Automatic Door Opener - Chuxaway SC

[AlabamaSweetpea]

The pump was pluged into the timer. So when pump kicked on it filled pvc pipe and then the weight of the pipe pulled the door up. When timer goes off the water drains out of pvc pipe and then the door goes back down. Here you all go! Im giving away my secret!! You can change the scale of this to make it smaller if your coop is smaller.

LOL, I want something a little more compact - a door on a timer and I think I'm gonna use another timer for a light to come on in the house so they can find their way home. I can do the light okay, but it's gonna take a lot more research before I can fabricate a door to open and close.

 

[CluckAcres]

LOL, I want something a little more compact - a door on a timer and I think I'm gonna use another timer for a light to come on in the house so they can find their way home. I can do the light okay, but it's gonna take a lot more research before I can fabricate a door to open and close.

like i said you can make this more compact if you want. This coop is in my barn and the door is on the outside wall of the barn. Yes the bucket takes up little more space but you can make the pipe smaller and the pulleys down closer to the door. Mine is set up bigger because it met my needs better. And i built this for less than $50.

 

[AlabamaSweetpea]

like i said you can make this more compact if you want. This coop is in my barn and the door is on the outside wall of the barn. Yes the bucket takes up little more space but you can make the pipe smaller and the pulleys down closer to the door. Mine is set up bigger because it met my needs better. And i built this for less than $50.

my coop is only about 30 ft away and I've only got 4 hens, so an automatic door is a luxury and not a necessity, but I thought it would be easier to do while I was building the coop and before they started doing some decorating of their own

 

[CluckAcres]

my coop is only about 30 ft away and I've only got 4 hens, so an automatic door is a luxury and not a necessity, but I thought it would be easier to do while I was building the coop and before they started doing some decorating of their own

Yes chickens love to decorate too. lol

 

[swede-murphy]

You CANNOT afford not to have an automatic door! By the time you get around to cobbling together a door system, you will likely have spent as much as just buying one. I got one from http://www.automaticchickencoopdoor.com/ and it has been worth every cent. It is reliable, easy to install, and I do not have to be there to let them in or out. The bottom line, no matter if you build your own or purchase one, an automatic door is the only way to go.

 

[AlabamaSweetpea]

You CANNOT afford not to have an automatic door! By the time you get around to cobbling together a door system, you will likely have spent as much as just buying one. I got one from http://www.automaticchickencoopdoor.com/ and it has been worth every cent. It is reliable, easy to install, and I do not have to be there to let them in or out. The bottom line, no matter if you build your own or purchase one, an automatic door is the only way to go.

LOL, when that door opened, a whole bunch of chickens came a running

... that's the whole door unit, I've already got the door, but was looking for a motor. At that price, I'd never get an automatic door.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

That is a great set up Bicudo, is it working well now?
I let my hens out at 6:00am (which is when I have to get up anyway) and they still sit up on the roosts for another 5 mins or so. So how come yours are so early?

 

[Bicudo]

That is a great set up Bicudo, is it working well now?
I let my hens out at 6:00am (which is when I have to get up anyway) and they still sit up on the roosts for another 5 mins or so. So how come yours are so early?

Hi Luke, this set up is working like a charm for us and I'd highly recomend it. You just have to watch the weight of the door as it will only raise about 1.2kgs. I originally had a plywood door but it warped in the rain and would get stuck in the frame. So have replaced it with a bit of plastic I found in Bunnings which is working fine so far.

The setup would work a whole lot better for us though if our Silkies would actually go back into the coop at night and not just sit on the ramp. We have to go out and put the girls to bed each night. I haven't quite got into the habbit of reading them a story to help them sleep yet though.

 

[TopCrock]

Hi All,

Can anyone tell me the dimensions of the aluminium door with the Chuxaway?

I currently have a fold down ramp which I am looking to unscrew and replace with a chuxaway! I just need to know how wide it is to make sure it covers the existing hole, and how much height it needs above as I have a slopped roof which will limit how far the metal door can be pulled up.

Any info would be great!

Thanks!