Alternate automatic coop door idea

[Rubysword]

Our summer is going to be rather chaotic, and at one point we will be leaving our chickens to the care of another for an entire week. To make things easier for them, I am trying to figure out how to make an automatic door so they only have to come once a day, in the evening. However, I have seen a few threads of people's chickens getting crushed by them, and I have so many stupid chickens that I decided to try and find a different way than for the door to be pushed.

The basic idea is that I'll use a toy motor, like this:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008595SC8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 to raise a door made out of (?), when a christmas tree timer activates it. When the caretaker came, they could unwind the (?) cord from a wheel on the end of the motor to close the door. The chicken door would be held in place by two pieces of wood with notches on the side. Any suggestions as to what I should make the door out of? Also, I'm having trouble finding a wheel suitable to wind coil around. I'm thinking of using fishing line right now, but I's love suggestions! The build will be done this Thursday, and we'll test it on Friday. i'm cutting it a bit close, since I'm leaving on Friday, but my dad should be able to tinker with it in the additional day he has after I leave.

 

[Rubysword]

https://www.amazon.com/Turntable-Sy...29335526&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=ac+motor&psc=1
Would actually be a motor like this, because as my dad enlightened me, the other one was DC and the timer works on AC.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I'd use plastic-coated steel cable, not fishing line. More expensive, but you'd not have to worry about replacing it (fishing line wears out.) And I think that the wheel you want is a cord storage wheel. Could be wrong.

 

[Rubysword]

My dad was just saying he thought fishing line was too flimsy, lol.(In case you can't tell, he's the main advisor on this project). I'll see is I can find a cord storage wheel. For the motor we settled on, it would have to have an inner diameter of about 7 mm.(It's a pretty small motor.)

 

[Rubysword]

Hmmm... We may want to find a bigger motor, lol. I think I've been thinking too small scale. The reviews of this one are making me think it won't consistently raise a door made out of any sort of sturdy material.

I think we're going to make our own pulley, from a dowel and washers.

Update: We're going to use the motor from a microwave whose microwaves went kaput, if it works.

 

[jthornton]

You will need a few things for this to work:
DC Motor
DC Power Supply
Some kind of sensor to know when the door is up/down ( I used magnetic switches)
A relay to energize the motor
A relay to reverse direction
A 24 hour timer to say when to open and close.

Here is my door and I used some paracord to raise and lower the door. I also had a lock at the time of the video but it has failed so I removed it.

Edit: Here is a list of the components used on the original door.

JT

 

[Rubysword]

I think that's the type of door we'll try to make when we have more time. Right now, we're just trying to rig a (rather ghetto) machine out of the materials we have to open the door. Our pet sitter will rewind it. Thank you for the information though! I'll probably try to make something like that when I have more time.

 

[jthornton]

How do you plan on stopping the motor when the door is up all the way?

JT

 

[Rubysword]

We're going to tinker with how far away it is, and set the christmas tree timer for the smallest increment of "on". It will probably be very far away from the door, and the door will go up slowly, as the motor goes at 15-18 rpm.

 

[jthornton]

Be sure and let us know what happens when you try it.

JT