Automatic Locking Coop Door

[aart]

The door will be for my new coop. Right now we have a door on hinges we have to lock and unlock to let them in and out. However we are going on vacation in a month, where all our dogs will be boarding and unable to protect the flock, and I won’t be able to have someone come twice daily,

I mis-read your post...I thought you didn't want an autodoor.

 

[KimberBee]

Hello,
I’ve read a lot of threads on automatic doors but it seems there are very few that actually have a locking mechanism.
There won’t be a predator proof run since they will be mostly free range in dense woods.
They need a solid locking door that will keep any raccoons or any other creature smart enough to lift an unlocked door. I have large and medium breed chickens.
My budget is for $200 or less and prefer to buy off Amazon (I have a local charity that receives AmazonSmile).

 

[KimberBee]

We have an automatic door for about 3 weeks. There are good and bad things about it. Ours has a screw motor. As the mayor turns a screw very slowly the door goes down. This holds it in place. We have not had a problem with predators. We got the loveshare grouse door opener from Amazon installation was easy getting our ducks to go in while we were on vacation was interesting. But locking was not an issue

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

We have an automatic door for about 3 weeks. There are good and bad things about it. Ours has a screw motor. As the mayor turns a screw very slowly the door goes down. This holds it in place. We have not had a problem with predators. We got the loveshare grouse door opener from Amazon installation was easy getting our ducks to go in while we were on vacation was interesting. But locking was not an issue

Ahh that seems good but it looks like it requires electricity and I don’t have that in my coop /:
Thank you for your suggestion though!

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have the Ador1 and freaking LOVE it! You can't get that open once it closes, and it's pretty simple to program. I HIGHLY recommend it. It is a bit pricey, but I've had it for a couple of years now with no problems so far.

I used to go out at dawn and let them all out. I could wait until after sunrise to get up. I have goats now that I have to lock up at night (predators), so I'm back to getting up at dawn again. I'm currently building an auto door for the goats out of a used garage door opener - haha! Auto doors are life changing!

(edited for ridiculous misspellings)

 

[Tre3hugger]

The ador 1 checks all your boxes except price. I think it is worth it though.

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

I have the Ador1 and freaking LOVE it! You can't get that open once it closes, and it's pretty simple to program. I HIGHLY recommend it. It is a bit pricey, but I've had it for a couple of years now with no problems so far.

I used to go out at dawn and let them all out. I could wait until after sunrise to get up. I have goats now that I have to lock up at night (predators), so I'm back to getting up at dawn again. I'm currently building an auto door for the goats out of a used garage door opener - haha! Auto doors are life changing!

(edited for ridiculous misspellings)

Will it stop if a chicken is going thru while it closes? I’m sure they would get moving if it started to come down but just worried ‍♀

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Will it stop if a chicken is going thru while it closes? I’m sure they would get moving if it started to come down but just worried ‍♀

It's pretty slow going down they have plenty of time to get out of the way. There is no sensor to keep it from going down, but if there is something in its path, it stops because it can't go down further. Also, if that happens, it goes back up because it can't complete the "circuit" that its programmed to do. I've had mine for 3 yrs. with no issues. The only thing that could be an issue is that in the winter, the battery runs down quicker once those temps drop, so it's not as fun replacing it when that happens. I usually replace at the beginning of winter, but it always seems that with my set up and conditions, I find myself replacing mid winter as well. With that said batteries are affected by extreme weather conditions when used outdoors.

 

[Aunt Angus]

It's pretty slow going down they have plenty of time to get out of the way. There is no sensor to keep it from going down, but if there is something in its path, it stops because it can't go down further. Also, if that happens, it goes back up because it can't complete the "circuit" that its programmed to do. I've had mine for 3 yrs. with no issues. The only thing that could be an issue is that in the winter, the battery runs down quicker once those temps drop, so it's not as fun replacing it when that happens. I usually replace at the beginning of winter, but it always seems that with my set up and conditions, I find myself replacing mid winter as well. With that said batteries are affected by extreme weather conditions when used outdoors.

X2 to everything.

I worried, too, but I've had zero issues. My teeny Sebright, my big ol' Brahma, and even my ducks have been fine with it. They get trained to it, and I think they're a little scared of the noise the motor makes. When I test it, they back away. But you can program it so that it stays open later and closes well after they've gone to roost for the night.

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

It's pretty slow going down they have plenty of time to get out of the way. There is no sensor to keep it from going down, but if there is something in its path, it stops because it can't go down further. Also, if that happens, it goes back up because it can't complete the "circuit" that its programmed to do. I've had mine for 3 yrs. with no issues. The only thing that could be an issue is that in the winter, the battery runs down quicker once those temps drop, so it's not as fun replacing it when that happens. I usually replace at the beginning of winter, but it always seems that with my set up and conditions, I find myself replacing mid winter as well. With that said batteries are affected by extreme weather conditions when used outdoors.

Will it try again to complete the circuit? I really had the battery usage but given the ease of set up I can really complain too much.
I’ll just have to invent the perfect auto coop door