How to Make an Automatic Chicken Coop Door {Easy DIY}

I'll show you how to build your own DIY chicken coop door from scratch using an easy ledge brace design, and installing an automatic chicken coop door opener with light sensor.

You can use this design to work around any automated doors you choose or find my free chicken coop plan and easy pen as seen on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh.

If you're a backyard chicken keeper, you know that early mornings can be a challenge, especially when it comes to letting your hens out safely and bringing them back in.

This is our plan too as we get ready for the new chicken owners! So for peace of mind, I built an automatic coop door for outdoor use to offer my free-range flock easy access to and from their pen and coop.

I'll also show you how to pick the right materials, whether you need treated or untreated wood and how you can build a custom barn door for your outbuilding, chicken shed or existing door frame.

✔️ Why You'll Love This Project

Here are just a handful of reasons why we think you'll love to make an automatic door opener!

• Helps save you time
• It's an easy installation
• Improves chickens' safety
• It's fun to install and see in action
• Total cost can be cheap using salvaged wood
• No need to learn a wiring diagram or power source needed
• It's battery powered - and many have solar power supply options on the market

⚒️Tools and Material Notes

You can refer to my shorter printable guide in the how-to card at the bottom of this post. However, I recommend reading the entire post as I have more detailed tips, tricks, and step-by-step images.

Please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links.

• Auto door - The best automatic chicken coop door you can buy to avoid needing to work around a different model if it breaks
• Wood - I used structural timber such as C16 for the door frame (38mm x 89mm) and ripped down 38mm x 63mm CLS for the door structure and cladded it with tongue and groove. Or you can use a 15mm thick plywood, but you will need shorter screws
• Disc cutter - if you are cutting into bricks (masonry) like I did to create a door in a single story barn. You may need to install a lintel if you bricks above the opening
• SDS hammer drill - only if drilling and screwing a frame to brickwork
• Combi drill and impact driver - I interchange between these for drilling pilot holes in the wood and screwing.
• Compact circular saw with right angle - I used this combination to make cross cuts away from my workshop, but a hand saw and a steady hand is absolutely fine
• Router with flush trim router bit - I use this to router the hole for the chicken door opener, but you could use a jigsaw after drilling a hole to slot the blade in first, or even use a multitool. Remember only the bottom cut needs to be tidy as you will see it.
• AA batteries - if battery powered
• PPE - this is safety goggles, dust mask, ear defenders and steel toe cap boots
• Hardware - T-hinges, handle with two-way latch, cabin hook if you need to keep the entire door in the open position
• Wood preserver and or paint - to protect the door in all weather conditions
• Miscellaneous - masonry, wood screws, packers, wood glue, etc

📋 Step-by-Step Instructions

Please see linked areas which will take you to specific video demonstrations from my YouTube video as a visual to guide you.

1. Mark the opening by following existing brick courses.

Stop the cut line short at floor level to keep soil from spilling into the coop and plan for a small step/ramp on each side if needed.

2. Fix straight battens as guides to cut along on the inside with a disc cutter.

For small outdoor jobs, a mask plus keeping the window in place limits dust in the barn and your lungs.

Remove guides to finish the last passes.

3. Remove any old frame. A reciprocating saw is handy, but watch for hidden nails/brackets - mine dulled on masonry, so some sections came out the old-fashioned way.

Then remove any bricks between your cuts.

4. Fit the frame: C16 uprights secured with masonry screws and packers to keep it square and plumb.

Add DPC at the base to stop splashback rot, and a treated timber header (no lintel here because there's no real load above).

Then seal any gaps with mortar or expanding foam.

5. Build the door: a simple shed-style rectangle from ripped structural timber, allowing 15 mm total clearance for hinges and movement.

Add a diagonal brace aiming toward the hinge side at the bottom to prevent sag.

If using flush hinges, you can have a clearance of 12mm.

6. Glue and screw on tongue & groove down to the frame (make sure you check you're cladding the correct side!)

Then, trim the edges flush with a router or carefully with a handsaw or jigsaw.

7. At this point, drill a large hole from the back of the door inside the frame for the automatic chicken door (big enough to slot a router bit in) and flip the door back over.

Then use a router with a flush trim bit to copy the frame (which trims the cladding down to match).

Or you can use a jigsaw, or multi tool.

8. Screw on the chicken opener, hinges and hardware.

Hang and hardware: fit T-hinges (make sure you fit the hinges on the side where the Z-brace you fitted earlier angles towards the bottom).

Install a two-way latch, cabin hook if needed and add stop laths to prevent the hinges from having too much force on them if opening the opposite way.

Tip: Warm a mortar tube in hot water for ~10 minutes before use - it flows far easier for gap filling around frames.

⚖️ Project Variations

Here are some different ways you can enhance and truly personalise this project:

• Retrofit to an existing coop - the easiest way to retro fit to a solar energy opener is to build a little square frame that you know the auto door can screw to - then mount behind the face of the coop with wood screws and use a flush trim router bit to remove the excess
  
• Add ramps/steps inside and out for easy chicken access; consider a removable ramp for deep-litter bedding or muddy seasons so they can access their nesting box with ease
  
• Deluxe - try to opt for the best automatic chicken coop door you can. If one breaks, your replacement might not fit the hole. I recommend looking for one with safety features as a top priority. One with a mini computer can be a backup on cloudy days, or when there's too much direct sunlight, causing a later closure, and ease of use!
  
• Swing door - you can fit a spring to close, or opt for a horizontal chicken door by Omlet is a better option, although is significantly more expensive

🦺 Safety Tips

• PPE always (mask, eye/ear protection); confirm there's no structural load before removing masonry; avoid cutting near live cables/nails; use sharp blades/bits to prevent kickback; secure workpieces; keep pets well clear.

🧽 Care and Maintenance

• Recoat exterior wood annually and check for woodworm - especially around the opening where end grain is exposed
• Check/replace the automatic door batteries seasonally
• Oil hinges/latch twice a year
• Keep the threshold swept to stop grit from wearing the door edge
• Clean the c channel regularly to prevent debris from causing closure problems
  

❓ FAQ

➕ More Related Projects

Looking for more projects like this? Try these: