Does anyone else leave the pop hole open?

[Bramble-Poultry]

a good handful of ferret poo down the rat runs and holes does the power of good at driving the rats next door. they dont like the smell of ferret! and theres nothing that smells more of ferret than a randy hob ferret!!

[Suechooks]

a good handful of ferret poo down the rat runs and holes does the power of good at driving the rats next door. they dont like the smell of ferret! and theres nothing that smells more of ferret than a randy hob ferret!!

Are you going to market it ? You could have a stall at the next sale at Morda!

[RichmondHens]

a good handful of ferret poo down the rat runs and holes does the power of good at driving the rats next door. they dont like the smell of ferret! and theres nothing that smells more of ferret than a randy hob ferret!!

Ha ha - That sounds disgusting!

[m+s chooks]

Hi all dont know if this idea would be of any use to anybody Have used this for 3 weeks now, it only opens the door but thats all I want. I sort their run and feed out in the evening and reset it then. My door slides sideways, but would work if your door lifts upwards. All it is, is a Mirror Ball Motor that costs £9.99 from Maplins. You can get them for a couple of quid less on E Bay though. The Maplin one is 3 RPM, the spindle has 2 holes, in the end one I just put some nuts and a bolt to stop the from cord coming off. Just screw the motor about a foot away from slideing door and above on vertical doors. Attach cord to door and motor, I used strimmer line and a metal hook and eye on the door. Then plug in to Digital timer. It must be digital so you can time it from a minute. Mine takes 2 minutes to open. It was really nice having a lay in the last 3 weekends

[Bephlam]

That looks good m+s!

[MaureenHall]

A big welcome m+s chooks I LOVE that door opener!! I don't mind shutting the doors at night but I'd just sometimes like to be able to have a bit of a lie in

[m+s chooks]

Thanks for the welcome MaureenHall as you say you are like me its not the evening shutting i mind i sort out their run ,food etc without their help i have light in the run so cleaning them out at night is not a problem i can also see them out in the run from the front room window so i can check that all is well and the door has opened just wish i had thought of it earlier in the year when we had all that snow

[lettucegrow!]

What a brilliant idea m+s. I'm the same as mo, I actually quite enjoy the good night ritual and seeing them all tucked up safe and sound but at this time of year it's light so early, mine are already banging on the door to get out at 6:30 am. Soon as they hear the back door go, the really start creating!
I left mine open all last summer and they were fine, but have been closing it during the really cold spell we had.

[frias]

Hi m+s chooks, welcome to the vine. Your pop hole opener looks good. I keep thinking I'll get a proper one but they keep going up in price. I always check the girls are all in the coop at night and the run is secure. The run is half covered so the pop hole is out of the wind and rain. If I wake early I check the girls from the window and have been amazed to see them up so early. Much earlier than I want to stagger downstairs and brave the elements.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi all dont know if this idea would be of any use to anybody Have used this for 3 weeks now, it only opens the door but thats all I want. I sort their run and feed out in the evening and reset it then. My door slides sideways, but would work if your door lifts upwards. All it is, is a Mirror Ball Motor that costs £9.99 from Maplins. You can get them for a couple of quid less on E Bay though. The Maplin one is 3 RPM, the spindle has 2 holes, in the end one I just put some nuts and a bolt to stop the from cord coming off. Just screw the motor about a foot away from slideing door and above on vertical doors. Attach cord to door and motor, I used strimmer line and a metal hook and eye on the door. Then plug in to Digital timer. It must be digital so you can time it from a minute. Mine takes 2 minutes to open. It was really nice having a lay in the last 3 weekends [ATTACH]13419[/ATTACH]

Hello M&S, welcome to the Vine! Excellent idea! Think you should patent it!

[Urban Chickens]

I never leave it open incase of Mr Fox!

[BUFFS]

i could never leave mine open as we get the gales straight off the sea in the winter and the constant cold of this winter has been exceptional,weeks of subzero and some nights down to -14(bought a good thermometer last year),so birds would be blown about inside coop(lost a complete greenhouse a few years ago ,8x6,neighbour saw it 50ft+ heading up in an easterly direction...never found) and i wouldnt be happy unless the girls were nice and snug....big softie really

[m+s chooks]

Thanks for the welcome Frias & Dextersdoglancashire come the warmer weather if it ever comes i will leave the pop hole open so they can come and go as they please they aint stupid they always roost the other side of the pop hole

[Hilary B]

I don't keep chooks these days, but when I did, the door was never closed (in fact most of the time there was no door), but the house was always in a relatively sheltered spot (apart from the day the whole thing got blown away by a freak wind, no chooks harmed!)
That was a tin shed, about 6ft square with NO DOOR, positioned behind a building where normal wind just didn't go.
Previous to that they just had the run of all the farm buildings day and night, but we got tired of finding eggs in strange places, and chicken poo all over the haystacks when we wanted to feed the sheep!