Storms and chickens

[Guest]

Its happened before but I just put it down to Mum being weak as I had no problem but this morning she couldn't open the cube door. I had to get out of bed (off sick) and go out to do it and I COULDN'T OPEN IT EITHER.

 

I was pulling out hard as I could and then I couldn't twist it, pushed it in, pulled it out and no twist. It was freezing so I opened the egg port and went in, girls very confused and were already annoyed as they had obviously heard all the attempted door opening and were well ready to come out.

 

Silly girls didn't manage to pop out of the egg port (right next to a bench so only a small jump) and I went out again and after a huge tug I finally managed to twist and open the door.

 

I'll pop some WD40 on it later but I was wondering if anyone else had this trouble?

[Egluntyne]

Could it have become frozen do you think?

 

Not sure that WD40 is a good idea near the hens.

 

How about a bit of Vaseline.

[Guest]

It wasn't frozen there was just a little frost on the roof, its quite sheltered in a corner between my kitchen and Mums conservatory.

 

I'll try vasaline - sure we have some somewhere!

[Snowy]

I've just started using mine again now we are getting frosty nights - it stuck the first time but I assumed it was because it had not been used much. But it's still very stiff and 'crunchy' (if you see what I mean), not smooth at all.

[Guest]

Very stiff - I really had to tug it to open it today. I have mine shut every night as its not in the run yet, in fact we don't actually use the run, after spending all summer building it

 

Its only the second time Mum hasn't been able to open it but its the first time I couldn't.

[Helen&Lee]

very stiff and 'crunchy'

 

Good description Snowy

 

I have shut mine every night since we got them due to no roof on part of the run and the mechanism is just like that.

 

Helen

[urbanchick]

Yep, mine gets stuck occasionally, on coldish mornings. And it is quite juddery when opening and closing it. I got it changed when it stopped shutting properly, but the new one's not much better.

[Richard]

Mine stuck when I first got the Cube - I did post about it on the forum - but I sort of twisted and forced it and it was OK then.

 

But I haven't actually twisted and closed the handle since - I just pull it open and push it closed, but when it is open I leave the handle projecting if you see what I mean.

[Gallina]

I have been nervous from the start about the possibility of the door mechanism going wrong, as I don't understand how it works and I wouldn't know how to put it right. It also seems stiff and awkward, and exactly the sort of thing I am good at wrecking by being too rough, so I treat it with extreme caution.

 

It has been fine so far, despite my fears, but I think I will follow Richard's advice and leave the handle sticking out all the time -- I don't think I could cope with trapped chickens with nowhere to lay their eggs on one of these cold and frosty mornings.

[Richard]

I have been nervous from the start about the possibility of the door mechanism going wrong, as I don't understand how it works and I wouldn't know how to put it right. It also seems stiff and awkward, and exactly the sort of thing I am good at wrecking by being too rough, so I treat it with extreme caution.

 

.

 

I felt very much the same. I couldn't really see the mechanism and can't get at it - which makes me nervous. I feel the same about the centreboard winch on my boat which I can't get into!

 

However I did work out that if it all went wrong I could hacksaw off the sliding handle and bolt an ordinary handle through the door itself - and slide it open and closed that way. So then I felt happier!

[The Dogmother]

I had that same problem with a cube that I was demonstrating at a show last year - I got the impression that it wasn't the first time either Might be worth all of you emailing James to let him know the scale of the problem so that thay can look at fixing it.

[Guest]

I will fire off an email. I'll also leave it sticking out - makes no difference to us really.

[Richard]

I'll also leave it sticking out - makes no difference to us really.

 

sorted!

[Jaime]

I'll also leave it sticking out - makes no difference to us really.

 

My door stuck when I was showing somebody how it works... Krysia I think... recently when it was very cold I thought I would leave the handle out but then when I came to open the door my one wont let you open the door unless you do the twist - push the handle in - pull it out and then open the door. I think the Hokey Cokey fitted in somwhere too. So I might as well push the handle in at the beginning.

[Richard]

I'll also leave it sticking out - makes no difference to us really.

 

My door stuck when I was showing somebody how it works... Krysia I think... recently when it was very cold I thought I would leave the handle out but then when I came to open the door my one wont let you open the door unless you do the twist - push the handle in - pull it out and then open the door. I think the Hokey Cokey fitted in somwhere too. So I might as well push the handle in at the beginning.

 

that sounds strange as the way I envisage the mechanism it shouldn't need that - you should be able to just pull and push it and not turn it at all, which works fine (so long as you don't mind leaving the handle sticking out when the door is closed).

[Snowy]

Mines OK now, I think it got stuck because there was a chicken sitting in the doorway. (she's OK now though!)

[Richard]

Mines OK now, I think it got stuck because there was a chicken sitting in the doorway. (she's OK now though!)

 

the one time mine did get stuck, before I started not pushing it back in, I pushed and pushed and twisted and..... then it went, all of a rush, and there was a tremendous sqwaaark becos poor Arrietty had got trapped between the door, opening all of a sudden, and the wall of the cube!

[The Dogmother]

Ouch!