Automatic Chicken Door Opener

[GBeck]

ok I have to ask...curiousity is killing me. please keep in mind I know nothing about chickens.
so if the door closes at night automatically after you let the chickens out to free range....how do they get back in if they aren't back before the door closes?

 

[mjfox6]

ok I have to ask...curiousity is killing me. please keep in mind I know nothing about chickens.
so if the door closes at night automatically after you let the chickens out to free range....how do they get back in if they aren't back before the door closes?

Chickens, by nature, go to roost before dark. Once they get used to the house, they just come in on their own. I simply set the timer up to close right at dark. I know this time will have to be adjusted throughout the year, but I felt more confident in using the timer than the automatic light sensor.

What happens to the door if a really bad thunderstorm rolls in and turns the sky black? I assume it would close in the middle of the day and the chickens would probably not be inside when it did. That's why I chose the timer.

 

[Phoebepet]

i have a dog trained to guard the hens.When i let them out he guards them until i close the door only then does he leave them.Would be a brave fox or mink to enter the yard with him about.I have no need for the auto door but im sure if you can afford one it can be useful

 

[Bilko]

Zombie Thread!!!!

 

[Phoebepet]

After doing extensive research online, I picked the most recommended here. It's a bit pricey but the results been good so far. Lost a single chicken in 2 months.

 

[jaxs]

:jaded:

 

[BertZegers]

I recently installed an automatic door opener on my chicken pen. I let my chickens free range during the day, but I can't always make it home in the evenings before dark to lock the door (Or ever with the time change). The unit has a light sensor and I bought the external timer as well.

I ordered it from Automatic doors for poultry housing | VSB | VSB b | VSB bi | VSB b SA which is in England. It only took 11 calendar days to show up.

The bad: It is expensive! It was shipped all the way from England in a thinly padded plastic bag. My order did not contain the external light sensor, the batteries, the wires necessary to connect the opening unit with the timer and only 1 of the 4 replacement strings, all of which they claim must have fallen out in transit (back to the plastic bag issue).

The good: Very responsive to my e-mails. They wanted to ship me the missing parts, but gave me a refund for the missing parts instead, at my request. Easy to install and to program the timer.

I built the door frame and used a thin piece of steel for the door. I put the controller and timer in a box to protect them even more from the elements. I am only using the timer, so I don't need the light sensor.

After a week of using it, I think it is fantastic! I really like not having to worry about letting them out in the mornings and being home to lock them up in the evenings. Can't wait until the next time I need to leave town...no more bothering the neighbors!

Here are some pictures: 1. outside, 2. inside, 3. the VSBb unit and timer.
View attachment 145811View attachment 145812View attachment 145813

The adjusting of the timer will become a nuisance very soon. Why don't u use an astronomical timer? They are not very expensive anymore.

 

[WoodDuck]

I don't own chickens, but a friend does. His chicken coop is movable, and has no A/C power. He used an electric car seat motor out of a wreck that he got for nothing. He had a small 12 volt battery on the shelf already. He also purchased a light sensor and a small 12 volt solar panel off the internet. Solar panel keeps the battery charged up just fine; the motor only runs a few seconds twice a day. He hasn't touched it since he installed it all about 3 years ago. Maybe $50 and some light wiring involved in total. He did another neat solar project for his hog house: he bought some 12 volt low-current-draw ceiling fans designed for an RV, and rigged them up to a couple of batteries and a thermostat. The fans would only start after the temp got high enough to trigger his thermostat setting. If the temperature continued to rise after that, he had a second set point on the thermostat that would kick on a small 12 volt water pump. This would pump water out through some mister heads he had mounted below the ceiling fans to cool the hogs with water and fans both. This entire setup was off-grid also, with some solar panels mounted on the roof of the hog house providing all the electricity. Not sure how many/size of solar panels he had to use for the hog house, as it would run a lot longer than the chicken door does on a hot day.