automatic coop door questions!

[AnnPann]

I would be lost without my auto doors. I have one coop where the door sensor is under a ton of trees & then the coop roof & it's very dark - it still works just fine, no one gets locked out (or in). The sensor is very adjustable, but it also has just a plain old timer.

I think it's eglu that makes a door that slides sideways instead of up & down, maybe that would work for your set up without much modification.

I have not once had a door not shut or jam up because of debris in the track & I don't clean them out.

I have 2 Chickenguard doors & would buy them again if I ever needed - they work perfect in my situation. But there are quite a few others out there, probably cheaper ones too.

I have the Omlet/Eglu auto door and it is side to side. I love it - you can set it for a specific time or on a light sensor. It hasn’t failed once in 9 months and I’ve only changed the batteries one time.

 

[KupoLottieQueenie]

I have the Omlet/Eglu auto door and it is side to side. I love it - you can set it for a specific time or on a light sensor. It hasn’t failed once in 9 months and I’ve only changed the batteries one time.

I was just looking at this one! Was it easy to install? I noticed their description says up to -4 degrees fahrenheit and MN can get colder so I'm a little worried about what happens if it's too cold to function, can it manually be opened/closed easily?

 

[AnnPann]

I was just looking at this one! Was it easy to install? I noticed their description says up to -4 degrees fahrenheit and MN can get colder so I'm a little worried about what happens if it's too cold to function, can it manually be opened/closed easily?

It was fairly easy to install BUT I installed it on one of their coops. Lots of people use them on non-Omlet coops. I'm in KS and we had some really cold days this past winter but I don't know if we tested out -4. It's so hot now I can't seem to remember! LOL. If it does get too cold to function, it's not like you don't have another way into your coop, so it won't be a situation where the chickens are trapped in/out. Just annoying to deal with.

It can be opened manually too. You can either leave it on manual, or if you have it set to use time or light, you can open/close it whenever you need to (like if a hen misses curfew). The only trouble I've had with it was when I hosed out my coop and got the door wet on the inside. It kept telling me there was a blockage and wouldn't close - I uninstalled and it and put it in my garage to figure out later, and it just started working on it's own. I guess just had to dry out.

The crash detection works great too (so if have a chicken who is just sitting in the doorway, it won't close on it - just stops trying to close, and opens up all the way and tries again in a few minutes).

 

[Tretinker]

Omlet auto door has been a godsend! That was of course until I got chicks that are now big enough to be outside but not big enough to be in the coop!
Still when they're all grown it will be awesome again.
I thoroughly recommend it.
We also made the prefab mistake an a few weeks later husband built a big one from pallets. Don't beat yourself up x

 

[KyCoop]

X 3 for the omelet. Regardless of what door you choose, the girls will need time to get trained to it. Don't install it and leave town the next day.
We trained our girls using the manual function for a few weeks. 2.5 years only once did somebody get locked out.

 

[EIEIO Funny Farm]

Yours looks horizontal, what type of door did you buy for that? I'm struggling to find an affordable option for my pre-fab horizontal coop door.

I got the locking chicken guard (circled) the other door is just open from cleaning it out / airing out, but stays shut at night of course.