What is the best chicken coop automatic door for sale right now? That’s exactly what we shall check out today.
We have tested and rated 5 of the top performing automatic door opening units , (both add-on motors and completely built systems) to provide you a comprehensive low down on what to buy.
For our recommendations at a glance, simply head to the table below. For a more detailed review of each of our favorite picks plus a dedicated buyer’s guide, keep on reading.
Table of Contents
Best Chicken Coop Automatic Door – Top 5
| NAME | IMAGE | DETAILS | |
| TOP PICK: Automatic Chicken Coop Door Opener by Cheeper Keeper | No Electrical Outet Runs on 4 AA batteries – Automatic Opens at dawn, closes at dusk | CHECK ON AMAZON | |
| Automatic Chicken Coop Door with Sunrise/Sunset Mode | 4 operating modes Heavy duty aluminum door | CHECK ON AMAZON | |
| Add-A-Motor Chicken Coop Automatic (D20) | Attaches to wood, aluminum & plastic doors up to 10lbs Customizable time schedule | CHECK ON AMAZON | |
| ASTx Extreme Automatic Chicken Coop Pop Door Opener by Chickenguard | Integrated Timer / LUX Sensor. 8 lbs lifting capacity. | CHECK ON AMAZON | |
| Brinsea Products Chick Safe, Automatic Chicken Coop Door Opener | 2.5 Lbs. lifting capacity All-In-1 design | CHECK ON AMAZON |
Best Automatic Chicken Door – A Buyers Guide
If you’ve been raising chickens for a while then you understand the frustration and stress of waking up in the wee hours to let them out and rushing home on time to lock them up.
Even if you are just getting started in chicken farming, you already have an idea about the challenges of ensuring that your chicken are protected always from predators.
But, you can rid yourself of all frustration and worries by installing an automatic chicken coop door which will always ensure maximum safety of your birds.
The benefits of installing an automatic chicken coop door
There are lots of benefits you can enjoy by installing high quality and full door and these include:
Happy and healthy chickens
Letting your chicken out on time provides them access to sunlight, nutritious vegetation, fresh air, and also enjoy dirt baths among other outdoor benefits that helps keep them entertained and relieve them of stress.
Free-range chicken also live out their true self to the fullest since they have enough space for foraging and flapping their wings.
All of these advantages summed together produce healthy and happy chicken which result in high-quality eggs and meat.
Safety is Guaranteed
Rearing free-range chicken means you let them out of their coop each morning and lock them in the evening to stop them from being attacked by predators such as dogs, owls, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, among others.
So, you will require a door that shuts at the set time and remains intact overnight to ensure that your chickens are protected throughout the night.
Protect your investment
Did you know that more than $30 is required to raise a single chicken per year? If you have many chickens in your backyard farm then you know this is a serious investment.
Whether you raise a chicken as a hobby or for commercial purposes, you should ensure that they are always protected by a high-quality door that will lock predators out.
A single raccoon or dog can eliminate the entire flock in one night: but, with an automatic door protecting them, you will no longer keep on wondering whether you have locked the door at night or not.
What to look for when buying an Automatic Chicken Door?
There’s a set of options when it comes to the purchase of automatic chicken coop door. To help you in your selection process is a list of desirable features you need to look out for when buying your door.
Top Features to look out for:
- A door that allows for simple operation (top features include built-in fail safe and manual override).
- A unit that can operate no matter the weather (across a range temperature). Look for doors that can still work below zero.
- Wire and other components are fully protected from chickens and rodents
- A control unit that is enclosed, well protected and is waterproof
- A door that closes gently and slowly, with an optimal 30 second cycle time.
- The timer and/or light sensor operation should be manually adjustable
- Opt for a unit that provides a decent warranty and has proven quality customer care.
Okay, so now you know exactly what featured the best chicken doors come with: let’s look at some of the most important aspects of the automatic chicken door you should know about.
Main Issues to Consider:
- The power source for the main control unit
- The type of control unit
- The door opening mechanism
- Door weight and size
Main Control Unit Power Source
There are in fact four main types of power source for today’s automatic doors:
- Electrical Grid
- Solar Power
- Portable Batteries
- A combination of all three
We recommend a battery-powered unit
Battery power is the most convenient and reliable source of power for your door. Mains electric can be hard depending on where your coop is situated, (and you certainly do not want cabling stretching across your yard on a permanent basis).
On the other hand, solar power can be the best option if you live in an area with frequent sunshine.
Where you don’t have to check anything much except the control box to ensure it is functioning.
Batteries are power outages resistance and any quality control unit will feature a low battery indicator giving you pre-warning of when to replace them.
Battery life is good too, with a large number of units providing you with 6-9 months from just 4 AA batteries.
Type of control Unit
There are two types of a control unit that will determine when your door opens and closes:
- Light Sensor
- Timer Based
Light Sensor Operation
As seen from the name, this is a control unit with a built-in light-sensor that activates the door based on atmospheric light, opening in the morning and closing at night.
This can become an issue if there is an alternative light source nearby, (full moon, security lights, car headlamps etc.).
You also need to have the sensor positioned in a way that it will receive the early morning sunlight. To overcome problems with light-sensitive operations, some units feature a failsafe option which is triggered by a timer-based mechanism.
Timer Based Operation
So why not skip all that and purchase a door with a timer-based solution. This is what we recommend as they are most times cheaper and are much easier to operate.
The only setback is that you will be required to adjust the time throughout the year as the days get shorter and longer.
Door Opening Mechanism
The inbuilt mechanism that closes and opens the door falls into 2 categories:
- A Motor that controls both the Close and Lift
- A Motorized life with Gravity Close
We recommend the first one. A motor mechanism that controls both the closing and opening of the door is much safer for your hens. This is because of the slow, steady nature of the door closing, no hen should come to any harm.
Aside this, some units include a positive step or an electric eye that will prevent the door from closing if a bird is in the way.
Weight and Door Size
The most common size of door is 12” x 15” which is actually great for almost all fowl breed. (If you have larger birds you may need to upsize accordingly).
Poultry coop doors differ in weight in line with material used. A wooden door could weigh as much as 4KG, while an aluminium one with the same dimensions could weigh less than 0.5Kg.
The weight is crucial because you will need adequate power in the motor to lift a heavy door, (anyone attempting a DIY option needs to keep that in mind).
Overall, a light yet durable door that will not strain the motor is recommended.
Best Automatic Poultry Door Reviews
The best chicken coop automatic doors on the market vary in diverse ways such as operations and materials as well. So, you should make sure you have installed a door that serves your needs in the most comfortable ways.
Here are the best chicken automatic doors that you should totally check out:
Sitting on the top spot of our list is a unique gadget world-leading chicken doors manufacture Cheaper Keeper.
Produced in Germany, it has been expertly crafted as a reliable and dependable device for keeping you treasured chicken safe from sunset to sunrise and vice versa.
It comes with a photoelectric switch that controls the motor which pulls the electric door using pulling cords to open or shut it. The kit comes with clear instructions on how to install making the process really simple.
You need not gave to worry about wiring process since the opener runs on 4AA batteries that lasts for years.
This is the perfect door opener for mobile chicken coops since it does not require rewiring every time you move your chicken house.
Aside from shielding your chicken from predators, locking your chicken also protects them from other environmental factors such as rain, snow, hail storms and flooding just to mention a few.
The stainless steel door sits at 8 inches by 13 inches ensures that nothing will harm your girls in your absence. The door is durable and firm so it saves you on regular replacement costs.
The door opener also boasts of value-added components like overload safety and auto motor stop that allows the chicken to pass through for about 3 minutes if there is a problem with the door.
Aside all that, the opener is also resistant to ammonia gases, moisture, dirt, and dust associated with many chicken coops and most important it is also lightning strike proof.
Automatic Chicken Coop Door with Sunrise/Sunset Mode
Do you find yourself always forgetting or getting late to lock the door of your chicken home? It is time to take action and install the Automatic Door with sunrise/sunset mode.
How did this make our list of the best chicken coop automatic door?
This door is both electric and battery powered do you need not worry much since if the power goes down, the batteries will serve as a backup.
The door opener operated on 4 various modes which include a sunset/sunrise, manual, a timer and override. The sunset/sunrise mode setting automatically opens morning to allow the chicken out and closes evening to lock the door as soon as the chickens are back to their house.
You can also use the time mode to preset the exact rime when you want the door to open or shut. On the other hand, the override and manual mode assist you with physical operations of the door.
This is quite helpful especially when there is power outage and the batteries are dead or the opener has malfunctioned and the chickens are trapped inside.
The heavy duty aluminum door will give you value for your money for years without warping or rusting. It is also impact proof so this will protect you from all forms of environmental or predators factors.
Add-A-Motor Chicken Coop Automatic Motor (D20)
The Add-A-Motor is a great device that automatically operates the door of your chicken building. It saves time and stress of having to wake up early to let your chicken out or cancel your evening date or meetings so that you can be home to lock them up.
You can set the motor to open the door anytime you so desire. At times, you may want to let your chicken out a bit late in the morning especially during cold and rainy season whereas other time you may want to let them out fast mostly in the summer.
Installation of the motor is easy for anyone whether experienced or not in installation devices. It comes with clear instructions on step by step on how to go about the installation process. Simply plug the motor into your hen house lamp and witch and you are good to go.
It attaches with ease on various materials including aluminium, wooden, or plastic as well even on heaby doors up to 10 pounds.
The motor is tough enough to lift most coop doors. It has long cords to pull up the door and close up to 20 inches height providing your chicken even the hybrids enough space to pass through.
It also comes with a safety connector that cuts down the damage extent if the door jams, malfunctions or blocks in any way. The motor is completely automated and shuts and opens a door on the scheduled time,
The stop setting also helps to the position in which the doors stop when it closes or opens. If you have a swinging door instead of sliding door, you can convert it to lift upwards by fitting it on the side rails.
The motor can be directly plugged into the normal US household electrical circuit (110VAC). This is because the motor is fed by a wall wart which has an out capacity of 12 VDC also rated for 800 amps.
It is a smart and efficient option because it can be used anywhere including off grid where you can power it using a small 12V battery rechargeable using a solar panel. To automate the door movements you need to attach the motor to a 12VDC timer.
ASTx Extreme Automatic Chicken Coop Pop Door Opener by Chickenguard
Do you panic most times when you are late to lock up your chickens> This should not be the case anymore.
This unique door opener will help you solve the mystery of locking up your chicken in the evening to offer protection and letting them out in the morning.
It’s no surprise that it mad our list of the best chicken coop automatic door and we’d show you why.
This special door opener is powered by many options, batteries, solar and electricity. It is indeed a reliable and convenient automatic coop door opener on the market.
You are presented with an option for connecting to the mains supply especially if you have a permanent coop, your kitchen house is mobile, you will be fine since the door can be powered by batteries or solar.
Want to know the best part?
The solar kits also recharges the batteries so power failure is prevented. It features a special LED fault indicator light that will always alert you when there is a power problem.
You can program the door to open whenever you want. You can program the door to open 4 hours after dawn and up to 4 hours after dusk.
It also comes with a global positioning system that detects your longitudes and latitudes which helps it to adjust according to the time when the sun sets and rises in your area. If there is a power outage or the batteries die, you can still manually open the door.
You need not worry about the rains as they come since the automatic door for chicken coops is made of water-resistant materials that keep your chickens dry and warm.
The aluminium door will not warp or rust and will serve you for many years. The door is also lightening proof and impact resistant so nothing can get your chickens once in the coop.
The opener runs efficiently due to the easy gliding tracks and tight fit which allows the door to go up and down with ease.
The wires and sensors are safely positioned inside the motor box to prevent them from getting wet or ripped off. The opener components are also easily removable in case you want to clean them or check for the faulty ones.
The included manual also helps to make anything that looks complicated very clear.
Brinsea Products Chick Safe Premium Automatic Chicken Coop Door Opener
Sitting at the #5 spot of our rating and reviews of the best chicken coop automatic door is the military grade fully automated door opener.
It is packed with light sensors, timer and a microprocessor technology that aids with chickens safety in the dark.
The timers an light sensors are simple to set as a result of the simple menu shown on a digital screen. The openers can be powered by either electricity or the batteries.
The wiring of this top chicken coop automatic door is not hard since you only need to plug in a USB power cable and power it up. The military-grade electronics and the high powered motor guarantees efficient operation of the door in extreme weather conditions.
The opener also comes with a complete manual on how to operate the door giving you complete control. You can schedule a particular time you want the coop door to open in the morning or close in the evening.
The light sensors can also be used to trigger the door to open at dawn and shut in the evening. But, the advanced technology used to produce this extreme door opener allows every sensors to communicate with one another before executing an action.
This helps to escape any inconvenience like accidental shutting of the door when there is an overcast or opening the door triggered by the light of a flashlight.
If you haven’t picked a coop door yet then the chick safe extreme kit makes an excellent choice. The runners and door are produced from high-quality aluminium that is corrosion, rot and warping resistant. This makes it one of the best chicken coop automatic door on the market!
Since its strong yet lightweight this kit is perfect for replacing heavy doors or for coops that require horizontal doors.
The door is also impact resistant, waterproof, and lightening proof thus offering maximum protection for your chicken not only from predators but also from other environmental factors.
Automatic Chicken Coop by Titan Incubators
By producing one of the best-selling automatic chicken coop, Titan incubators offer an innovative means to keep your chicken safe. Operating this chicken house door opener is super easy. It is helpful for lowering and lifting the door of your chicken house at the times you want to set.
The Automatic Chicken Coop is a brand new door opener, which is perfect for most chicken houses. But, it will work smoothly only if the door weight is 350g minimum.
If the door of your chicken house is lighter, you need to add more weight.
Pros
- Simple to use
- It is battery operated
- Great time saver device
- Close on time you need
- Open on time you need
- Battery operated
Solarblaze Solar Powered Outdoor LED Light
This is the 7th best chicken coop automatic door out there. It is an amazing device in the sense that it does not require any holes, or wiring tools. It can be installed super easy with zero hassles. The lifespan of the solar panel is 5 years.
Premium LI-ION internal battery is used in this device. The device is eco-friendly and saves energy. It switches on automatically at night. No tool is required to install this light.
These Easy Peel �N Stick lights can be installed on the wall, patio, outside, home, stairs, deck, etc. The dim light mode is used for deterring potential prowlers. The motion activated bright light is used for startling the intruders very quickly by detecting motion.
Pros
- It is Super bright
- High-quality product
- Installation is easy
- No wiring is required
- Light up during night with the power of the Sun
Final words
No matter if you rear chicken as an hobby or for commercial purposes, installing an automated high quality door is one of the best decisions you can ever make.
A strong and high quality automatic door will keep predators out and also protect your flock from other dangerous environmental factors such as rainwater, storm or lightning.
An automatic door also saves you time and energy of going back and forth to let out and lock-up your chicken on a daily basis.
There are various forms of automatic doors on the market each with varying specifications, but, the kits mentioned above are considered to be the best chicken coop automatic door for the money
If you have already invested in automatic watering system and feeders why not invest in the best automatic chicken coop door which will guarantee maximum safety for your flock when you not around.
The best part is that the units mentioned here are of high quality so they can be said to be a lifetime investment!