Tips On Choosing An Automatic Chicken Coop Door

When my main coop was built in 2014 I installed an automatic door, which I think is a necessity for any chicken keeper. It means you can sleep in, or come home later than planned, and not worry that your chickens are stuck inside or, worse, left outside the coop and are vulnerable to predators and cold weather or deprived of food and water. (Even with an auto door I still go out to check nightly that everyone made it in safely on time.)

I’m no expert but in the last decade or so, I’ve owned five auto doors from different makers. I thought sharing my experience might be helpful for folks considering buying one for the first time as well as experienced keepers looking for a replacement or one for an additional coop.

Tips

• Price doesn’t always reflect quality and many companies claim to have ‘the best’ product available. I’m not sure I entirely trust online reviews so tend to use a combination of information to assist in my decision making: price, availability, warranty, quality of product, features, shipping costs as well as consumer reviews.
• Most auto doors offer several options for how the door functions: set on a timer or light sensor triggered by the amount of daylight each day, as well as manual open/close feature which most folks would only use occasionally.
• Figure out what you want a door to do. I’ve only set mine on a light sensor and am not concerned about fiddling around with other options.
• All my doors use long-lasting batteries in conjunction with a solar sensor. Do you have electrical access and can plug in a door or want strictly solar?
• What is the space available for a door? Do you want it to open vertically (most common), horizontally or swing outwards?
• Are you handy and don’t mind a few steps to install your door? Or are you looking for a simple model that just screws to your coop siding in less than five minutes?
• Do you want a LCD display panel? This feature makes programming easier and allows you to see what you currently have programmed or want to change.
• Some models are available to be programmed via a cell phone. Since I have spotty cell service and my employer provides the only cell phone I have that feature is irrelevant for me. If you desire smart devices buy that version right off the hop or ensure it has a WIFI upgrade for future use.
• How big are your birds? (i.e. very large standard chickens or bantams).
• Are you concerned about your birds getting caught and squished by a door? Some have safety features that prevent that accident from happening. I’ve never had this issue. but clearly it can happen.

(Photo credits: Cate Hilzer and Aubrey Smith)

• Do you require both a door and the control panel or have an existing door that you’re looking to open and close automatically?
• Are you fussy about colours and what a door looks like?
• Do you live in a very hot or cold climate that might its affect operation?
• What predators are in your area? Do you need a self-locking door or one that can withstand attempts from wildlife trying to get to your flock?
• Check out the conditions of a warranty: length of time, shipping costs and what is covered.

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My Experience

My first auto opener was a simple German-made Techtronoscher motor with a handmade pop-style metal door and frame. It wasn’t cheap at the time ($220CAD/166USD) for a model with zero bells and whistles. It was battery operated using a solar sensor. There was no manual override or timer. It didn’t come with any instructions so it took me a couple of years to figure out that the light sensor could be adjusted via an innocuous white screw within the box. It was a reliable workhorse until it gave up the ghost after seven years.

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Techtronoscher and Chicken Guard Auto Openers

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Chicken Guard  

• Purchased January 2022, $183/USD for the control panel opener with no door, which could be purchased separately for an additional @$80.
• Available in two styles: one is a plain metal pop-door connected by a string to the control panel, which is the model I have. In 2023 they introduced a combination door and panel that look very much like the all-in-one Run Chicken door. That change has made for easier installation and more versatility since the clearance for the door in the open position is less than mine, which requires the panel to be mounted directly above the door.
• Several openers available. The base model is $210USD.
• Upgrade: self-locking door
• Longest warranty of any of my doors: three years.

As an admitted non-technologically savvy person I found that I didn’t need, nor want, many of the features that had to be programmed at the outset (and occasionally reset when I wanted to change something). More than once, I’ve stood outside with a flashlight in hand reading the manual to figure out what I’m doing. That said, it has worked fine without an issue.

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I’ve recently been given complimentary auto doors from three companies in exchange for posting honest reviews of my experience.

Chick Cozy

I was approached by the first company, Chick Cozy, who offered me one of their doors to try. Unfortunately I had a negative experience: the first door failed after a couple of months and the replacement they sent contained batteries that leaked and made the door unusable from day one. Their customer service was great the first go-round and then, as you can imagine, it wasn’t. I won’t compare that brand to the others as, frankly, I can’t recommend it. Just as a comparison it costs $149/USD. You can read my story with that door here.

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Run Chicken 

• $140-180USD for an all-in-one aluminum door, no cheap plastic
• Easiest to install with only six screws
• Three programmable modes: light sensor, manual, timer, but no LCD display
• Anti-pinch safety stop to prevent your birds from getting trapped by the door
• Upgrades: can be WIFI activated; new drive units for both solar and battery operation
• Largest selection of colours
• Giant size door available for large poultry include ducks and turkeys ($279-299USD)
• One year warranty

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Omlet

• $199USD for an all-in-one heavy duty plastic door with metal hardware
• Comprehensive instruction manual in English and eight other languages
• Has easy to program LCD display
• Only model that opens horizontally
• Somewhat more time to install to accommodate its versatility (i.e. it can be mounted either inside or on the outside of the coop and can open from either the right or left-hand side)
• The control box is hardwired to the door. The 6’ wire means you can install the box at the most convenient and location with the most sunlight.
• Anti-pinch safety stop to prevent your birds from getting trapped by the door
• Upgrades include: can be WIFI activated or include a coop light that is wired into the panel
• Colours: grey or green 
• Two year warranty

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Thanks to the folks at Omlet and Run-Chicken for allowing me to test out and report on my experience with one of their doors.