California - Northern

[ronott1]

To further explain, Beetle Black has a green tint to it.

 

[gryeyes]

The automatic doors are worth every single penny. I have the one from Foy's and it's fabulous.

I need to buy an automatic door but I can't make up my minds which one to order. I would love to hear the pros & cons of certain brands from those of you who have one.

i really liked the Foy's "Electronic Butler" - had two of them, on coops when I lived in West Sacramento. Battery powered (4 AA batteries, if I recall correctly), perfect light-sensor operation which needed no adjustment from the factory setting. Never a problem with either one. Fairly simple installation, though the instructions were not all that clear. Priciest of all the models out there, but as Kelly said, worth every single penny. When I moved here and needed to get an auto-door for the coop, Foy's was out of stock. (I left coops and the auto-doors behind in West Sac, due to some "issues" with my then-landlady.). Bought an auto door from MyPetChicken and am not very happy with it. It uses electrical power and a separate timer to operate it. Even if the timers didn't keep crapping out, timer operation means you have to keep resetting it as the numbers of daylight hours change. If you have a power outage, the timer gets off-cycle and can open or close when it shouldn't. I am afraid I don't recall the name of that unit. For the new coop, I considered getting another Foy's Electronic Butler, but now I have geese.... Even if they aren't going to be at the Ranch for some time, I have learned something about geese which precludes any use of a string & pulley because those meddlers will absolutely fuss with ANYTHING onto which they can get their bills. I could easily imagine them destroying the string, which would disable the door. Just installed an ADOR1 auto-door and LOVE, love, love it! Battery powered and light sensor operated. It has a manual mode as well as an automatic mode, which was really useful for confining the chickens in the coop for three days and nights before putting it back into automatic mode. The bottom edge of the frame is split, or open, so water, shavings, dirt, feathers, etc., do not collect in a track, yet the bottom edge of the door panel is still covered. This means predator paws/claws can't reach under the edge to lift the door panel. Even if they could, the door panel is raised and lowered with a metal sprocket, so there is positive control to lock it in position. Plus, the ADOR1 is the most easily installed. It is also the most reasonably priced complete unit. I researched the Pullet Shut door, which is one opening like house doors, swinging out sideways, instead of an up and down slider panel. Just imagined chickens perching on it..... some of my birds are like me: pretty hefty. There are threads in the coop construction forum which detail MAKING auto-doors out of low priced components. I don't have that kind of patience or skill. But I heartily recommend either the Foy's or the ADOR1 units.

 

[alibra]

It's a duck.  They are lovely, I have a group of them as well.  They are a large duck, good for eggs and meat.

The males look somewhat like a large mallard colored duck, the females are a soft shade of blondish brown.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Apple/BRKApple.html

Oh duh LOL! I had a female before. They're so cute.

 

[alibra]

I had 2 hatchery RIR's & they were both sort of aggressive. Not good personalities. I've heard many others have the same experience. I've heard breeder RIR's are more friendly.... Is that true?

 

[ronott1]

I had 2 hatchery RIR's & they were both sort of aggressive. Not good personalities. I've heard many others have the same experience. I've heard breeder RIR's are more friendly.... Is that true?

All of mine have been very friendly.

The Reds from hatcheries are pretty much a different breed all together from the ones I have. The Hatchery Reds have been mixed with Leghorns and etc.

 

[chicksnthestiks]

i really liked the Foy's "Electronic Butler" - had two of them, on coops when I lived in West Sacramento. Battery powered (4 AA batteries, if I recall correctly), perfect light-sensor operation which needed no adjustment from the factory setting. Never a problem with either one. Fairly simple installation, though the instructions were not all that clear. Priciest of all the models out there, but as Kelly said, worth every single penny. When I moved here and needed to get an auto-door for the coop, Foy's was out of stock. (I left coops and the auto-doors behind in West Sac, due to some "issues" with my then-landlady.). Bought an auto door from MyPetChicken and am not very happy with it. It uses electrical power and a separate timer to operate it. Even if the timers didn't keep crapping out, timer operation means you have to keep resetting it as the numbers of daylight hours change. If you have a power outage, the timer gets off-cycle and can open or close when it shouldn't. I am afraid I don't recall the name of that unit. For the new coop, I considered getting another Foy's Electronic Butler, but now I have geese.... Even if they aren't going to be at the Ranch for some time, I have learned something about geese which precludes any use of a string & pulley because those meddlers will absolutely fuss with ANYTHING onto which they can get their bills. I could easily imagine them destroying the string, which would disable the door. Just installed an ADOR1 auto-door and LOVE, love, love it! Battery powered and light sensor operated. It has a manual mode as well as an automatic mode, which was really useful for confining the chickens in the coop for three days and nights before putting it back into automatic mode. The bottom edge of the frame is split, or open, so water, shavings, dirt, feathers, etc., do not collect in a track, yet the bottom edge of the door panel is still covered. This means predator paws/claws can't reach under the edge to lift the door panel. Even if they could, the door panel is raised and lowered with a metal sprocket, so there is positive control to lock it in position. Plus, the ADOR1 is the most easily installed. It is also the most reasonably priced complete unit. I researched the Pullet Shut door, which is one opening like house doors, swinging out sideways, instead of an up and down slider panel. Just imagined chickens perching on it..... some of my birds are like me: pretty hefty. There are threads in the coop construction forum which detail MAKING auto-doors out of low priced components. I don't have that kind of patience or skill. But I heartily recommend either the Foy's or the ADOR1 units.

I just ordered the Ador. I was reading on the site after you said you were trying it and what I liked about it was the feature of when it closes if it hits something (like a chicken) it will go back up and try again. I think it said it will do this 3 times if whatever it is doesnt move and will then stay at that lowest point.

 

[OR4-hmom]

The older they get, the more I wonder. Are these two the same breed? I saw a picture on Juststruttins web page of a Creole pene that looks so much like the dark boy here it makes me wonder

 

[OR4-hmom]

At least she looks like this now instead of later, poor girl, it's got to itch.

 

[Chickengirl1304]

At least she looks like this now instead of later, poor girl, it's got to itch.

Lol I have a New Hampshire that literally lost all her upper body feathers in one day. They just fell out in chunks. Eeww lol she looks so bad haha

 

[Hangtown Farms]

The older they get, the more I wonder. Are these two the same breed? I saw a picture on Juststruttins web page of a Creole pene that looks so much like the dark boy here it makes me wonder

Crele pattern darkens with age so one could be ahead of the other or sometimes some are just lighter.



here are my crele penedesenca.
one on tops comb is now completely different . Has 2 big lobes in the back. Rocky had those until it was ripped off by a aggressive icelandic rooster when he was younger.