Best Automatic chicken door made.. Chicken Guard

[kardar2]

Looks great! you need to put fabric down under you roost it will make it a lot easier to clean.

 

[shpion1]

Thanks. thought about a "sifter" like of 1/4 hardware netting under that just lifts, but the size would be a little unwieldy. So the roost boards are on hinges, raise and tie up, then use kitty litter scoop to get the poop from PDZ, spread and replenish, good for another 4-5 days, takes mere minutes. will likely clean every couple days once chicks reach maturity. poop board slides out on a specific access door, can be scraped and hosed (whiteboard), then boards it sits on are sitting in joist hangers so those too pop out and can hose it down when needed. once i insulate the rest of the walls with whiteboard (before winter), then the whole think is washable. there's another access door at floor level so I just sweep up all the woodshavings in a wheelbarrow, clean the linoleum, fresh shavings and PDZ... done in 5 minutes.

questions for the pro's, is it advisable to use Barn Dry in the run to keep some of the smell down? not sure if the chicks would eat it, can't imagine would be too good for them?

 

[ilovechickens93]

Just received my chicken guard extreme model about a week ago and so far am very impressed...makes my life much easier and gives me peace of mind about my chickens...it seems strange that this product is not more well known as it is highly useful

 

[room onthebroom]

Hi Cindy.
I'm looking into buying the same timer that you have, but with the door. Are you still happy with it? Have you had any issues? Does it seem like a raccoon could push it up? I would love to hear an updated review if you have the time. Thanks.
-Charlene

 

[Cindy in PA]

Hi Cindy.
I'm looking into buying the same timer that you have, but with the door. Are you still happy with it? Have you had any issues? Does it seem like a raccoon could push it up? I would love to hear an updated review if you have the time. Thanks.
-Charlene

I did have a problem about 4 weeks after I installed it. Suddenly one morning it didn't open & I was going away the next day! I emailed the company & they called me immediately. Seems the units can get knocked around in shipping & they walked me through making sure the boards were correctly aligned & snapped together. It was really simple & it was fixed in 5 minutes. They also claimed they had modified shipping so this would not happen in the future. For 2 months now it has been working flawlessly & I never have to think about it. The girls love getting out early. Their customer service seems great & I would definitely buy again. A raccoon would have a hard time pushing in the door, as it runs in a track.

 

[room onthebroom]

I did have a problem about 4 weeks after I installed it. Suddenly one morning it didn't open & I was going away the next day! I emailed the company & they called me immediately. Seems the units can get knocked around in shipping & they walked me through making sure the boards were correctly aligned & snapped together. It was really simple & it was fixed in 5 minutes. They also claimed they had modified shipping so this would not happen in the future. For 2 months now it has been working flawlessly & I never have to think about it. The girls love getting out early. Their customer service seems great & I would definitely buy again. A raccoon would have a hard time pushing in the door, as it runs in a track.

Thanks! Having a problem the day before you leave town is one of those weird things that would be likely to happen to me too. I figured a predator wouldn't be able to push the door in, but those raccoons are so smart & their opposable thumbs so dexterous that I'm afraid they might be able to slide it up. I probably sound like a paranoid lunatic, but the girls are lap pets & we are devastated when we lose one 'naturally' ... I would never forgive myself if we lost one to a preventable flaw in the coop. I might copy & paste this onto a new thread to see if anyone in the community has had a 'sliding up' issue with any of their doors before sinking such a huge amount of money into it. Thanks again!

 

[Cindy in PA]

Mine goes down about 3 inches below the opening, so the chance of them getting their paws under it is minimal. I don't think they could just push it up by pawing the plexiglass , but I guess it's possible. My door was always that way with no lock, so I am not worried.

 

[room onthebroom]

Mine goes down about 3 inches below the opening, so the chance of them getting their paws under it is minimal. I don't think they could just push it up by pawing the plexiglass , but I guess it's possible. My door was always that way with no lock, so I am not worried.

Good to know! I watched a youtube video of the door & from the angle of the camera it looked like it closed flush with the floor. The one that opens out (chicken guard?) also looked like it closed flush. (Are there magnets back there? Whats keeping that one closed???) We are not very handy in the construction department & this will be our third attempt at a coop. The first was solid, but too small & we rehomed it along with the very first eggs we hatched (both roo's.) The second & current one is bigger than the 1st, but still too small. We are hoping the 3rd one that we're mapping out now will be 'just right' & hopefully the last coop we'll ever need. With that delusion in mind, I'm trying to make it as near perfect from the get go. Our latest batch of teens (10wks) are grazing out in the yard with everybody else, but still sleeping in their brooder. I know they grow fast & they're gonna need to start sleeping with the big girls soon, so I've got to get on this pretty quick. I really appreciate the input!

 

[naturalchickens]

In the USA, it looks like the Chickenguard premium and Extreme models are sold on www.myfavoritechicken.com (cheapest), also Amazon Prime, and a few listings on eBay. They are selling for between $190-$230. I think the rest are sold from the UK. Hope this helps!

 

[All Ball]

Ouch! The prices have gone up quite a bit since I got mine last year - I got mine from Pioneer Farm Goods, which beats the prices you quote, but is still more than last year! I did not get the door, just the box.

I have had mine for roughly a year and am entirely happy with it.

I had also been worried about raccoons being able to push up the plexiglass (I made my door out of plexiglass) - so far it has not happened. The door falls into a groove between two wood slats, but I can still push it up with the heel of my hand against the plastic. I had started working on a locking system but never finished it - grew complacent. So far so good. FYI, I had emailed the Chickenguard people and they had said they were going to start work on a locking door system - not easy to do however, and don't know if that is still in their plans.