Raising chickens is a fun and rewarding hobby that provides you with fresh eggs and meat. But raising chickens can also require a lot of effort. One of the most tedious tasks when raising chickens is opening and closing the coop door every day. While opening and closing a door may seem like a small and simple task, over time, it can take a lot of time and effort. You will never be able to go on vacation… just kidding. 🙂
Chickens wake up at dawn or sometimes earlier and immediately want to be let out of the coop. When raising chickens, you’ll also have to close the coop at night to ensure the safety of your flock. Along with feeding and watering them, it can add up to be very time-consuming–but don’t let this deter you.Â
This is where an automatic chicken coop door from Run-Chicken will come in handy. It will save you time and effort while giving you peace of mind in knowing your chickens are safe, even when you’re away. Here, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about automatic chicken coop doors and why you should invest in one.
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What is an Automatic Chicken Coop Door?
An automatic chicken coop door is a door that can be installed in your chicken coop that automatically opens and closes at a specified time. Run-Chicken’s doors open at dawn and close at dusk or can be adjusted to open and close at a set time to fit your chickens’ needs.
How Does an Automatic Chicken Coop Door Work?
Automatic doors from Run-Chicken have the option open and close according to a specific schedule, or they can be set to open and close based on the level of sunlight. If you choose to use the timer option, the door will open and shut at the time of your choice.Â
Run-Chicken’s automatic chicken coop door’s light sensor option is a great way to ensure your chickens are let out a few minutes after dawn’s first light. The light sensor feature excludes all artificial light sources (such as street lights and flashlights), so you won’t have to worry about it accidentally opening during the night. The light sensor option also closes the coop door as the last rays of sunlight trickle away, which gives your chickens plenty of time to get back in the coop at night.
How Is an Automatic Chicken Coop Door Powered?
Automatic chicken coop doors can usually be powered by one of three ways: electricity, solar power, or batteries. Since the power source can be a limiting factor when choosing an automatic chicken coop door, Run-Chicken’s coop doors are battery-powered. This allows for the convenience of location because no electrical outlet or sunlight is needed. Battery-operated doors are also more portable and easier to install.
Are Automatic Chicken Coop Doors Hard to Install?
Automatic chicken coop doors from Run-Chicken are easy to install–they can be operational in as little as 30 minutes. These doors use a combination of hardware and light-sensing software that allows them to be operational without interference. It can be mounted in a matter of minutes, using only 4 screws.Â
Run-Chicken’s automatic chicken coop doors come pre-assembled, so the door is ready to mount onto your coop when you receive it. You can place the automatic chicken coop doors on the inside of the coop as well but note that you won’t have the option of using the light sensor.
Once installed, make sure to maintain the door regularly. Check the batteries and clean the door track for the best results.
Automatic Chicken Coop Door Safety Features
A good automatic chicken coop door should have safety features to protect your birds. Automatic chicken coop doors from Run-Chicken are smart devices that have a few safety measures in place–for example, the motor’s power is at its lowest setting when it starts to close, so if anything (i.e., a bird) gets stuck while it’s closing, the motor automatically stops the door. The door will stay in this position until it is manually overridden to help protect your chickens.Â
Why Do You Need an Automatic Chicken Coop Door?
Are you sick and tired (literally) of waking up at the crack of dawn to let the chickens out? What about having to be present every evening at sunset to close the door every night to ensure your chickens’ safety? When you think of it this way, raising backyard chickens can seem like a lot of work, but an automatic chicken coop door can surely help alleviate your workload.
An automatic chicken coop door offers several benefits to both you and your chickens. First, it saves you a lot of time and effort. You don’t have to wake up early in the morning to open the coop door, and you won’t need to be present to close the coop door at night.
Second, it offers a certain level of protection to your flock. An automatic door will prevent night-time predators from entering the coop when your chickens are sleeping. Run-Chicken’s automatic chicken coop doors are made from aluminum, which is solid and sturdy. Predators won’t be able to claw or bite their way through; once it’s closed, it’s kept firmly in place.Â
Third, investing in an automatic chicken coop door can help to reduce stress on your birds. Chickens are creatures of habit; they prefer a routine. An automatic door can help maintain a consistent daily schedule, which will, in turn, help reduce stress. Why should you worry about your chickens’ stress levels? Well, happy hens are more productive. This means that when your hens feel safe and secure, they’ll lay more eggs!
Your Chickens’ Safety is the Most Important Consideration
Our feathered backyard friends work hard every day to provide us with fresh eggs and meat. They can be very special to us, so keeping them safe is a top priority. It can be a tough job to keep your chickens safe from predatory animals, though.Â
Common predators like coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and opossums seem to be experts at getting inside even the most secure chicken coops. Some of these predators are very smart, while others are simply opportunists. Regardless, many chicken predators hunt nocturnally, which means your chickens are more susceptible to attacks at night.
Predators are determined to find an easy meal, and chickens are very vulnerable at night when they’re sleeping. This is why it’s so important to securely enclose your chicken coop every night. It will keep your chickens safely inside and keep the predators out.
Investing in a sturdy, predator-proof automatic chicken coop door can save the lives of your entire flock. Foxes are sneaky creatures and will slowly pick off your chickens one by one; they are also clever enough to break into most standard chicken coop doors.Â
Raccoons, minks, and weasels are smaller predators that are sometimes known for killing chickens just for fun. These predators can easily enter your chicken coop right through the front door and quickly wipe out your whole flock in a single night–and they aren’t easily deterred.Â
Investing in an automatic chicken coop door from Run-Chicken is a great way to deter these insistent predators. Run-Chicken’s automatic chicken coop doors are designed with safety in mind—they’re made of aluminum which is both sturdy and durable. Predators won’t be able to scratch, bite, or chew through the door at night, ensuring your chickens are safe and secure.Â
This automatic chicken coop door is sturdy and reliable; it closes shortly after dusk, ensuring your chickens’ safety overnight, even if you’re not at home. It will open on its own at sunrise, allowing your chickens to roam all day long. It’ll also give you a chance to sleep in a little, so it’s a win-win!
Though predators are a common concern when raising chickens, you also want to be sure that they are protected from extreme weather as well. Automatic chicken coop doors from Run-Chicken are waterproof, so rain is not a problem. They are specially designed to work in extreme weather, so snow or wind isn’t a concern, either. Run-Chicken’s automatic chicken coop doors can tolerate extreme temperatures ranging from -15℉ all the way up to 145℉!
The biggest reason to invest in an automatic chicken coop door is to protect your chickens. Many of their predators hunt at night, so they need extra protection at night. An automatic chicken coop door will help set your mind at ease; you’ll be confident that it is closed at sunset every day so that your chickens are safe and secure every night. Â
Conclusion
Automatic chicken coop doors are one of the best inventions you can get for your chicken coop. Investing in an automatic chicken coop door can save you time and effort, help protect your flock, and reduce stress on your birds. With an automatic chicken coop door, you can enjoy the benefits of raising chickens without all the hassle.Â
Long gone is the need to be present every morning to manually open the coop door. You no longer have to linger around the coop at dusk to ensure the door is safely closed. An automatic chicken coop door from Run-Chicken can help with the two most tedious and time-consuming tasks of keeping backyard chickens: waking up at dawn to open the door and ensuring it’s closed every night.
If you want to raise backyard chickens and would like to save time and effort, then an automatic chicken coop door is the perfect thing for you. If you’ve been raising chickens for a while and are tired of waking up early and/or just can’t seem to remember to close the coop door at night–then an automatic chicken coop door can help you out.