[jertzee]

We are out tonight, and we have a choice of either keeping the pop hole open so the chooks can get out of the coop and into their safe, enclosed run in the morning when they are ready   OR

we can close it all when we go out and only open it about 10am tomorrow morning when we get back.

The run is enclosed and any vermin would need to get into the run first - what do people think???

[evie2]

Do you have a neighbour or friend who can let them out tomorrow. Jertzee?

[jertzee]

No, that is why I am suddenly on here!!!

I ave just searched and a few people have done, and it seems that drafts and rats are the main concerns.

I would rather risk that for one night than have the poor thinkgs in a coop til 10 or 11am.

The coop is plenty big enough just doesn't seem right.

[Chookiechook]

I leave mine open every night   the run is just as secure as the house in my case so not really any more dangerous.... unless the draughts get them

[grenhouse]

Either or its upto you! If your positive nothing will get in then leave it open, however its not going to cause any problems if you keep them locked up until 10am once every so often ( i would just put some water in the coup with them.

Steve

[wolverine]

I would not underestimate mr fox lock them up till ten the worst you'll get is morning poo in the coop can you blank off the windows if there are any if it's dark they sleep longer I find

[EJCTM]

OK, I will fess up. On occasion we have forgotten to lock them up at night, AND on occasion we have slept in on a Sunday morning, and they have been let out very late in the morning.

Bad chicken-keepers! But they were all right 

If planned rather than accidental, I think the lesser of the 2 evils would be an early night and a longer sleep in the morning. They might wake the neighbours with the noise however (you don't need a cockerel to have morning "let me out now" noise!) so it would be a good idea to cover any windows and keep them a bit dark.

[SUTTY1]

Ialways leave poop open into secure run, we do have foxes round here, i just check fences etc everyday

[SUTTY1]

As for Rats,they may eat left over pellets etc but have seen my birds chase them off

[hillfooter]

This might be academic now but locking them up early and letting them out late won't kill them once in a while.  However it's your choice and personally I've done both.

For the future if your house is suitably designed (ie has a vertically dropping pophole) and it's not too far for a 12V cable run from a mains socket top power supply in an outhouse, you can  make an automatic door opener/closer from easily bought parts.  Then you can go out in an evening and lay in late to your hearts content.   No soldering or electronic knowledge is needed and is within anyone's capability who has a modicum of practical ability.
 
You will need, an electric car aerial (£18 ebay), two clothes line drier pulleys (£4 ebay), a length of 42mm waste pipe optional but best (£2.50 B&Q)), some non-stretch cord (ebay£2), a couple of 12Vdc 2A plug top power supplies (£8- £9 ebay) (the type often used for powering small electrical gadgets), a digital (or mechanical) mains timer (£4.50 ebay or Tesco/any supermarket), some old mains cable (or you can buy new).  All these parts can be sourced on ebay very cheaply.  Here's some photos of the motor/ pulley system.  Some screws and bits and pieces of wood.


The antenna extends and runs in the waste pipe which runs under the eaves of the roof.  The cord is attached to the end of the antenna and runs over the pulleys to raise and lower the door which falls under gravity.  The aerial motor is powered by one dc plug top supply (needs to be 1Adc min and 2A is better).  The up down signal to the aerial is generated by the second DC psu powered from the mains timer.  When on (12V) the antenna extends and the door shuts.  When off (Ov) the antenna is retracted and the door opens.  The pulley can be arranged as a two loop system or a three loop system depending on the length of the aerial extension.  Three loop is suitable for extensions of 900mm to 1mtr ish (dividing by three moves the door by a third of the extension).  A two loop arrangement is suitable for extensions from 600mmm to 900mm (door raise or lower movement is divided by two).  A two wheel upper pulley is needed for a three loop arrangement as shown, or two single pulleys are needed for a two loop arrangement.  The end of the cord being fixed to the door in the three loop or the house in the two loop.  Poly  parrot is optional but flies to indicate open and perches to indicate shut for indication from a distance.
HF

[wolverine]

that sound like a ball ache you can buy one ready made for not much really and save the hastle of buying each component seperatly. I'd rather pay a bit more and have one that didn't look like it's straight out of a wallice and gromit film. no offence hillfooter yours looks great 
you no doubt have more skill and knoledge in the area of home made pop hole openers than most 

[joyfull]

I have seen Hillfooters set up and must say it is great - especially as he has his connected to his electric fencing so when the pop hole is open the fencing is switched on, when the pop hole is closed the fencing is off - a simple idea that works brilliantly 

[hillfooter]

The fun is in the doing it really and achieving something that works.  Any problem can be apparently solved by throwing money at it as Gordon Brown and Tony Blair can tell you but I like to be a bit more frugal than them.  

I guess my system was born out of the need to control 5 houses it's pointless to just have one system when there's several houses to control.  If I were to buy commercial one's for 5 houses on a timer system it would have cost well over £600 to do were as I have one contoller operating 5 actuators like on the houses I posted the photos of, at a total cost of £125 ish (I used scrap bits such as cable to save cost and my controller is more electronics based with light sensors and timers, than the simple one I described and operates off a leisure battery in a field).  I looked at the commerical one and although I could design and build it cheaply it needed more mechanical skill and was more difficult to source parts than my design which could largely be built from pre-assembled parts which were easy to buy.  Also the opening motor and pulley system was much more powerful than the comercial dc motor and gearbox which required that the door was light weight.  mine operates a heavy standard Lenham door with no counter balances required.

It's been working for a year now without missing a beat or beheading a chicken and allows us long weekends and holidays away without the worry that the house will be left open at night.  It's Ok to ask the neighbours (in our case the SIL or daughter) to collect eggs, top up feed/water and check round in the day time but quite another to expect them to visit at first light or after dark to lock up over an extended period.  

If you enjoy the challenge of constructing a project this is within your and Wallace and Grommit's capabilities and needn't look like a Heath Robinson contraption.  

How about a few more posts on people's creative efforts and not just houses??

Best of luck with the screw drivers and saws.
HF

[bownty]

I think you are brilliant Hillfooter. I'm all for owt wallace & gromit if it saves money. Sounds like a brill idea.. Im not very tech freindly so would need some practical help.

[hillfooter]

I think you are brilliant Hillfooter. I'm all for owt wallace & gromit if it saves money. Sounds like a brill idea.. Im not very tech freindly so would need some practical help.

I'm always willing to help.  
To understand the techy bits isn't difficult and if you can programme a mains timer like the ones you can buy in any supermarket or from IKEA these days then that's the only complexity.  Even my 93 yo MIL can do that to switch on her lamp shade lights.

If enough are interested I can create a thread covering the project.  Otherwise you can PM me if you have any questions.

You will need a very basic understanding of electricity sufficient to understand how to make connections using a terminal strip and to be able to understand some of the basic terminology.  A willingness to learn and have a go is really all you need, this isn't rocket science and you won't be coming into contact with any dangerous voltages which will give you a shock or have any safety implications.  I always think this must be easy because even electricians can do it  Apologies to any electricians who are reading this  You will also need a few DIY skills like how to strip the insulation from wire and simple sawing and drilling wood.  Using a screwdriver to make electrical connections and putting in wood screws.  You will need some basic hand tools, an electric drill but also a electrical multimeter will be useful for just one task to identify the polarity of the dc supply wires from the plug top psu's.  If you don't have this or can borrow one you are going to have to rely on identifying the correct wire lead by mechanically inspecting which wire is connected to the positive terminal of the moulded plug.  


Best wishes
HF