Pop Door

[3KillerBs]

When I had the in-town flock the run was fully secured and functioned as part of the coop so I never closed the pop door except in emergencies.

The current setup doesn't have a secured run so I have to shut them up and open them up daily.

The Chicken Palace is an open air coop where the run is integral with the coop but I'll let them out into a rotating pen arrangement periodically.

 

[Sally PB]

What's the point? As stated, we don't have to go close the door. It closes itself, i.e. "automatic".....

The doors also open automatically. I really don't understand your comments

I guess what I should have said is, if I don't close it myself, I don't know for certain that it's closed.

I think she means to make sure it is absolutely closed at night to give her mind a rest that she knows it is closed..

Yup. That's just me.

I close and latch my pop up door every night. I just feel better if I close it

That's me too.

I would also have to go double-check at night, even with an auto door. I'd always worry that someone got locked out. Automatic in the morning has its attractions, though!

Exactly.

 

[CKfarm22]

I guess what I should have said is, if I don't close it myself, I don't know for certain that it's closed.

Yup. That's just me.

That's me too.

Exactly.

Trust me, if i had an automatic one i would make sure every morning and night it was open or closed, that’s my anxiety talking lol

 

[Swbertrand1]

I guess what I should have said is, if I don't close it myself, I don't know for certain that it's closed.

Yup. That's just me.

That's me too.

Exactly.

At the end of the day, we all do what works for us individually. We have a fairly sophisticated set of timers and automated relays that control our lights and doors for entry/exit of the birds at specified times, and the system has been operational for some four years with no issues.
It operates on 12V power for the doors and household electric current, 110V, for the lights and battery charger, 3 fans (one fan on a thermostat), 2 main "chicken" lights, 2 alternate lights (one overhead for night entry by us, the other in a storage closet on the back of the coop), 2 switches for those alternate lights, 2 fluorescent coop lights on timers for the birds use only, and 2 outlets in the coop.
For what it's worth, all the automation for two doors, the doors themselves, lighting, battery/maintainer, relays, etc cost about $150 total. Installation and setup time was about a day, the longest time spent was making the doors and their guides. Again, do what works for you. This works for us and works VERY, VERY well.

 

[McChooky]

We always check that the auto door did its job, both morning and night. It's a convenience but not an excuse to not do due diligence. The point of having it is knowing we don't have to rush home by a certain time to lock up, or wake by a certain time to let them out (we're night owls, so we're never up "on time"), and being able to take a trip knowing that if the neighbor skips out on checking up on them, the door should a least be doing its job.

I have an enclosed run so even if an automatic door locked any of mine out they wouldn't be in grave danger .Mine have enclosed runs during the day but are locked up at night in the coop.I'd love to have an automatic door for them.