Sponsored Post The Reinvented Automatic Coop Door

[JenniO11]

Thank you to our sponsor BestCoopDoor.com for this message!

Why did we reinvent the wheel?

Years ago I and my wife decided to raise chickens in our backyard; we agreed chickens were the best pet for us and for our grandchild, as I am sure you all agree. We started with some day old chickens that we kept in our house with proper feed, heat and care. They grew up fast and we purchased a coop and the other necessary items.

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As we got closer to winter, we realized opening and closing the coop door every day and every night was going to take away all our enjoyment and turn it into a job. So we needed an automatic door but how could we justify the cost?

After being unable to attend a couple of evening events together (one of us had stay home to close the coop door) we realized the cost of an automatic door was worth it, so we purchased one.

And yes we were very excited to get the first egg!

Now that we had installed the automatic door we hoped to go back to enjoying raising our chickens, but soon we realized the only automation there was, was us automatically going to the coop every night to make sure the ‘automatic’ door was closed. We had to go to the coop every night; there was no way we could be sure it was working right. Searching the internet and reading blogs it became clear to us that there was no real, hassle free automatic door.

The wheel

did need to be reinvented.


Teaming up with more people including my brother, who has a Masters in Electrical Engineering and digital electronics and was named as the inventor of the year in the Academic Who-Is-Who publication of WVU, we formed a small company with one goal: Making life easier for small flock owners and safer for the flock.

We started by compiling a wish list of functions and features that you would expect from an automatic door. We also contacted small flock owners, farmers, chicken authorities, and universities. Besides durability and reliability (that was a given), there were 5 items at the top of the list that everyone agreed to be essential:

1. Must automatically open at dawn and close at dusk after all chickens get into the coop.
2. Must be simple and easy to install, no settings, no resetting, no programming and no assembly.
3. The owner should be able to check the door status from a distance and from all angles day and night -- eliminating the need to actually walk to the coop to make sure it is safely closed.
4. Must be versatile and adaptable; can be installed anywhere on the coop, inside or outside, and can work with a variety of power sources, like 110V line, tractor or car battery, solar, etc.
5. Must be rust proof and weather resistant -- rain, snow, extreme hot and cold temperatures.

Utilizing our team’s expertise and experience, we succeeded in achieving these five goals and many more. We were able to keep the price reasonable by using high tech microcomputer digital electronics. Designing, developing, and testing in extreme environments took us a year. The Best Coop Door is now 3 years old. We now have four models, a DIY kit, six complete packages (including a one year warranty), and more than twenty accessories and options to address any needs. Check us out www.bestcoopdoor.com

 

[dsbailey70]

What happens if all of the flock doesn't make it inside the coop before the door closes?

 

[CrzyChknLady81]

Im not sure that this is the same door that The Chicken Chick blogged about but someone on hers asked the same thing..She has a lot of chickens and she said she had never ever had an issue with it closing before everyone was in ...

 

[iananderson]

You'll never have a problem with shutting chickens out. Their very poor eyesight in the dark means they'll always head for home well before dark. Mine start to head back to the coop at the very first sign of twilight. Sure they then mill about outside pecking at the grass until twilight proper, but they are always on their roosts at least half an hour or so before the door closes via the sensor.

Don't forget it's much darker inside most coops too and they know that. No chicken wants to be jumping up onto roosts in the semi dark.

 

[lwd3469]

I was going to ask what's happens if it closes before they are in also, because mine won't go to roost without me there, they will try to sit on the roof of the coop or just sit out there waiting for me...my first chicken did that too she sat outside on the roof of her coop wide awake waiting for me until nine one night I was getting home from work late. My new girls do it too but not to that degree they just sit around waiting for me and want me to hold them...if I am there and it's getting dark they will walk right in like its nothing. They must be spoiled or something? Hahaha I doubt this is normal

 

[SizzleQueen]

I personally believe in not being lazy, and just shutting the door up in the afternoon when they are all up. There is so much that could go wrong with automatic doors.

 

[tcstoehr]

Interesting sponsored advertisement.

What exactly has been reinvented? This is a copy of the Ador1. They even copied the name, likely intended to cause confusion. They called themselves "Adoor" instead of "Ador", hardly a coincidence wouldn't you think. The name has been changed after Rod at Ador complained. However, you can still see "Adoor" on their product videos.

Here's a quote from an email exchange I had on 8/6/2014 with Rod:

Quote:

 

[CrzyChknLady81]

Interesting sponsored advertisement.

What exactly has been reinvented? This is a copy of the Ador1. They even copied the name, likely intended to cause confusion. They called themselves "Adoor" instead of "Ador", hardly a coincidence wouldn't you think. The name has been changed after Rod at Ador complained. However, you can still see "Adoor" on their product videos.

Here's a quote from an email exchange I had on 8/6/2014 with Rod:

So is the one advertised on here the imposter? Thats awful no matter which way you look at it... I have an unusual first name, and just being confused with a stripper by the same name was enough for me !! I couldn't imagine them ripping off my product


Edited to add** My coop has a full size split level door that I can walk through upright..it makes cleaning a breeze and I have plenty of room to stand and walk around... then a quick close of the bottom door at night and lock the two locks and I know my birds are safe..Im too paranoid and anal to use something like this..Id still be going out every night to double check everything, so it would be a waste for me..

 

[tcstoehr]

A couple of folks have written that they prefer an actual visual inspection to make sure the doors are closed instead of relying on some mechanical device. I can see that point of view and I myself go out every night to make sure my auto-door has closed and to do a head count to make sure all the hens are there. But sometimes I forget to go out on time, or I'm simply coming home late because I'm out visiting with friends or something. It's very comforting to know that I have a backup in place. When I walk out to the coop at dusk 30 days in a row and see the door closed and the hens inside, and on the 31st day I'm out having dinner with friends, I can feel pretty confident that I can come home late without any problems.

 

[redhen689]

My dad is a retired electrical engineer and built me an automatic door using a car window motor, a couple switches, a photocell, and a small metal box with who knows what in it. I made 2 tracks and have a piece of board that runs up and down in the tracks. It works well most of the time.

I have had a few times when the hens have not gone in at night, most often when it is raining, and they have found a place to get out of the rain, and don't want to go back out into the rain to get into the coop.