Automatic door opener

[MandalaMaMa]

Can anyone recommend a good quality automatic door opener for my chicken coop? We have looked on the Internet but all we could find was a cheap plastic one.

 

[Monguire]

I own both and ADOR1 and a Pullet-Shut door and am very happy with each. The ADOR1 is a guillotine-style door and the Pullet-Shut is a left or right swing (you choose at order time). The ADOR1 is much simpler/lighter duty than the Pullet-Shut and is a nice compact unit. I ordered my ADOR1 with the light sensor built in so it could do it's thing at dusk/dawn with no input from me. The Pullet-Shut door also has a light sensor addon but it isn't integrated into the unit (it has light sensor at the end of a ~10' wire so the sensor can be placed in lighter/darker areas to tweak open/shut times) like the ADOR1. The Pullet-Shut door also has a mode where you can set the open time and shut times manually and it will do it's thing at those same times everyday regardless of light levels. Both units have the ability to tweak some settings...the ADOR1 can be a challenge though for those not comfortable dinking around with a circuit/control board.

They are different beasts and both excellent in their own right. In spite of its advanced settings/modes being somewhat complicated, out of the box the ADOR1 is probably the better bet for most people with it's contained battery (standard 6V lantern battery from any big-name retail) and flexibility to install inside of coop between wall-studs or outside on the wall-board whereas the Pullet-Shut is an outside-install-only. Since the ADOR1 is guillotine it can be installed/moved/re-installed elsewhere easily as a user's needs change. My right-swing Pullet-Shut will only ever swing right and will limit where I can install it if ever I have need to move it.

 

[Davidhalpern2]

I've tried them all, even made one myself from an old auto antenna. Sometimes the least expensive is the best! The D20 is a workhorse;

http://www.add-a-motor.com/model d20 motor for chicken coop doors.htm