Later this summer, our family will be going on a road trip for several days and we will need some sort of automatic door opener/closer for our hens. We won't have a problem finding someone to collect their eggs (ha, free eggs!) and make sure they have food and water, but I think it would be a little much to ask a neighbor to wake up at the crack of dawn to let them out and then come back to put them back in at night. We don't have the available spending moolah for a Pullet-Shut or fancy motor and accompanying door, so I'm looking for help from the super-handy people here on BYC. Is it possible to build an auto door opener/closer that:
Any help would be much appreciated.
- Runs on very little electricity, even battery power,
- doesn't create a permanent mud hole in our backyard, and
- will cost less than $50?
Any help would be much appreciated.
