My flock ranges freely over the property, which is almost 2/3rds of an acre. The coop is a transmorgrified garage; I had the fourth wall built with a Dutch people door and a hole cut in a side wall for the electronic auto-door. Yes, the chickens go into the coop all by themselves at night - the door closes behind them about 35 minutes later. It's on a timer, so as the days get longer I will have to reset the opening and closing times. Currently, I leave for work in the dark and get home after dark, so this auto-door is very useful for me. I still check the chickens in the coop when I get home every night, though, just to make sure no predators have followed them inside.
They have free access to the coop during the day. All of their feeders are INSIDE the coop, so they have to come "home" and go inside the coop to eat feed. They may be able to forage but they still get commercial feed.
The auto-door is one of the best inventions for coops!
They have free access to the coop during the day. All of their feeders are INSIDE the coop, so they have to come "home" and go inside the coop to eat feed. They may be able to forage but they still get commercial feed.
The auto-door is one of the best inventions for coops!
