This is really helpful, thank you! Do you think the doors are equally vulnerable without using the automatic door? We don't freeze where I live, but we have lots of chicken-thieving predators and security is my chief concern.
I’m glad it was helpful! I think if there was a way to hook the door closed, then it might prevent predators. I don’t know how it works without the automatic door (as we only have automatic) but I’m sure some sort of simple latch would help. Their website claims they haven’t heard of predator issues, which might be so, but we will see if that changes as more people in the states buy the coops. We will continue to use them through this winter too, we just had too many projects.
I just finished putting together a medium Lodge, so this was really helpful. I'm not going to bother with the automatic door opener, because I also live in rough winter (Maine). I wonder if it would help predator-proof the doors to have a hook on the left hand side to flip the string over so it can't simply be pushed down?
I think the hook would be a good idea. The automatic door openers are awesome in the summer! There’s really only (at least in Wisconsin) two or three months that are cold enough that we need to be there to open the door by hand. I hope it works well for you!
The door itself is mounted on the inside and closes on the backside of the exterior panel. The door and track is thin and for the most part, that design works great, but when it gets really cold everything in the track freezes.
I live in a place with milder winters. Occasional mid teens temp. My rooster ended up with frostbite living in the same Nestera you all have. I had to add a brooder heater in mine to help with that. So far, I like the coop but I was sad that it got so cold. I don’t use a deep litter method; just 2 inches of bedding. And I agree, the door doesn’t make this at all predator proof.
@@gretchenmonty thank you for your thoughts! That’s a bummer! We’ve found the deep bedding helps greatly with the cold. When I stick my hand in it feels noticeably warmer than outside. I hope they can revamp the door design and maybe leave a larger gap between door and floor so that the door freezing shut can be less of a problem. I definitely like the durability aspect of these coops compared to wood.
This is really helpful, thank you! Do you think the doors are equally vulnerable without using the automatic door? We don't freeze where I live, but we have lots of chicken-thieving predators and security is my chief concern.
I’m glad it was helpful! I think if there was a way to hook the door closed, then it might prevent predators. I don’t know how it works without the automatic door (as we only have automatic) but I’m sure some sort of simple latch would help. Their website claims they haven’t heard of predator issues, which might be so, but we will see if that changes as more people in the states buy the coops. We will continue to use them through this winter too, we just had too many projects.
I just finished putting together a medium Lodge, so this was really helpful. I'm not going to bother with the automatic door opener, because I also live in rough winter (Maine). I wonder if it would help predator-proof the doors to have a hook on the left hand side to flip the string over so it can't simply be pushed down?
I think the hook would be a good idea. The automatic door openers are awesome in the summer! There’s really only (at least in Wisconsin) two or three months that are cold enough that we need to be there to open the door by hand. I hope it works well for you!
Are these the biggest nestera coops? Good video thanks!
They are not, we got the “lodge” and I believe they offer larger sizes than when we bought them.
Have you ever thought of mounting the auto door on the inside?
The door itself is mounted on the inside and closes on the backside of the exterior panel. The door and track is thin and for the most part, that design works great, but when it gets really cold everything in the track freezes.
I live in a place with milder winters. Occasional mid teens temp. My rooster ended up with frostbite living in the same Nestera you all have. I had to add a brooder heater in mine to help with that. So far, I like the coop but I was sad that it got so cold. I don’t use a deep litter method; just 2 inches of bedding. And I agree, the door doesn’t make this at all predator proof.
@@gretchenmonty thank you for your thoughts! That’s a bummer! We’ve found the deep bedding helps greatly with the cold. When I stick my hand in it feels noticeably warmer than outside. I hope they can revamp the door design and maybe leave a larger gap between door and floor so that the door freezing shut can be less of a problem. I definitely like the durability aspect of these coops compared to wood.
@@etiennescarbinski7890 glad we could help! We love this coop but we wish it did better when it gets really cold.