When Should an Automatic Coop Door Close? Are my chickens night owls?

[Chicken_Bureaucrat]

My hens were like yours until I had roos. Not saying you need a roo but my hens always just seem to care less than the boys about how dark it gets. Before I had roos, the ladies first got stuck out a lot then finally would make it in but would do it right at the last minute before pitch black. They learned the coop layout and would frequently just kind of stumble in and sit wherever not being able to see once inside. I had to set my door to close pretty late using time rather than light (I have a different door, don't know if yours can do that) and had to train them a lot. With roosters though...my boys have them all to bed roosted in a line no less than 1/2hr before dark. Go figure.

I have to say my Roo does put the girls to bed early, most time 1/2 hour before dark. My auto door is on a timer and set to close after dark and opens before light. The door opens 15 to 20 minutes before light and closes about 20 minutes after dark. The chickens are in a predator proof run also.

That describes them exactly! They just want to play until they can barely see. I can't get a roo here unfortunately so it sounds like I have to change the door?

 

[Chicken_Bureaucrat]

I don't use an automatic door, but my birds go inside between 7-8pm every night.

I think they usually want to go in by 7:45 at the latest but the door wants to close at 7:30!

I have same problem I have 10 hens 1-1/2 years old and 7 hens, 5 months old, the young ones go in early but the older hens don't go in before the door closes so I have to go out and open the door so they can get in. I notice the young ones are up and out early in the morning and the older hens are still in the coop sleeping. I guess my older ones are night owls!

My younger birds are often the last in. They may start to go in earlier when they are older. On the other hand If your door is closing before the sun is all the way down it is closing a bit early.

Huh that's funny! Exact opposites from both of your flocks?

I have 16 hens & 2 Roos. They are all right at 17 wks old. I have a FarmLite auto coop door. (I highly recommend!) It has a programmable timer that I’m using right now. I have it set to open 30 min after daylight & about 10 min before complete dark.
This door has a photocell for dusk dawn use & the sensitivity is programmable. If the sensitivity of your photocell isn’t adjustable, try facing it more towards the sunset. It open a little later in the morning but should stay open later also. This should give your hens time to get in the coop.
I will say, I would have to research your door & solar panel. The solar panel should only be gathering sunlight to keep a battery charged & the photocell should be located on the door itself.

Oh that's a great idea! Right now it's not pointed at the sunset direction

 

[lagrange chicks]

I went with a timer because when we get a storm later in the day and the sky gets dark I didn't want the door to close locking the birds out.

 

[Coffetym]

I went with a timer because when we get a storm later in the day and the sky gets dark I didn't want the door to close locking the birds out.

That is another good reason to use the timer.

 

[perkolator]

I use a Run Chicken T50 and haven't had any issues with locking out stragglers. I have mine set to close at dusk with the photo sensor, which closes it near the end of twilight period when it's fairly dark outside. My chickens are usually already up in their roosts a good 15-30min before this happens, unless I let them out to free range near dusk time when I get home from work, then they'll linger a bit longer.

 

[15AcresFarm]

For what it's worth, I'll add that I have had better success with using the timer option as well on mine. I don't have a roo and and a handful of my 13 hens like to stay out until the full dark hits. I use the chick cozy door, https://amzn.to/3ZsmXPy .... Worked great so far. It's also nice for in the morning, I set the timer to about 8am so I can get out feed/water at sunrise with them still in the coop and then use the manual open to let them out when I'm done.

 

[Cass609]

My coop has the automatic Ladies First Chicken Door:

https://www.ladiesfirstchickendoor.com/products/

This thing is supposed to close when it starts to get dark, using it's solar panel to detect this. And it generally does a good job at this.

My problem is my hens never make it in before it closes. This is my first time with a flock so I don't know if something is wrong with the door or the chickens. I'll explain what is going on:

The door has a solar panel and detects when it starts to get dark and closes then. However it doesn't wait until night. It closes generally about when the sun is about a hand's breadth from the horizon. Though there are houses and trees in the way of this so it is hard for me to tell exactly. It isn't actually dark at this point though so the hens haven't though to actually go inside!

Do your hens start to go inside around then? Should they be going in before it gets actually dark? Are my chickens waiting out a stupidly long time? I've noticed that when they want to go inside it's generally dark enough in the coop that they sometimes don't make it all the way up onto the roost, choosing instead to roost on the raised lip of the poop board. Fortunately the lip of the poop board is a roost sized bit of wood and there are few enough of them that they don't poop on each other. But that indicates to me that maybe they're going to bed too late?

There are only 3 of them and they are only about 6 months old, they have had no older hens to teach them when to go to bed.

Does the door need fixing or do they need training?

FYI I was having the same issue until I read the directions for my coop solar panel. Inside mine has a timer, and I can set it by holding 3 seconds at night time to auto close and same for open

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256119345153?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=777008&algo=PERSONAL.TOPIC&ao=1&asc=20230811125216&meid=72b71736065149b6961c7299c287defa&pid=101771&rk=1&rkt=1&mehot=none&itm=256119345153&pmt=0&noa=1&pg=4375194&algv=WatchlistVariantWithMLR&_trksid=p4375194.c101771.m47999&_trkparms=parentrq:43e8480a18b0a8d708a834cfffffd7dc|pageci:b5184cea-6dde-11ee-ad28-468f0edf4c47|iid:1|vlpname:vlp_homepage

 

[Cass609]

My coop has the automatic Ladies First Chicken Door:

https://www.ladiesfirstchickendoor.com/products/

This thing is supposed to close when it starts to get dark, using it's solar panel to detect this. And it generally does a good job at this.

My problem is my hens never make it in before it closes. This is my first time with a flock so I don't know if something is wrong with the door or the chickens. I'll explain what is going on:

The door has a solar panel and detects when it starts to get dark and closes then. However it doesn't wait until night. It closes generally about when the sun is about a hand's breadth from the horizon. Though there are houses and trees in the way of this so it is hard for me to tell exactly. It isn't actually dark at this point though so the hens haven't though to actually go inside!

Do your hens start to go inside around then? Should they be going in before it gets actually dark? Are my chickens waiting out a stupidly long time? I've noticed that when they want to go inside it's generally dark enough in the coop that they sometimes don't make it all the way up onto the roost, choosing instead to roost on the raised lip of the poop board. Fortunately the lip of the poop board is a roost sized bit of wood and there are few enough of them that they don't poop on each other. But that indicates to me that maybe they're going to bed too late?

There are only 3 of them and they are only about 6 months old, they have had no older hens to teach them when to go to bed.

Does the door need fixing or do they need training?

FYI I was having the same issue until I read the directions for my coop solar panel. Inside mine has a timer, and I can set it by holding 3 seconds at night time to auto close and same for open

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256119345153?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=777008&algo=PERSONAL.TOPIC&ao=1&asc=20230811125216&meid=72b71736065149b6961c7299c287defa&pid=101771&rk=1&rkt=1&mehot=none&itm=256119345153&pmt=0&noa=1&pg=4375194&algv=WatchlistVariantWithMLR&_trksid=p4375194.c101771.m47999&_trkparms=parentrq:43e8480a18b0a8d708a834cfffffd7dc|pageci:b5184cea-6dde-11ee-ad28-468f0edf4c47|iid:1|vlpname:vlp_homepage

 

[Cass609]

My coop has the automatic Ladies First Chicken Door:

https://www.ladiesfirstchickendoor.com/products/

This thing is supposed to close when it starts to get dark, using it's solar panel to detect this. And it generally does a good job at this.

My problem is my hens never make it in before it closes. This is my first time with a flock so I don't know if something is wrong with the door or the chickens. I'll explain what is going on:

The door has a solar panel and detects when it starts to get dark and closes then. However it doesn't wait until night. It closes generally about when the sun is about a hand's breadth from the horizon. Though there are houses and trees in the way of this so it is hard for me to tell exactly. It isn't actually dark at this point though so the hens haven't though to actually go inside!

Do your hens start to go inside around then? Should they be going in before it gets actually dark? Are my chickens waiting out a stupidly long time? I've noticed that when they want to go inside it's generally dark enough in the coop that they sometimes don't make it all the way up onto the roost, choosing instead to roost on the raised lip of the poop board. Fortunately the lip of the poop board is a roost sized bit of wood and there are few enough of them that they don't poop on each other. But that indicates to me that maybe they're going to bed too late?

There are only 3 of them and they are only about 6 months old, they have had no older hens to teach them when to go to bed.

Does the door need fixing or do they need training?

 

[Cass609]

Mine needs to be timer set, it has the solar panel, but within, there is a hidden timer see diagram. If I hold 3 secs at a morning hour, it will set to open at that hour, same as even ing hour, set time for evening hour by holding 3 seconds at that hour