Auto door people - question that just occurred to me

HensInTheForest

Songster
Apr 1, 2022
250
514
186
Minnesota
QQ here as I think out loud.

Auto doors seem fabulous don’t get me wrong.

Not an early riser here I naturally wake at 830am don’t talk to me until 930am after coffee and alone time.

So many say how great the auto doors are they don’t have to let them out in the am at the crack of Dawn.
But then so many say hey I leave them in the coop until they lay, which can be anytime up til noon.

So then what’s the big deal? Nighttime not the question.

My attached run is covered no chance of dirty or wet feet for dirty eggs and nesting boxes from going in and out.

What do you do and what time is your door set to open in am for food access?
 
My birds all free range, I don’t even have a run set up at all, so auto doors are great to let them out first thing in the morning. I usually have it set to the dawn daylight sensor.

I had a rat in my coop so right now I have the food locked up overnight and I take it out first thing in the morning. If I didn’t have a bunch of chicks I’d look into a Grandpa feeder and go back to sleeping in on the weekends.
 
QQ here as I think out loud.

Auto doors seem fabulous don’t get me wrong.

Not an early riser here I naturally wake at 830am don’t talk to me until 930am after coffee and alone time.

So many say how great the auto doors are they don’t have to let them out in the am at the crack of Dawn.
But then so many say hey I leave them in the coop until they lay, which can be anytime up til noon.

So then what’s the big deal? Nighttime not the question.

My attached run is covered no chance of dirty or wet feet for dirty eggs and nesting boxes from going in and out.

What do you do and what time is your door set to open in am for food access?
Sunup sensor is on for mornings but we go out to check every single hour bc our teenagers just started laying and we are trying to see who does what.

Our food was outside. We moved it inside bc of torrential afternoon storms ruining our crumbles and making it moldy.

We have to physically go inside two carabiner closed doors to check for eggs right now so the auto door is mainly for them to go out and play(?) or do whatever chickens do before I get up? Rather the children who have animal chores get up.

Their water is outside bc we had a leak and it spilled everywhere inside and nearly ruined things.

Im still new so not sure about anything!! Following
 
My birds all free range, I don’t even have a run set up at all, so auto doors are great to let them out first thing in the morning. I usually have it set to the dawn daylight sensor.

I had a rat in my coop so right now I have the food locked up overnight and I take it out first thing in the morning. If I didn’t have a bunch of chicks I’d look into a Grandpa feeder and go back to sleeping in on the weekends.
Whats grampa feeder do?
 
Mine like to be out and about earlier than I wake up 😂 Their food is capped off at night on the outside of the coop to prevent vermin but they still have food inside their coop. So when they come out they can get water and have a play and a scratch before I get up.
If needed though if we left the food uncapped they could be left for a week without to many worries.
 
For ours, the auto door would open up and let them do their thing - some chickens would be in the nest boxes and not go outside yet, others would go out and simply return to the coop to lay, then go back out. Pretty simple really. We have food/water inside the secure structure, so no issues with them getting fed before door would open. We have a T50 Run Chicken door and you can set the opening time to delay anytime after sunrise, but it closes just after sunset.
 
QQ here as I think out loud.

Auto doors seem fabulous don’t get me wrong.

Not an early riser here I naturally wake at 830am don’t talk to me until 930am after coffee and alone time.

So many say how great the auto doors are they don’t have to let them out in the am at the crack of Dawn.
But then so many say hey I leave them in the coop until they lay, which can be anytime up til noon.

So then what’s the big deal? Nighttime not the question.

My attached run is covered no chance of dirty or wet feet for dirty eggs and nesting boxes from going in and out.

What do you do and what time is your door set to open in am for food access?
As of right now my door opens at 6:25am, I am usually long gone to work by then. They have free reign of their enclosed run and chicken yard where their feed and waterers are, I collect eggs and scoop poop boards when I get home from work, they put themselves to bed, and the door closes 20 minutes after dark.
 
For ours, the auto door would open up and let them do their thing - some chickens would be in the nest boxes and not go outside yet, others would go out and simply return to the coop to lay, then go back out. Pretty simple really. We have food/water inside the secure structure, so no issues with them getting fed before door would open. We have a T50 Run Chicken door and you can set the opening time to delay anytime after sunrise, but it closes just after sunset.
I also have the T50, it's great! I've been using it for about a year and a half and haven't had any problems
 
All very helpful thanks!!

Our run is secure and roofed so food will be there year round. It will be interesting to see how they do the first winter in the run area.

Waiting to see if or how much snow blows in from the sides the run is in a protected spot in the rear of our pole barn building acting as a wind block. Will be extending roof out on this side to match the overhang on other side.

I ordered the Omlet auto door back in June not Installed yet.

Thanks for all the comments super helpful!
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