and loop ring on the door. Where the door meets the bottom of doorframe, there is a little hook, and at the top there is a little hook. This way I can lock it open or lock it shut. It's very effective. If you used a bottom hinged one, the door could double as a walk up into the coop, but it would get really dirty and nasty fast.