Automatic chicken door

[Transplanted Texan]

Does anyone have experience with solar powered auto chicken doors? I like the idea but have concerns that maybe all the chickens won't make it in before it closes.
Or that a clouds roll in decreasing daylight and it closes before they get in and then they are stuck outside in a storm
How well do they work?

 

[Transplanted Texan]

I just searched the topic. Found a thread about it coming down on someone's chicken on it's neck.
Not good

 

[RojoMarz]

I have an Ador, it is battery operated and works great.

 

[DaisyG2317]

I have the Pullet Shut door, it opens like a real door instead of guillotine style. It's made in Texas

Chickendoors.com

 

[iwltfum]

I have my door on a light sensor for nighttime and i have never had a problem with it closing a bird out or closing on a bird or closing during they day because of a storm. It has to be like pitch black before the door closes. I've never noticed it have any problems differentiating a full moon from dusk either. I have multiple chicken guard doors and they way they are set up, it would fail to close if a chicken was in the way and the only weight put on the chicken would be the weight of the door (not much) and it would not trap them. I think they have a solar kit for the chicken guard doors. I run mine on batteries though.

 

[Rebel58]

I also have the Pullet Shut door. Battery operated but also has a charger if you have electricity to your coop. This is the newly installed door on my current project. My first one was purchased 3 years ago and aside from oil for the hinges occasionally it has operated flawlessly even through the bitter cold Pa. winters. Works on photo sensor opens at daylight, closes at dusk. It has a second open/close at dusk for late-comers. My birds have learned that the door opens and closes a second time and they patiently wait to be let inside.

 

[TooCheep]

I just searched the topic. Found a thread about it coming down on someone's chicken on it's neck.
Not good

That was a horrible, home-brew design. It would force the door closed and couldn't detect resistance. There are lots of safer designs out there. Your original post was correct that the far more likely problem is with chickens being caught out at night. Mine closes based on a light sensor, but sometimes one or more of the birdbrains just decide not to go in for some reason.

I end up checking on them every evening to insure they all are in the coop, but the auto door does provide peace of mind and gives me some flexibility in the evenings despite the occasional problem.

 

[Transplanted Texan]

Well, I ended up ordering the Chicken Guard extreme with the locking door.

 

[TooCheep]

Good choice. It should serve you well and definitely won't be able to kill your chickens.

 

[RW1984]

I have an ador chicken door and it’s amazing. You can set it to close at night and open again and close a few minutes later for any latecomers. It’s solar based so opens and closes based on light.
One time it did close on a birds neck, I watched it to see if the reviews and advertising was true.
it closed and when it got to the bottom and felt the resistance it opened again and then closed when the bird moved.
She squawked a little bit wasn’t injured or hurt. I would buy this door again