Which automatic door should i get?

[VaultGirl27]

OK, I've narrowed my automatic chicken door search down to 3. Any reviews of any of them that you've owned would be greatly appreciated.

1. Ladies First automatic door
Pros: comes with a solar panel that you can mount wherever you want, which also functions as the sensor to open and close. Option to leave open or closed.
Cons: likely not big enough for turkeys. 3-4 weeks delivery time

2. Pullet shut door
Pros: can order big enough for turkeys. Very secure. Customizable power source
Cons: door swings out which may be difficult to put where I need it

3. Ador automatic door
Pros: can order in turkey size. Canopy available. Light sensor. Very secure.
Cons: not inherently solar powered. Batteries don't do great in cold and we have decently cold winters

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

What does your set up look like? And what type of bedding do you use? We currently use the JRV auto door that I plug into an electrical outlet inside the coop. The door is mounted on the inside of the coop. It works great and is easy to program, but it doesn’t play well with sand… Hubby has had to replace the small motor that runs the linear actuator twice. We have a Pullet Shut door that I’ll be installing later this spring. (We need to add more sand to the run, so I’ll install the door after we load the sand in with the tractor.)

Here‘s what the set up looks like now.

It would be helpful to see pics of your coop and run. I got the Pullet Door that opens to the left, so I can install it so that the door opens towards the fencing. That will leave that area to the right of the door open so the girls can still use the ledge and can hop up there to go into the door instead of having to line up on the ramp.

 

[VaultGirl27]

I don't have their new coop yet, but it is an 8x12 shed that will attach to an existing 15x20 fenced in garden. It will need to be attached via a ramp and chicken tunnel, which is why I'm unsure about using the Pullet shut door. The run is currently dirt, but potentially will be sand eventually. The other issue is that it is very windy here, so it is likely that sand and dirt will be blown around.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Where are you located? Sand is awesome, but it’s so much better if you can keep it dry (like with a roof) and shaded during the summer. We have sand in the coop and the run, but the run is roofed. It’s easy to keep it clean with a long handled wok spider and it doesn’t smell. Plus, it stays marginally cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000DZXGLW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[VaultGirl27]

I'm in San Diego County. At our old house, we had a covered and shaded run that had sand and it worked very well. How big is your run in relation to your coop? I'm wondering if I should plan for a bigger run than I have or if it will be sufficient.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

The coop is 8’ by 12’ and the run is 8’ by 24’ or so. The metal roof covers about two-thirds of the run and the rest is covered year-round by a hoop roof (2” by 4” and PVC frame covered by a reinforced clear plastic tarp).

 

[VaultGirl27]

Oh OK great. I finally ordered my new coop and it gives me 96sq ft of room. So I'm planning to max out around 24-30 chickens, providing that some will be bantams. I'm thinking of attaching it to a 15x20 ft enclosed garden space that I already have. I know the rule of thumb is 10 sq ft per bird, but I just wanted to make sure it really would be big enough

 

[RojoMarz]

@VaultGirl27 We have the Ador and really like it. The battery that came with the door lasted for over a year and a half. You mention San Diego county...is that CA. If so, what are your winters like ie. What do you consider decently cold? I'm in Colorado where it is winter weather from Sept to May.

The door came with a battery and I feel like the battery life was long. Buy good batteries and it shouldn't be an issue. I tried out a "dollar store" battery and it didn't last. But, that isn't the doors fault.

Also, it's very windy here. We've had wind gusts 30 to 50 mpg, for the last week. Tomorrow gusts are expected to be 70 mph. Wind was the main reason I ruled out the Pullet Shut door. I didn't feel like it would survive well.

 

[VaultGirl27]

@VaultGirl27 We have the Ador and really like it. The battery that came with the door lasted for over a year and a half. You mention San Diego county...is that CA. If so, what are your winters like ie. What do you consider decently cold? I'm in Colorado where it is winter weather from Sept to May.

The door came with a battery and I feel like the battery life was long. Buy good batteries and it shouldn't be an issue. I tried out a "dollar store" battery and it didn't last. But, that isn't the doors fault.

Also, it's very windy here. We've had wind gusts 30 to 50 mpg, for the last week. Tomorrow gusts are expected to be 70 mph. Wind was the main reason I ruled out the Pullet Shut door. I didn't feel like it would survive well.

Yes I'm in southern California, but in the mountains. This winter, it got down to 18F at one point and we got about 10 inches of snow on our biggest storm. We frequently get gusty winds up to 70mph.

Thank you for the advice about the batteries. I'm leaning toward the ador. I'd really like to get the turkey door, but it is quite a bit more expensive and it is $35 shipping whereas the chicken door is free shipping.

 

[RojoMarz]

Yes I'm in southern California, but in the mountains. This winter, it got down to 18F at one point and we got about 10 inches of snow on our biggest storm. We frequently get gusty winds up to 70mph.

Thank you for the advice about the batteries. I'm leaning toward the ador. I'd really like to get the turkey door, but it is quite a bit more expensive and it is $35 shipping whereas the chicken door is free shipping.

We didn't notice any issue with the battery until it was below zero for a week. The door started moving slow, then wouldn't move at all. I replaced it, and it worked as normal. Likely the extreme cold affected the 18 month old battery.

Winds...I know about them. For the last few days, it's been over 50 mph, with gusts around 70. Last night, our chicken run was destroyed, so the girls are currently locked in the coop (not that they would have decided to leave the coop, if they could).

Do you have turkey? I thought the chicken door would be small for us, but it's really not. Our Brahma's and Orpington fit fine, and they are larger birds.