Automatic Chicken Coop Doors

[sfjones34]

Does anyone here have any automatic chicken coop doors? I am looking into purchasing one to install on our coop. Any recommendations or reviews are appreciated!

 

[PetesChicks]

I have an Ador, it works great. Battery powered with a 6 volt lantern battery, and has a photocell to open & close it at dawn & dusk. You can program it to open or close a little later, also. It also has a “Last Call” feature you can program, that opens the door about 10-15 minutes after it closes for the night, to let in anyone that missed it, and then closes again after a little while.

One of my favorite features is that it is sprocket driven, instead of using a line & pulley. The sprocket holds the door shut, so less chance of a predator lifting it at night.

 

[JemimaP]

I have a chicken guard automatic door. I’ve only had it for 2 weeks as I’m a newbie but I love it!

 

[speedy2020]

I have the premium ChickenGuard. Otherwise, I would buy this one. It looks super heavy duty that can handle up to 11lbs. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Automatic-...271360?hash=item4d752b9180:g:uyQAAMXQBlJSBf-4

 

[Chad Oftedal]

I have the "Coop Auto Door" with the Sun Mode option. It can be found here. I bought it through Flemming Outdoors, and Premiere 1 also carries it.

I have really liked it so far. The biggest reason that I went with this one was due to the Sun Mode feature. You input your Lat/Long information, and the offset you want (say 10 minutes before/after sunrise, sunset, etc) and it auto adjusts the open/closing times across the year. You literally set it once and you're done. This was a must have feature for me. My coop setup is in a pretty shaded area on our property throughout most of the day - like 95% of the time, and a photo cell just wasn't going to work reliably.

They all have their pluses and minuses, I don't think one is superior to all others - I believe mine is the only option with the lat/long option for what I needed.

If I was a product designer making them for the market, I'd make one that had this feature set:

• Sun Mode
• Sprocket drive to keep door secure when closed
• "Bump" safety mode in case it closes on a bird
• Solar power option, battery backup and plug-in electrical
• 2nd chance or Last Call option for tardy partying birds
• Bluetooth or wifi door status - hey, we can dream - it'd be nice for those of us who can't see the door from the house to know if it was in the up/down state. I'm not saying all out crazy features, just some basic status stuff.

Anyway, there is probably other stuff that I'm missing, but I think the doors out there now meet a broad set of needs and you'll find one that will work for you. I just think combining some of the best features from a couple different doors and the market could have a top shelf offering. It wouldn't be the cheapest, though...

 

[m1marin]

We have had our Pullet Shut door for over a year and it has been trouble free.

I would recommend getting it with the photo sensor and solar panel.

 

[Th55]

I built my own with and got it 99% installed today. Think I’ve gotten 75$ tied up in it. Already had a battery, relay, solar panel and the lumber.
Just need to tidy up the wiring install the door for the controls and tie in my solar panels in the next few days.

This is the actuator, it has built in limitswitches and moves really slow. If chicken gets caught in it, prolly should be removed from the gene pool anyway.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-Duty...195279?hash=item1a4d30d3cf:g:kkMAAMXQrhdTRv1X

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

If chicken gets caught in it, prolly should be removed from the gene pool anyway.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-Duty...195279?hash=item1a4d30d3cf:g:kkMAAMXQrhdTRv1X

Hahaha..... that is soo right, I don't think I could have said it better to those who are thinking about getting these automatic chicken doors but worried about accidentally killing their chickens!

 

[cwelte]

I built my own with and got it 99% installed today. Think I’ve gotten 75$ tied up in it. Already had a battery, relay, solar panel and the lumber.

I'd love to see a photo/schematic when you're finished - this is exactly what I'm looking to build.

 

[Th55]

Put it on auto last night, this AM the wife called said there's birds running rampant in the yard
Will see if they start enough to get back through the door.

It's nothing fancy but works so far