I dropped $200 on a fancy automatic coop door and it's been nothing but trouble

I got the 'ChickGuard Pro' last fall thinking it would make my mornings easier. The idea was great, a door that opens at sunrise and closes at dusk on its own. But after about three weeks, it started getting stuck halfway. I'd wake up and have to go out in the cold to manually shove it open. The sensor gets confused on cloudy days, and last month the motor just gave out completely. Now I'm back to using my old hook and eye latch, which works every single time for free. Part of me thinks tech is the future for chicken keeping, but the other part says simple is always better. Has anyone else had a good experience with an auto-door, or did I just pick a bad one?

2 comments

2 Comments

alexj996d ago

Yeah the "simple is always better" part hits home. My buddy had a similar door that kept locking his birds out overnight because of a faulty light sensor. He went back to a basic sliding bolt too and hasn't had a single issue since. I mean, sometimes the old ways are just more reliable.

victor_carr545d ago

Ever wonder if we're just adding tech for the sake of it? My neighbor spent a small fortune on a fancy smart lock that would randomly decide to not recognize his phone. He finally swapped it for a regular keyed deadbolt and the peace of mind is huge. It feels like some of this stuff is a solution looking for a problem that was already solved.