![]() It was relatively easy to set up, doesn’t take up too much space (which was a concern for us since our chicken coop is small), and it’s easy to maintain with changes in light. We bought the ChickenGuard coop door and the ChickenGuard Standard Opener and it has worked perfectly since we got it, going on 8 months now. What’s the best automatic chicken coop door? So you don’t NEED to go out to your chickens when the sun rises or sets. Really, the main benefit of the automatic chicken coop door is it gives you a few hours in the morning and at night to do whatever you want. I just really don’t want to come home to a problem, that would be the worst end to a vacation ever. Whenever we leave town we have someone stay at our house and watch our animals. As long as every morning and night you are still checking on them, they’ll most likely be fine.Ĭould you leave for three days and assume the hens will be safe? Probably yes. Additionally, it is also a good idea to test the door out for a few weeks or even months before letting your chickens use it to make sure it’s working properly. You still have to go out each day and check on your hens. TIPS FOR USING AN AUTOMATIC CHICKEN COOP DOORįirst of all, know that it doesn’t replace you as a chicken owner entirely. So here are some ways to use the door safely. Hence, why you still need to be available every day to take care of any farm animal really, even if you have a tool to make it easier. Luckily I could hear the chickens squawking, wondering why their door was shut, and I was able to go out there and take care of it. These are all valid concerns.Īnd actually, the last problem I mentioned happened to us one time. Or maybe you have it on a timer and you forget that the sun is setting later and later, and it shuts before the girls are in there. Maybe it’s extra cloudy that day and the light sensor thinks it’s night time, so it closes and then later that night your hens can’t get in when they need to. Second, it could mess up the time of day, or you could forget to schedule it properly. So if you’re not paying attention and it breaks, then the door won’t shut at night, and a predator could come and get your hens. I don’t agree with this, but I’ll just address some of the risks with an automatic coop door.įirst, it could malfunction or the batteries could die (ours is battery operated). But during my research I also read some negative comments about them, most of them stemming from the general idea that if you have an automatic door you’re not paying close enough attention to your chickens. When I first heard of automatic chicken coop doors I was thrilled. Automatic Chicken Coop Door – worth it? Safe? Controversy? So having an automatic chicken coop door allows you to not have to tend to the chickens morning and night, if you don’t want to. I did it, and I was happy to do it (after all this is farm life) but if I can make things easier, I’m willing to explore that. I’m recalling all those rainy, stormy nights when it was dark and I would be scrambling to find a flashlight and boots to go close the coop door. So that’s when we realized we needed a way for the chickens to get out and free roam whenever they wanted without us having to get up and let them out.Īnd the same goes for the evening. ![]() Same goes for the winter – no need to walk outside in the pouring rain or freezing cold.Ī couple years ago we had a hen who was super loud when the sun came up, almost like a rooster. It’s pretty simple really: no more waking up at 5am to open the coop door, or going out at 10pm to close it in the summertime. ![]() But other times I’d really like some peace and quiet, or for them to just be safe without me having to help them.Īnd enter… the automatic coop door! Why You Need an Automatic Coop Door Sometimes I enjoy getting up early and letting the chickens out, or going out there and saying goodnight as I close the wooden coop door. But the one thing that I don’t love is how loud they can be when they’re waking up and they’re hungry. Sometimes my husbands questions our ability to keep them in our own yard (we have neighbors) but I am confident in my ability to catch them, lol. The chickens are wandering all over the place. ![]() I love the birds chirping, the plants thriving, and the chickens finding all the worms in the backyard. PIN IT FOR LATER! Advertisements Summer at the Homestead As an Amazon associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission off items you buy at no extra cost to you. Learn how to set up the best automatic chicken coop door for your backyard ladies. Keeping the chickens safe and happy, without having to open and close their door every day, is a huge success in my book.
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