We havea small chicken door cut into our barn but we also have big barn doors and our chickens prefer the barn door being open. They love to start at one end and than fly as far as they can get out the door, the other chickens tried it with their door and had a few head bumps now they continue to use their ramp to get out.

When it's really cold outside, or the snow or rain are blowing, it's nice to be able to open just a small door and keep the majority of the barn dry and/or warmer.

Also, I figure that a smaller door is less obvious to predators -- that might just be hopeful thinking, but certainly my large dog cannot get through the small chicken door but would just love it if I left the regular door open so she could terrorize the hens all day.

My vote would be to make a small entry if you can. Is your barn siding above the foundation walls? Cut a hole in there and build a ramp or ladder for the hens to travel up and down.

--Johanna

I suppose a small door would be nice when it is really cold, but in the spring, when we open the doors up in the morning, we have 70 chickens flying in our faces trying to get out into the fresh air and sunshine. Maybe they would line up and take their turns with a small door, but also maybe some would get hurt! We could cut a small door into the hoop house doors, but so far haven't seen a reason.

Ventilation would be better, I guess, but we have had a whole month of sub zero nightime temps and sure wouldn't want anything at all open during those nights. So --- I wouldn't worry about it. Lots of things can just be done if and when necessary. We have learned so many things just by doing when all we heard was the opposite opinion on this forum and others.

I knew I came to the right place! Thanks for the advice and feedback. After reading your suggestions, my biggest concern is what Johanna mentioned-- that in the winter this will allow too much cold into the coop. I hadn't even considered that. So, I guess I have two options-- cut a door higher up, past the cement, with a ramp going inside; or maybe get a large "dog door" to install in the steel door. I'll ask my husband what he thinks will be an easier project, since he'll be doing the work!

In the meantime, I think we will use it as is for the summer and see how it works.

Thanks again for the feedback, it is much appreciated.

Not pretty to some but a cabniet door from a old kitchen cabniet painted it red to match the barn and put it on the outside. We take a hook and latch it at night and leave it looked during the cold months trust me its been -33 here with wind chills lately. Keeps out cold air. You could if you have no beams like me across the walls attach it in the inside of the chicken house. I run a brooder space heater and two lamps in my barn during the cold months and had to add waterers with heated bases. But that little door we put over the little door does wonders. I use the big door because we have put in a seperate area as we had roos fighting and seperated our bunch.

How small can the chicken door be?

--Jonathan

Jonathan--

The size depends on a few things. I have 18 chickens. I think the "hatch" door I put in is about a foot wide by eight inches tall. They line up to get out, but two chickens will squeeze through it at the same time in their rush to get out. Roberta mentioned she has 70 hens and it would be chaos for that many to try to exit through a little door.

Mine could be a little bit narrower, but if it were any shorter the rooster would really have to duck to get through. I suppose if you were raising exhibition chickens you wouldn't want their feathers rubbing on the sides of the doorframe.

Does that help at all?

--Johanna

I use both, you can certainly survive w/a regular size door. During the winter I prop the large door wide open during the day but if it's too cold and windy I stick a skinny garden stake between the hinged side of the door so it stays (jammed) open just a little, giving the brave birds access to the outdoors while still providing some shield to the ones inside.

-Sheila

Thanks Johanna!

My plan is to have 6 to 10 dual purpose hens.

A height of 8 inches is helpful. I didn't know it could be that low. What do you think a minimum width would be?

--Jonathan