One of the most important features of a chicken coop set up is of course the door. This vital piece of kit guarantees safety and protection for your birds as well as reassurance and peace of mind for you.
But of course, using a door to protect your birds, but also give them a happy and healthy life with the option to go outside and move around, comes with the downside of having to open and close it when your birds require you to. This can easily be overcome with a range of automatic chicken coop doors, and today we’ll go through our best options on the market.
After thorough research, our list is compiled of the best automatic chicken coop doors on the market and we’ve narrowed down the search for you by shortlisting those with the best build quality, reliability, adaptability and most importantly, safety. As well as looking at a range of price points to help you navigate your way through the complicated world of automated doors and find the best product to suit your needs.
When thinking about automatic chicken coop doors, there’s a few important things to consider before we start. Size is of course paramount to a successful purchasing decision, as you need to ensure the product will fit your rig.
What sort of timer an automatic chicken coop door has is also an important factor, some have standard timers that you can programme for when to open and close, some come with dusk to dawn openers which operate through a daylight sensor. It all depends on which product is best for you, and since you may have a different set up to anyone else, you need to weigh up what might be necessary and what might not.
COMPARISON CHART
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Features
- Cog operated mechanism
- Strong build quality
- Reliable manufacture
- Good reviews and lots of sales
- Battery operated
- Waterproof
- Single material construction
- Timer with set time button
Here we have one of the best doors on our list. The RUN-CHICKEN Model T50. This automatic chicken coop door is one of the most robust and well manufactured items we’ve looked at. Its robust design means it is strong and reliable and very unlikely to be overcome by predators. The door is operated via a motor and cog, which also acts as a lock by staying engaged when the door is closed.
The door closes onto an overlapping lip at the bottom, preventing predators from being able to get claws beneath and lift the door.
WHAT WE LIKE
We really like this door’s reliability, strength, and above all, design. The RUN-CHICKEN Model T50 is one of the most aesthetically pleasing products we’ve looked at in this review, and as such, it’s one of the most popular on the market too. It’s not all about looks, but in this case, the doors aesthetic conveys its strength and reliability very well, the rugged design looks strong and robust, and it’s clear from the wider overlapping border when the door is closed that this is a tramper proof product that will protect your birds no end..
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
Unfortunately the RUN-CHICKEN Model T50 has had a few bad reviews which report parts malfunctioning and the door becoming inoperable. This could be disastrous for your birds and leave them vulnerable. It seems in all cases though that communication and customer care from the company is quality and reliable, and replacement products can be sent.
PROS
- Plug and play technology – easy to install in just 10 minutes without complicated wiring or programming
- Battery powered – the company claims a minimum 1 year battery life that are easily accessible for changing
- Easy to use – the product sports a timer for your own personalised open and close times, or a LUX light sensor allowing the door to open and close automatically at dawn and dusk
- Extreme weatherproof ness – the product can be used in all weather conditions, including rain snow and dust
- Available in a range of colours that come with a powder coated finish.
CONS
- Potential for parts not working and the damage this could do to your set up is potentially awful, all your chickens could die from predators. Though with close observation this shouldn’t be an issue.
- Only one size available
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Features
- No complicated wiring or programming
- Universal fitting to any chicken coop
- Compatible with Omlet’s high end chicken coop range
- Standard timer allowing you to set open and close times
- Light sensor allowing the door to automatically open and close with the rise and fall of the sun
- Battery operated
- Available in green or cool grey
- Weatherproof control unit
- Optional coop light
Kicking off our list is the Omlet Universal Automatic Chicken Coop Door. Battery powered and featuring both a timer and light sensor, the Omlet Universal Automatic Chicken Coop Door is one of the best we’ve found. It can be fitted to any wooden chicken coop, and has been specially designed to also be fitted to Omlet’s Eglu Cube MK1, and MK2.
WHAT WE LIKE
We really like the Omlet Universal Automatic Chicken Coop Door’s ability to be fitted to both any standard chicken coop set up, and Omlet’s own range of high end chicken coops. If you’re new to raising chickens, or are just looking to get into it, then the premade chicken coop units available from Omlet may be perfect for you.
They’ve been designed with safety in mind, being raised from ground level and completely enclosed to ensure your birds are perfectly safe when the door is closed at night.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
We don’t like that the door is only available in one size as it may mean some of those more prized birds may struggle.
PROS
- Automated opening so you don’t need to worry about getting up early
- Battery operated and two timer functions
- Fits universal chicken coops
CONS
- Mid price range so not particularly a bang for your buck product but not too expensive either.
- Limited door size
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Features
- Safety mechanism
- Heavy duty design
- 12V DC power supply
- Rainproof outdoor timer
- Universal fitting
- Easy to install
- Large hinged door
Next up on the list is the JVR Automatic Chicken Coop Door Opener. This is a fantastic automated chicken coop door featuring a more heavy duty design and inbuilt safety features.
It has a sensor which stops the door moving if there is a bird below so no injuries will be possible.
WHAT WE LIKE
We really love the JVR Automatic Chicken Coop Door’s safety sensor to stop any chicken getting crushed by the door automatically closing. This gives you extra peace of mind on top of its rugged build quality keeping your chickens safe.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
We don’t like that it isn’t battery operated. This means you’ll never have to worry about the batteries running out, but you will have to worry about wiring the device into your mains electricity, which could be problematic if your coop is far from the house.
PROS
- Comes with safety sensor
- Strong build quality for a safe design
- Rainproof controls
CONS
- Exclusively DC power supply
- Not as visually well designed as some of the others on our list
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Features
- Sturdy design
- Battery operated
- Made of galvanised steel making it heavy duty and waterproof
- Adjustable open and close times that actively adapt to the season
- Features automatic LOCKED SHUT technology
The third item on our list is the ADOR1 Automatic Chicken Coop Door Complete with Battery. As its aesthetic would suggest, this is one of the strongest and most robust doors we’ve found, and its battery operated opening mechanism makes it quick and easy to install on any chicken coop you have, be it a standard store bought coop or a DIY set up.
WHAT WE LIKE
We like the ADOR1 Automatic Chicken Coop Door’s heavy duty design with a strong build quality made of reliable materials, you can trust this door is a lifetime product. We also really like the use of ADOR1’s LOCKED SHUT technology which in case you plan to install for industrial proposes, .you may also wan to get help form this PCBA manufacturer who offers electronic assembly solutions.
This is integrated with the open and close mechanism and ensures the door can’t accidentally be opened or tampered with by the birds, as some rope operated designs are vulnerable to.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
Some reviews report the timer malfunctioning and resulting in the door not opening when it should and leaving birds locked inside in the heat, or not closing at night leaving birds vulnerable to predators.
PROS
- Tamper proof
- Robust design with heavy duty materials
- Comes with timer for ease of use
CONS
- Timer could potentially be faulty
- Its robust aesthetic gives it a slightly too industrial feel which may put some people off
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Features
- 2 year guarantee
- Easy set up
- Weatherproof design ensuring the door is reliable and will always open and close as it should
- Protection sensor stops birds getting caught or crushed in the door, automatically stops moving if a bird is underneath
- Predator protection, when the mechanism closes, stays engaged, acting as a lock to prevent predators lifting the door and getting in.
- Easy controller setup
- Friendly design
Next up we have the Happy Coop Door – Weatherproof Automatic Chicken Coop Door. This door sports an impressive 10 minute install time, making it one of the easiest doors to fit to universal coops. It also comes with a weatherproof design protecting against rain and cold, and has sensors fitted to ensure the door doesn’t close on the birds or let predators in.
WHAT WE LIKE
We really like the sensors that come with this door, they ensure great protection for your birds in many ways, as well as ensure the product will always work no matter the weather as the controls are weatherproof.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
If you have any problems, the company doesn’t seem to be so good at responding to queries. Some reviews report malfunctions and little contact.
This does seem to be a very small number of reviews though and in most cases malfunctions can be put down to batteries running out of charge. Overall the product does very well with reviews.
PROS
- More integrated sensors that other models on the market
- Strong and reliable build quality with weatherproof design meaning the happy coop door will always work as it should
- Lots of good reviews
- Comes with a guarantee and warranty for 2 years. Most other models on the market do not come with any warranties or guarantees so this is a really nice feature of the company.
CONS
- Sports a few bad reviews, possible due to user errors regarding battery usage.
- Potentially bad contact with the company but seen as they offer a warranty, with a bit of chasing, you should be good.
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Features
- Timer
- Secure control box
- Easy to assemble instructions
- Budget item so a cheap fix to protect your birds
- Simple construction with minimal materials
- Battery operated
- Deters predators
Moving down our list we get to the Rural365 Automatic Chicken Coop Door. This is one of the simplest products on our list in terms of its design and construction. Rather than a ready built unit with easy install features, this kit comes with the materials to assemble your chicken door yourself.
This does of course mean set up will take longer and require more effort, but the end results should be just as good as any others on the list, and you get the added bonus of this being the cheapest door on our list.
So weigh things up and see what’s best for you, the money you save for that convenience may be worth it as the reviews suggest this product holds up when it comes to functionality.
WHAT WE LIKE
We really like its price first and foremost. The Rural365 Automatic Chicken Coop Door is by far the cheapest on our list and that gives it a good position here.
Always keep in mind that the cheapest product is not necessarily the best for you, and this product comes with much more installation required than other models. But it seems it holds up as it uses strong materials and boasts good reviews.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
Unfortunately due to its construction and price point this item is going to require more time and expertise to install which we know may deter some people. It’s not such a big deal though, but what’s less good about this product is it uses a string operations mechanism rather than a cog like most others on our list.
This certainly makes the product more vulnerable to breakages or malfunctions as a string operated closure is less secure and potential can be ripped or bitten by predators.
Its design is such that the string is never accessible from the outside though so any issues with predators should still be unlikely.
PROS
- Flat pack, simple construction
- Budget price point
- Timer for ease of use
CONS
- More set up required
- String operated closure so more vulnerable to break
7. ChickenGuard Waterproof Automatic Chicken Coop Door
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Features
- Quick set up
- weather proof
- Timer
- LCD screen
- Light sensor
- Strong materials
- Self locking
- Predator resistant
Finally on our list we have the ChickenGuard waterproof automatic chicken door. This is a great product and features a stylish waterproof control unit. With simple construction and strong materials.
WHAT WE LIKE
We really like the locking mechanism on this product, it’s better than any others on the list. Once the door is closed two locks on either side of the door automatically engage and ensure the door remains firmly closed and cannot be opened by predators.
This is great for giving you an extra piece of mind.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
We don’t like its minimal construction with parts you need to assemble yourself. These features give the product a less professional aesthetic which can make people question its reliability.
PROS
- Good reviews
- Lots of useful features
- Great locking system
- Both timer and light sensor so you can have lots of freedom when setting it up
CONS
- More assembly required than some other competitors on the list.
- One of the most expensive on the list which does not seem to match up with its features and functionality, this is an overpriced item on our list.
Final Verdict
Overall the RUN-CHICKEN Model T50 wins it, this we found to be a great product with lots of functionality and above all, very strong and reliable. A simple design, a good aesthetic and available in a range of colours.
The price point is fair and falls in the middle of our list, and the company is well established and can be relied upon. We hope you enjoyed our list, go and buy the one that’s right for you by clicking on one of the links on this list.
