The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Pomona on April 13, 2009, 08:51:10 am
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I've got a wooden coop with a horizontally sliding pop-hole http://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/rabbitshack-small-chicken-house-RS-709S.html (http://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/rabbitshack-small-chicken-house-RS-709S.html)
I would really like an automatic pop hole opener/closer: means I don't have to get up at the increasingly early dawn to let the birds out, and I can go away without having to ask neighbours to nip in at dusk to shut them in again at night.
Question is: would an automatic door opener/closer work on a horizontal pop-hole? I've seen them for vertical ones and they seem to work really well, I'm just not sure if they'd work as effectively on a horizontal door... ???
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i think you may find it easier to change the slide direction of the pop hole cover to up/down. I have an automatic opener ( fantastic things) It relies on the weight of the door to close as the pulley feeds out the string....obviously this cant happen if the door slides across the way! So your set up would open, but not close.
HTH Emma
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this is a question i have posed myself
our door too is horizontal and because of the info pikilily has given i now realise i would have to change the door. shame but maybe worth a go in time
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it is really easy to set up a door for up / down closing. you only need a few pieces of wood. If you want i could do a diagram and email it to you...can't seem to put an attachment on the AS website.
Emma
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i was going to get a auto door BUT, theres a feedback on these somewhere that made me change my mind...... they freeze up in the winter, as you know sometimes the door sticks to the shed in winter when you try to open it... so the motor runs the line goes tight then brakes so the birds are imprisoned untill you check, so if you have to check it daily a bit of a waste of money..and if you go away and it sticks they will all be dead when you come back..harry
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aha, yes i had read about that...
.so i just put in a couple of screws at the very bottom under the sliding door, into the sill. So the door never actually rests totally on the lower sill lip. (gap of 2-5 mm is sufficient) Even with all the snow, melts and hard frosts it did not jam. The other thing you could do is make a sort of covered porch area so rain and snow doesnt land on the runner - guides and sill of the sliding door. Also I made the door out of a plastic board thing so the snow etc is less likely to stick on it!
HTH Emma :chook:
I love it, this is all part of being self sufficient...the problem solving and the working with what you have in a creative way ;). Personally I decided that I would rather have the hens trapped inside for a day than all slaughtered by the foxes. I do always have fresh food and water in the hoose so they are not suffering. Also if the weather is really that bad the hens would probably want to stay inside anyway. HTH