Thought automatic chicken coop doors were a gimmick until my 4am wake up call last winter

I live in Ohio and it gets cold. Last January I forgot to open the coop door before work and my girls were trapped inside for 8 hours. Felt terrible. Bought a Run-Chicken auto door off Amazon for $80. Works with a timer and light sensor. Has not missed a single sunrise or sunset in 6 months. I can sleep in on weekends now. Has anyone else found a brand that holds up in snow storms? Mine gets a little sticky when ice builds up.

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo6452d ago

Oh, I was right there with you - thought automatic doors were just another gadget people bought and forgot about. But after that 4am scramble when it was 12 degrees out, I changed my tune fast. Been running mine for about a year now and like @lilyfisher's neighbor, I had the same grinding sound during an ice storm last winter, so I sprayed the track with silicone and it's been fine since.

lilyfisher2d ago

Oh man, the 4am wake up call brings back memories. My neighbor two houses down has chickens and she rigged up this whole system with a wifi-connected door that texts her if there's a temperature drop or power outage. She's a bit extra though, she also has a camera pointed at the coop so she can check on them during her lunch break. We had that nasty ice storm last February and her door actually froze shut but the timer still clicked like it was trying, made this awful grinding noise for an hour til the sun came out. I told her she should just get the Run-Chicken one like you got, she's had three different brands in two years and none of them have been perfect.