automatic pop door opener

[AHappychick]

wow great idea. Maybe if the birds bothered it you can cover with plexi glass also this way it does not get dusty over time?

 

[Schultz]

Good idea! My only problem with it is a coon could easily lift the door up with it being so light. Not sure if you have problems with them but those little suckers are smart! I once had one unzip my tent and steal my food out of an closed cooler that was latched while I was down at the lake.

 

[4biddies]

Fortunately, I don't really seem to have a problem w/ coons, though as someone has posted, you don't have a problem w/ predators only til the point where you suddenly have a problem w/ predator...it's an inexact assessment.

Anyway, the pop door is only the second line of defense, my coop is a tractor type w/ attached run, so they would have to first get in the run. (you can't see it in the top pic because there is a top opening door on the run which is open in the pic.) That being said, I don't really consider any part of the coop do be 100% predator proof...so that certainly is a factor. If I had a coon problem or anything I thought was savvy enough to lift the door I would probably add horizontal 2 x 4 or something to the bottom part of the door housing that would make it harder to access the actual lip of the door, which is quite thin as it is. (luan) Incidently, a plexi glass door would probably work well also. I think nifty chicken uses that on an auto door design.

 

[sillybirds]

That's very clever, 4biddies!

I have a couple questions... One, what is the length of travel of the antenna? It looks like you added a little extra cord to get around the issue of longer length of travel of the antenna compared to that of your pop door, right? Second, you said you made your door lighter. How much weight do you think the antenna can lift, and does it have to keep working (draw current) if the weight of the door is too much?

Thanks for sharing your idea!

 

[timbofarms]

Welcome to BYC and welcome to the redneck club.

thats a good job

 

[Wynette]

4biddies, will you post on this thread if/when you are able to put a diagram up on your BYC page? I, too, am extremely electrically challenged, but with a good diagram, I may give it a whirl!

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Holy smokes!

I love when multiple smart people are working on the same problem with similar ideas and then find each other!!

Here is a long thread on the topic: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=99668

And here is my post last week of someone using an antenna to do the same thing (just a little differently):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1616486#p1616486

I picked up 3 antenna's off of ebay for really cheap (like $10 each after shipping) but you can usually find them for $30 all over the net.

Also, the 12 v adapters are cheaper than I thought:
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/DCTX-1216/12-VDC-1.2-AMP-WALL-TRANSFORMER/-/1.html

We're playing with a design using a small lead acid battery, a solar panel to charge it, and a photocell circuit (that you can adjust to different light levels) so it won't require a main power source.

Great job on your design!!!

 

[4biddies]

Thats funny! I did see a few weeks ago in a post someone suggested the antenna idea, but hadn't been on to see a finished project! I really like the mounting style in the thread you reference. If my coop was taller, I would have done something more like that, as I think that would be a more stable design, but I didn't have the room. Also, I found the higher amperage adapters were definitely more expensive, but I figured depending on how hard the motor had to work pulling something it wasn't made to, it was worth getting the xtra amperage, as specified.

And yes, silly birds, the antenna has maybe a 6 inch difference in the length of travel between the antenna and the door slide, the excess just kind of rests when door is down. As you can see from niftys post, different coop dimensions and styles would enable different mounting. As to door weight, I would think it would be a matter of the antenna wearing out faster...underneath the metal of the antenna is a spool of serated nylon cable which winds into the housing, I would think the teeth or the plastic gears would wear out faster, but it could probably handle a bit more weight, particular if it was mounted in a vertical fashion like in the other post.

My biggest problem was having it mount in a way that no weight was pulling down on the antenna when extended...that is why I made the hole thru coop aligned with and just a bit above the antenna...so the pivot point would not be pulling down.

 

[4biddies]

Also, that vertical mount method from nifties posts goes further to solve the predator problem, as the antenna is reasonably rigid when extended, making it unable to be opened. If your coop is tall enough, that would definitely be the way to go.

Of course, on the other hand I kind of like the idea of not really having downward force when the door shuts, because even though I think it's highly unlikely, you can't help but imagine a chicken traffic jam or something and one of those knuckleheads having the door shut on them. The weight of the door alone would do no harm. Of course, as I said, this would probably never happen, chix are either already perched when it shuts, or else they would quickly flitter out of the way, but it's more the mental peace of mind!

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

There definitely are trade offs! I like the simplicity of your design and that there is less change of the system binding and then braking the antenna. The downside, as you mentioned, is keeping those pesky little predator claws from lifting the door.