- Dec 16, 2012
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I've been using the Pullet-Shut door for about a month now and it is awesome. I haven't had any problems although any mechanical device can malfunction. Frankly it is more reliable than a human. I have been around chickens since I raised and showed them in 4H over 30 years ago. As dumb as they are, I love them and their individual personalities. My wife and I considered getting an automatic door about a year ago and ended up putting it off because of the cost. Then just over a month ago, I forgot to close the gate to their pen after letting them have the run of the backyard on a nice fall day. The next morning one of my five hens was gone and a trail of feathers was left behind. I have a game camera and set it up next to the gate to see what type of critter was responsible. Turns out I have some rather large racoons that have been coming back almost every night since. My pen and coup are very predator proof with 1/2 inch galvanized mesh buried 6" under the entire pen and a cover over the top, so as long as I don't leave the gate open I didn't have any issues. Now with the automatic door I have double security in case I blow it again.
As far as being stuck inside (or outside) because of a door failure, I still check on my chickens in the morning and at night. I need to collect eggs and besides that, I enjoy them. If the door were to malfuction, I would just go back to the manual approach. I haven't heard of chickens overheating and dying in a coup but then I live in Oregon not Texas. It seems like a big leap to blame a failed door for killing chickens in that scenario.
If you are considering an automatic door, I can tell you that this one is designed very well and is easy to install. I didn't charge the battery after receiving it (and still haven't) and it has been working great for almost a month now. The designers have put a lot of thought into this and it shows.
As far as being stuck inside (or outside) because of a door failure, I still check on my chickens in the morning and at night. I need to collect eggs and besides that, I enjoy them. If the door were to malfuction, I would just go back to the manual approach. I haven't heard of chickens overheating and dying in a coup but then I live in Oregon not Texas. It seems like a big leap to blame a failed door for killing chickens in that scenario.
If you are considering an automatic door, I can tell you that this one is designed very well and is easy to install. I didn't charge the battery after receiving it (and still haven't) and it has been working great for almost a month now. The designers have put a lot of thought into this and it shows.