Work with me here - automatic chicken coop door opener

[boosmummy]

Ive been looking at these on the internet and they are £100+!!!!

Im wondering, could you (I) not make one of these?

Im thinking (this is where it gets tricky because my mind is random) if i got a piece of wood and attached it to the door ran a piece of strong wire (fishing wire?) up to the top of the coop threading it through hooks along the top, then got an old bell alarm clock, attached the wire to the alarm clock at the back where it winds.

When the alarm goes off the wire will wrap around the windy bit and the door would open.

Would this work?

[veggiechicken]

I'm just a simple soul so why don't you put the alarm clock by your bed, when it goes off get up and let the chooks out and go back to bed if you want to? Its what I did when I had chooks

[salome2001]

I can't think of anything robust enough for a chicken coop. I think that unless you have a mad inventor in your family or friends, I'd look for a second hand opener on ebay

[DGoulston]

sounds like fun, would be good to have one of these on my blow away for in the summer too!

D

[RichmondHens]

Ive been looking at these on the internet and they are £100+!!!!

Im wondering, could you (I) not make one of these?

Im thinking (this is where it gets tricky because my mind is random) if i got a piece of wood and attached it to the door ran a piece of strong wire (fishing wire?) up to the top of the coop threading it through hooks along the top, then got an old bell alarm clock, attached the wire to the alarm clock at the back where it winds.

When the alarm goes off the wire will wrap around the windy bit and the door would open.

Would this work?

Try it and see! My father once made something like you describe, years ago, before auto pop openers had been invented. He only got it to work for opening though. But as the chicken house was a good walk from our house it was worth doing and he would close it manually in the evening and reset the clock for the following morning.

[biggles8]

Hi boosmummy,
I also have been looking at coop door openers (diy) and have located a number of wild designs on the net, just keep googal'in but the best so far is this one.
Chris and Keri’s Blog » Automatic Chicken Door

It will open and close the coop door! (I am going to use an old 12v battary drill cos I have one)
If you do get around to making an opener whatever the design please post your results.
regards
biggles8

[jps]

i managed to get 2 ( we have 2 sheds of chooks) brand new chuxaway off ebay for roughly £100 the pair.

they are a little fiddly to fit, well the first one is, second one is easy but they are brilliant tbh.

i do still check on them every day but it means they are always let out at the same time and if i am home late they are ( or at least should be) closed away.

their runs are secure anyway so its not a major worry if the door doesnt drop but 98% of the time the doors work as intended, iuts £100 well spent imo tho i did agonise over the price for a while beforehand.

one word of advice tho, they are designed to lift only light doors, one of mine is outside the shed and the rain affects the shape of it as its only hardboard, i shall be getting it remade in aluminuim asap but it mostly works for now.

mdf etc wont work tho as too heavy.

[angelat]

think i tend to agree with veggiechicken to put the alarm clock by the bed, let em out and go back to bed if you want to!! works for me. suppose on a more serious note then it would be a good idea if not home to open or put away.

[super trowel]

I have one of the light operated ones.
Brilliant piece of kit.
Before I bought it I was going to make one of these
http://www.downthelane.net/forum/vie...hp?f=8&t=16916
I did think the price was a little steep, but now I have one well worth it!!

[super trowel]

I have one of the light operated ones.
Brilliant piece of kit.
Before I bought it I was going to make one of these
http://www.downthelane.net/forum/vie...hp?f=8&t=16916
I did think the price was a little steep, but now I have one well worth it!!

[walldanzig]

I have a light operated one and to be honest it is fantastic wouldnt be without it. I still go and check on them at night but works perfectly. I panicked about at first but eventually got to trace it without being complacent

[VirginVegGrower]

I have an automatic door opener for early starts and days when I'm tired - he's called Mr VVG :
He's got an automatic door closer and that's called VVG xxx

[RichmondHens]

We used to use a couple of photosensitive ones but now have too many houses. They are good but not fool proof. We had one or two hens that got shut out regularly because they were bottom of the pecking order and were kept out by the bossier birds. Would come home late at night and find cold damp hens kipping on the roof.

[petal]

children can also be used to open hen coops.....

[VirginVegGrower]

children can also be used to open hen coops.....

Ha ha ha - try telling that to my two, who got up at 6am for the first two weeks, then reverted back to 7:15am ever since