Dropped $150 on a fancy automatic coop door last month - massive regret

Lid got jammed with morning dew on day 3 and locked my hens out overnight, lost two to a raccoon. Anyone else stick with manual hinges after a bad experience with auto doors?

2 comments

2 Comments

johns1813d ago

Man that sucks, I feel your pain. I lost two birds the exact same way on a different brand of auto door, the sensor got confused by a spider web and it just stayed open all night. After that I went back to a simple manual slide door with a hook and eye latch. Takes me 30 seconds at dusk and dawn but I haven't lost a single hen since. Honestly for 150 bucks you could build a solid wood door with some track and a counterweight that never fails. Sometimes the old ways are just better for peace of mind.

charlie_lane8513d ago

Saw a YouTube video from some guy in Montana who tested like 6 different auto doors and every single one failed eventually. He settled on a pulley system with a brick counterweight and said it's been running 8 years with zero issues. Simple really wins with chickens every time.