When designing your first chicken coop, it’s hard to get everything right the first time. Unfortunately, it’s even harder to fix your mistakes down the road. But when it comes to your chicken coop door, there really are only a few things you need to get right: the size, the height off the ground or floor, and the security.
How do you make a door for a chicken coop? A good door is 10 inches wide and 10 to 13 inches high. The door should be at least 6 inches off the ground, and should swing outwards away from the coop. Some models of automatic doors work well. Manual doors need to have latches and locks that are absolutely secure against predators.
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When building or buying a chicken coop, one of the most important things to think about is what size chicken door you need. The chickens can get to the coop and run area through this door. The right size helps keep predators out while making it easy for the chickens to get in and out. I’ve had chickens for a few years and built a few coops. Here’s what I know about the right size chicken door:
Factors That Determine Chicken Door Size
Several aspects impact the ideal chicken door size:
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Chicken breed – Larger breeds need more space to pass through than bantams.
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Number of chickens – More chickens require a wider door so they don’t crowd.
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Predators – A larger opening may allow predators entry
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Human access – The door should allow you to reach in for cleaning/collecting eggs.
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Ventilation – Some airflow is needed but you want to limit drafts.
Considering these elements will lead you to the perfect chicken door size.
Standard Chicken Door Dimensions
Most chicken keepers recommend a door around 12 x 12 inches. This allows easy passing for full sized hens while deterring predators. Bantams could get by with a 10 x 10 inch door.
If you have a large flock, a wider door around 15 inches gives more room. Tall chickens like Jersey Giants may need a taller 14 inch door.
12 x 12 inches is a good size for a small flock in the backyard. This allows multiple hens to exit together without crowding. And you can reach in to clean it while making it hard for animals to get in.
Door Placement
Where you position the chicken door also matters. Locate it on a side wall near the middle rather than a corner. Predators could more easily access a corner door.
In many plans, the door is between 12 and 18 inches above the floor. This keeps the bedding from spilling out and makes it easy for the chickens to get in and out.
You may want to add a ramp, steps, or roosting bar below the door to make entry simpler. This helps short or young chickens.
Other Chicken Door Considerations
A few other tips for your coop’s chicken door:
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Make sure it opens outward so chickens don’t get trapped inside.
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Add a latch that stays firmly shut at night.
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Consider adding clear plastic or hardware cloth to allow light inside.
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If you have cold winters, insulate around the door to prevent drafts.
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Only open the door during daylight hours when you are home.
By incorporating these guidelines when building or buying your coop, the chicken door should be perfectly sized for your flock. Monitor your chickens’ use after installing it and make any needed adjustments. With the right dimensions in place, your chickens will happily venture out each morning and stay safely locked in at night.
Chicken coop pop door designs
In the event that you choose to use a manual door, you should make your chicken door so it opens to the outside. This way, you don’t have to worry about bedding getting in the way, and the door will be easy for you to open and close.
There are several different styles of chicken doors you can choose from, including:
- Swinging doors—these doors swing open on a horizontal plane
- Sliding doors—these doors slide either horizontally or vertically
- These are called ramp doors, and they open down on a vertical plane. The birds can use them to get in and out of the coop.
I am lucky enough to have chicken coops with all of these designs, so I can show you examples of each.
All three of these doors work fine. The ramp door is my least favorite. The ramp ended up being too steep. In order for the ramp to have been less steep, it would have to have been really long, which kind of defeats the purpose of a ramp door.
You can see in the photo below that my husband had to attach another board to the bottom of the coop at a shallower angle. Now the ramp door rests on that other board when it’s open.
If your coop isn’t elevated at all, you may be able to build a ramp door that works, but most coops should be elevated. To find out why, check out my article, Does your chicken coop need to be off the ground?.
For more on ramps, check out my article, Chicken coop ramps: Your ultimate guide.
Automatic vs. manual chicken coop doors
All of my chicken coops have manual doors. This is because I work from home. I’m always available to open the doors first thing in the morning. And then I close them as soon as the chickens are all back inside for the night.
For me, having an automatic chicken door wouldn’t save me any time. I have to go to the coops to bring the chicken food and water back into the house every night anyway.
However, if you have a less flexible schedule, you may want to consider an automatic chicken coop door. An automatic door can either be set to open and close at a certain time, or it can be set to open and close based on the level of light.
Automatic coop doors have both benefits and disadvantages. Below are some of the pros and cons.
- You don’t need to get up early to hen house.
- At night, you don’t need to remember to shut the door.
- You don’t have to worry about your chickens when you’re not home at night.
- You can leave your chickens alone more easily when you go on vacation.
- The door could be open at night if the power goes out, leaving your chickens vulnerable to drafts.
- When it gets below freezing, some automatic doors stop working.
- Sheep will be stuck in the run all night if the door shuts before all of them are inside.
I pored over dozens of chicken forums, chicken Facebook groups, and Amazon reviews to find out which automatic chicken coop doors are most highly recommended. There are a few brands of automatic chicken coop doors that came up over and over again as the very best automatic doors in the industry.
The ChickenGuard Chicken Coop Door is the most-recommended battery-powered automatic chicken door. This may be the highest-quality chicken coop door available, very heavy duty, designed for all weather, and it comes with a 3-year warranty (or at least at the time of this writing).
Although most batteries only last for 6-9 months, many chicken keepers have said that their ChickenGuard batteries lasted over a year. Regardless, the door does come with an indicator light to let you know the batteries are getting low and need to be changed.
Check out the YouTube video below that reviews the ChickenGuard Automatic Door. The man shows night video footage of his entire flock being stuck in the run because his previous door (not the ChickenGuard door) closed too early. The flock is massacred by what I think is a fox.
The man in the video explains that his previous door (not the ChickenGuard brand) was set to close on a timer, so when the days got longer, the door closed too early and the chickens were stuck in the run. You can set the ChickenGuard Automatic Door to close at a certain light level to prevent this problem.
When it comes to solar-powered chicken coop doors, the majority of chicken keepers recommended theHappy Henhouse Automatic Chicken Coop Door. However, if you check this coop door out here on Amazon, you’ll find one video review showing that the door, while it’s easy to install and works well, isn’t predator-proof.
There’s also a completely different kind of solar-powered door that many recommend, called the Coop Controls Automatic Door. This is a device that attaches to the side of your coop or run and actually closes your existing door.
Below is a YouTube video that shows you how it works and exactly how to install it:
You can make your own automatic door if you’re the DIY type. If you search the chicken forums, you’ll find a lot of examples. Below is a YouTube video showing one example of a homemade automatic door.
Best Automatic Chicken Coop Doors (2025 Update)
FAQ
How big is the chicken coop door?
A width of 9-12 inches allows a single chicken to pass through comfortably. This ensures that most chickens can enter and exit the coop without difficulty. Chicken breeds have varying heights, so the coop door’s height should be adjusted accordingly.
How big should I make a chicken door?
A good chicken coop door is 10 inches wide x 10-13 inches high. The door should be at least 6 inches off the ground, and should swing outwards away from the coop. Some models of automatic doors work well. Manual doors need to have latches and locks that are absolutely secure against predators.
What are the dimensions of an automatic chicken door?
Outside dimensions of the door are 13. 8” x 9. 4” x 1. 3”. Inside door “walk through” dimensions are 10” x 8”.
Is a 4×8 coop big enough for 12 chickens?
These 4×8 chicken coops can house a wide range of chickens. The Q48C is a chicken run and coop combination, so it can’t comfortably house as many chickens as the other models. The Q48C is a great choice for someone looking for a chicken coop for 6 chickens. Our D48 and Q48 chicken coops house 12-16 chickens.