alt Hacker NewsFor those who have chicken coops: why do you have separate doors for chicken and people?
My dad used to keep chicken and they just went through the same door and we'd just open it in the morning and close it in the evening.
Other people in my home town have similar arrangements and I feel I'm missing some important thing :)
Replies
The dedicated chicken door can be automated. It's nice to be able to go on vacation, or sleep in, or not suddenly wake up and wonder if you remembered to shut the door.
For me: the chicken door goes into a fenced enclosure to keep the chickens safe from predators.
I don't want to enter the enclosure, so I have my own door to go in and service the coop, fetch the eggs, etc.
The enclosure has a gate when I want to let the chickens out, as well.
Having an enclosure lets me leave the house for a couple days, at least, and not feel like I've imprisoned them.
Separate doors make it easier to access without releasing the chickens, if you need to (they're relatively habitual and if they never use the "people door" they won't really try to).
Easier to automate a small door, and control where it goes.
It looks cooler; people like "small doors for small things" - like the half-height garage doors at Walmart for shopping carts.
If small enough, it can reduce at least SOME predator incidents (but this is minor).