Automatic coop door

[nicandjim0315]

Good morning chicken lovers!
I was online looking for a automatic door opener and there are just so many, and a lot with not so great reviews. Anyone have any recommendations? Tysm

 

[jelibn1980]

we just got one from RunChicken.... and its great so far. Its only been maybe 3 weeks, so i cant speak on longevity. But it was easy for my husband to install and they were having a sale on their website so it was cheaper than buying their brand off amazon

 

[Elkhounds]

We have the Omlet Auto Door and I would NOT recommend it if you want to use the light sensing feature. I have ours set at open when light is a 1 and they have it hard programmed to add 20 minutes. So 20 minutes after just the tinest of light the door opens.
This ends up being about 15 minutes after our neighbors chickens come out. Ours are always waiting (we have a camera in the coop) for the door. I have to use it on the timer which means I have to reset it every couple of weeks instead of it just doing its thing.

Omlet claims it is a safety feature in case a headlight or something hit it then it would not open. I would rather it be a 5 minute delay and let me pick the light so it opens when I want it to.

If I didn't already have money in this one I would look at that RunChicken that was mentioned above.

 

[TooCheep]

I've had a good experience with my ChickenGuard Premium (5 yrs old now). It raises/lowers the doors manually, via timer or via light sensor. I like the fact that it uses a string to open/close the door rather than a bar/lever which can actually trap/kill a chicken (rare, but it has been reported here multiple times).

 

[DavidReaves]

I prefer the gear-driven auto-doors. The model I bought earlier this year isn't available on Amazon anymore, but the features are pretty generic. It is available on the company website: Chik-N Auto Door.

There are lots that are clones of the Run-Chicken on Amazon. I like the light activated function especially. It allows adjustment on the level of light/dark for opening and closing. I have it set to not close until it is pretty dark. Opening is set to be before sunrise, but well after first light. The model I have allows you to use a 6-volt lantern battery instead of 4 AA batteries most use. The larger battery gives a longer, more amperage, cold-tolerant, life than smaller cells.

My advice is to pick one that has good reviews and a good price. I don't see that there is any reason to pay a premium for a "brand" name.

Edited: This photo is my door, installed.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

we just got one from RunChicken.... and its great so far. Its only been maybe 3 weeks, so i cant speak on longevity. But it was easy for my husband to install and they were having a sale on their website so it was cheaper than buying their brand off amazon

I have a RunChicken door also, it's been on my coop for about a year and a half and I love it! The only issue is when we had a crazy freeze, -17 for days I'd have to go out and give it a little push upwards to get it moving, other than that zero complaints!

 

[CarlaCo]

Looking at the same issue. I liked the videos and the price for the maticoopx. The only worry is a number if reviews talked about rain hurting it. We get pretty severe weather here. Anyone have this one?
MATICOOPX Automatic Chicken Coop Door Opener, with Timer & Light Sensor, Aluminum Door https://a.co/d/8hyqukn

 

[Vickischics]

We have the Omlet Auto Door and I would NOT recommend it if you want to use the light sensing feature. I have ours set at open when light is a 1 and they have it hard programmed to add 20 minutes. So 20 minutes after just the tinest of light the door opens.
This ends up being about 15 minutes after our neighbors chickens come out. Ours are always waiting (we have a camera in the coop) for the door. I have to use it on the timer which means I have to reset it every couple of weeks instead of it just doing its thing.

Omlet claims it is a safety feature in case a headlight or something hit it then it would not open. I would rather it be a 5 minute delay and let me pick the light so it opens when I want it to.

If I didn't already have money in this one I would look at that RunChicken that was mentioned above.

This problem is correct.

 

[Lainey-chick]

I love my Omlet door. I like that it opens sideways instead of guillotine. It has a safety feature that will open back up if a chicken is in the door and then will close again. I tried it on my own arm and it works perfectly. Some of the guillotine’s will just stop if it detects a chicken and not re-open and re-close. I have read horror stories about chickens getting stuck. Some folks do not like the sensor option because of the delay, but this doesn’t bother me because my rooster crows inside the coop in the early morning and it’s muffled a bit more than when he’s outside. So far, it has been a great option for me.

 

[MarkRainbolt]

Buy a Runchicken t-50 and be done. It uses ambient light sensor so you could shine a led flashlight on it and it still won’t open. It has a safety sensor on it in case it starts to close on a chicken it goes back to the up position. I tried it using my hand and it worked perfectly. It also can be connected to your phone through the app and you can change the factory settings if you want to what suits your schedule. It is gear driven so no strings to worry about breaking. They have videos on YouTube if you would like to watch before buying.
Mark