There are 2 methods to fit a vsbb automatic chicken coop door when there isn’t enough space to mount the main motor box above the door. This is a common problem when converting a horizontal sliding door to a vertical as is needed for the VSB range of door openers.
Method 1: VSB door opener with limited height
Parts used:
VSBb door opener
Hen Size Door
1x nut and bolt
1 peice of plywood
handful of screws.
First Prepare the door. You’ll need to drill the existing hole to suit the bolt you’ll be using.
Enlarge the existing hole and fit a nut and bolt
To protect the cord on the vsb door opener wrap some tape around the thread of the bolt. You could use a piece of rubber tube
Wrap tape around the bolt to protect the cord from damage by the threads on the bolt
Next you need to cut a peice of wood to support the door opener in front of the door runners. It needs to be 125mm wide to suit the door opener, the lenght will depend on the door you are using. 25mm either side of the runners is plenty.
Prepare a piece of plywood
Screw the vsb door opener onto this piece of wood ensuring the cord is vertical above the bolt.
Now fit the door to your chicken coop so the lower, inner screws for the lower door stop. Position the door with the bolt at the bottom.
Fit the door to the chicken coop
Now hook the loop from the door opener onto the bolt, lift everything to the open position and screw the plywood support onto the chicken house.
Fit the auto door to the chicken coop
Method 2: Fitting a VSBB with limited height
Parts needed
VSBb
Hen door
4x Pulley
1m Spare cord
Attach the cord to the hole in the door.
Tie your spare cord to the door
Fit the door runners as shown in the previous example but this time the hole and cord will be at the top.
Fit the first pulley above the door ensuring the cord runs as vertical as possible.
Fit the first pulley above the door
Then fit the other 3 pulleys and the VSBb. Ensure that the cord will enter the vsb as vertically as possibly and that there is space between the loop and the pulley below it.
Fit the other pulleys and the vsbb door opener
Now raise the door to the open position, thread the cord around the pulleys and tie it to the loop hanging from the door opener.
tie the cord to the loop hanging from the vsb
Trim off any excess cord and fit the batteries.
About admin
Once upon a time, not so very long ago Auntie Bev arrived at Louise's 16th birthday clutching a rather tatty box, full of holes and tied up with orange baler twine. Louise opened the box and out sprang two chickens. (And also the birth of Wells Poultry but we didn't realise until later)
Louise thought this was great although Lesley (Louise's mum) was not impressed to say the least.
Now, a cardboard box isn't the best home for a pair of chickens so next morning I was off to that well know DIY shop in search of timber with a vague idea of what a chicken house looked like. And so our first chicken house was created.
Sadly these first two chickens were swiped by a fox within a few weeks so we bought a trio of birds from a local breeder. I'm sure that is a familiar story to a lot of people - 2 chickens become 3 and then 3 become 6 and then you need more housing.....
Suffice to say, six months later I was building chicken houses full time in the back garden of a terrace house in Reading. Another year on and we moved to Wales for more space and the business continued to grow. We're now preparing to open our new workshop which will double our current space and allow us to take on more staff....
We attribute much of our success to the fact that we are very similar to many of our customers, we're content to keep a few chickens in the back garden as much for amusement as the eggs they produce. We don't have acres of land so know the limitations a back garden flock. And we firmly believe that the only time you'll need to buy another chicken house is when you need a bigger one not because it's fallen apart.
