Rant: My chicken coop door project turned into a month long mess

Honestly, I figured building an automatic coop door would be a weekend thing. I got a basic kit online and started putting it up last month. The problem wasn't the door itself, it was getting it to seal right against the wind and rain. My coop is on a slight hill, and every time we got a storm, water would drip in right at the top corner. I tried adding more weather stripping, then I rebuilt the whole frame, and I even put on a little roof piece. Tbh, I must have taken that door on and off five times. It finally stopped leaking after I used a thick bead of clear silicone sealant all around the inside edge and let it cure for two full days. Has anyone else had this much trouble getting a coop door to be totally weatherproof? What finally worked for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessacarter17d ago

Forget the seal, the real trick is the door SLOPE. Built mine so it angles out at the bottom just a tiny bit, so any water that hits it runs straight off instead of pooling at the seam.

ray_king17d ago

Wait, you built the door frame with a slope? That's next level. I've only ever seen people try to fix the seal or add a drip edge. How much of an angle are we talking, like a quarter inch over the width?

rileyjones3h ago

Sloped my frame too, that tiny angle made all the difference after weeks of leaks lol.

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