Automatic Chicken Door Opener

[mjfox6]

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.

 

[MotorSeven]

I have been kicking around one of these in my pea brain for some time. I hate having to "put the chickens up" & "let the chickens out" (it's a big joke between the Wife & I.....said in a old english biddy voice..."did ew put the chickens up???" )
I saved a deer feeder motor, board & sensor after the squirrells ate the plastic corn spinner. And, I have two Porter Cable 19.2v drill motors(drills don't like being dropped from roofs or scaffolding onto pavement). Between th two I should be able to come up with a auto door.

So your is guillotine type door? Well, how expensive? I am going to build a new coop, up on a pole 4' off the ground. Predator skirt on the pole, so a auto door may be overkill....but then again maybe not.

RD

 

[mjfox6]

So your is guillotine type door? Well, how expensive?
RD

I just purchased treated lumber for the frame and slotted it with a tablesaw. The door is a thin piece of 12x18" steel that I bought from Lowes for about $7.

 

[mjfox6]

Not sure how I forgot this, but the main reason I went with this one (i.e. the good) is that it is battery powered. I don't have electric at my coop and didn't want to run it there. The batteries are supposed to last from 1-4 years! I plan on switching them out once a year so I don't get stuck with my door open.

 

[MotorSeven]

No, not the door the whole mechanisim....looks like $150 US? plus shipping??


RD

 

[forgeblast]

Found some items that may be of interest.

THE DIYers photos. Chicken coop automatic door
shows how to make one from a drape motor and timer

G. Gearloose Model "A" Chicken Door Closer is interesting

Auto Coop Door Prototype
one made with a drill motor

BackYardChickens Forum / $30 Automatic Chicken Coop Door Plans

NIB REMOTE CONTROL UMBRELLA OPENER, - eBay (item 360090049423 end time Dec-11-09 16:13:33 PST) shows a remote control umbrella motor, i wonder how that would work??

 

[mjfox6]

Found some items that may be of interest.

THE DIYers photos. Chicken coop automatic door
shows how to make one from a drape motor and timer

G. Gearloose Model "A" Chicken Door Closer is interesting

Auto Coop Door Prototype
one made with a drill motor

BackYardChickens Forum / $30 Automatic Chicken Coop Door Plans

NIB REMOTE CONTROL UMBRELLA OPENER, - eBay (item 360090049423 end time Dec-11-09 16:13:33 PST) shows a remote control umbrella motor, i wonder how that would work??

Believe me, I looked at a lot of plans online. And just like you, the majority of what I found were AC powered, which you can do cheaply. I was originally going to build a DC controller, but I figured by the time I was done, I would have probably spent more money than the one I bought.

Also, I wanted to mount mine on the pen, not in the house, which required it to be weather resistant.

 

[20 20]

automatic chicken door opener

I can't help myself but I instantly saw the title and thought....FOX......or maybe even RACCOON

 

[mjfox6]

I can't help myself but I instantly saw the title and thought....FOX......or maybe even RACCOON

Yeah, there is a FOX in my hen house every night!

 

[cfabe]

The link to the Backyard Chicken forum plans is a post of mine detailing the door I made for about $30 using a cordless screwdriver motor. It's a "KISS" design using simple relay logic and minimal parts. Mine plugs into AC to keep the screwdriver battery charged, but you could swap in some large batteries and make it self-powered easily.

 

[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.