Automatic Chicken Door suggestions

[Aleelupton]

Hello! I am looking for recommendations on the best automatic chicken door. I have a 10×12 shed/coop with 25 chickens. We have a large run attatched to the coop that the chickens have full access to. Our run is predator proofed and we have had no issues thus far. However, with cold weather here I have been shutting their chicken door every night by putting a piece of plywood in front of it with a bale hay up against it to hold it in place. This is our second year having chickens and we are always looking for ways to improve our setup. We would love a door that has the ability to be powered by a solar sensor as our chickens are on my inlaws property and we have to drive everyday to care for them so something that would open and close with the sun would be ideal. We have looked at so many different doors and aren't sure what to choose so we are turning to this community to get some suggestions and reviews.

Thank you so much in advance for your help!

 

[Morrigan]

This is the door we have & it’s worked great! Opens at dawn, closes at dusk, no electricity needed. https://chickendoors.com/product/standard-pullet-shut-chicken-door-combination/

That's the one I have as well. It says the battery lasts 3 to 5 years, but mine lasted over 6 years, and I think it would have lasted longer, but it had to disconnected from the solar panel for several days while we were doing some coop modifications and it ran the battery way down.

 

[Aleelupton]

I use and love the Chicken Guard, and it sounds like it would fit your criteria. It has a solar sensor like you want, but you can also set it to open and close based on other things if you want. They also have a nice warranty and if something goes wrong, they'll replace the door for you.

That one sounds great! I will have to look it up! Somewhere I saw that there are doors that will stay closed if it's too cold outside. Does this door have that capability too?

 

[Scissors65]

I needed a horizontal chicken door opener, so I ordered mine from the UK from https://www.hentronix.co.uk/ They also carry vertical and swing door openers. I live in Florida so I don't worry about the cold, ice, snow, but these door are designed to withstand those elements. I also ordered the solar power and rechargeable battery. I LOVE MY DOOR! It has a auto stop for safety and a lot of other nice features. They also shipped very quickly and have great customer service too.
Oh, one more thing. Some doors are gravity fed when they close, so clever predators could actually lift the door up. Thought I'd mention that too keep in mind when looking, if that may be an issue for you.

 

[imnukensc]

ADOR1
https://adorstore.com/products/ador1-automatic-chicken-door

 

[Morrigan]

I have Pullet Shut. It swings open like a door and has a daylight sensor option. I've been very pleased with mine. I replaced the battery at the 6 year mark, but have had no issues or problems with it.

 

[electrycmonk]

Well, got the "happy hen" automatic door off Amazon....
They list 2 models
A) is only solar sensor
B) added a time chip to board for choosing 4 options:
0 sensor open/close
1 sensor open/time close
2 time open/sensor close
3 time open/close

Both versions have a dial for adjusting the optical sensor level.
They run off a 4AA battery pack

Well documented by others on the 'NET so I bit the bullet and got it.
So far it's solid, quiet & it took the chicks about 4 nights in a row to realize they should be 'in the house' by 'X' time.

I set it for ~30 minutes after sunset to close & it opens -(pauses) shoot, I think about 30-50 minutes after sunrise now. 2 night ago was the first chick who was still out in run when I got home late in well over a month of them being so good. (Giggles) she didn't complain too much about being carried into the coop.....

I'm a gearheaded geek and I wanted to make my own but, time got too short so all the different parts and ideas I tinkered with are still options for later as well as the planned door from the run to our small back yard eventually....

Good luck in your decision. Remember YMMV. Cheers

 

[BackyardJulz]

I am a big fan of my ADORStore Chicken door.
https://adorstore.com/products/ador1-automatic-chicken-door

It is well build, easy to install, and most important, cannot be opened by the raccoons once it is closed at night. It runs off of a 6V lantern battery, which should last a year or so.

It has really made things easier, especially if I am away and need to have neighbors check in/feed the flock, but not have to drive over 2 x per day to open/close the coop, or maybe even sleep in once in a while.

 

[Relleoms]

This is the door we have & it’s worked great! Opens at dawn, closes at dusk, no electricity needed. https://chickendoors.com/product/standard-pullet-shut-chicken-door-combination/

 

[BackyardJulz]

My Ador door adjusts automatically with the changing seasons and day length. I am thankful for that. They have a few other options and add ons to help customize your set up.

My chickens adapted quickly and easily, and I hope that when I add my young hens to the group that they do as well. It just is not safe around my place if the door doesn’t get closed on time.

Next will be a solar charger for self-sufficiency, even though I will be running power out there soon. The winter extension cord arrangement that I use for a de-icer is ok, but I like back-ups and failsafes.

Maybe I’ll try one of the “chickendoors” brand doors in the future for free-range access that won’t be quite so time sensitive like my current “safe-house” coop door. It looks like a nice system.