An automatic chicken door can be a game changer for your chicken coop set up and provide peace of mind when you can’t be there to shut in your chickens at exactly the right time.
The best automatic chicken door is easy to use, reliable, and safe for your chickens and provides one extra layer of security. We spent time researching the best auto chicken doors and we will provide everything you need to know to help you choose the best door for your coop.
You can find information below on the different considerations for selecting the best automatic chicken coop door, our top suggestions for coop doors, and some general tips for making the most of an auto chicken coop door.
Find suggestions for more Chicken Keeping Supplies or get out Guide to Raising Chickens for Beginners.
Looking for our top recommendation for the Best Automatic Chicken Door? Check out the Chick Cozy Chicken Door, or read our review of this great door.
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What is an Automatic Coop Door?
An auto chicken door is a small door to a chicken coop that opens and closes automatically. The door lets your chickens in and out of the coop.
The door can be set to open and close at a specific time or based on the sunlight and some chicken coop doors can be closed via a remote control.
You can see a variety of options in the list of the Best Automatic Chicken Door below.
Should you get an Automatic Chicken Door?
The first question to ask yourself is whether an automatic chicken coop door is right for you. Below you can see some of the benefits of an automatic chicken doors as well as some reasons an auto coop door might not be right for you:
Pros of Automatic Chicken Doors
- Convenience: Automatic chicken coop doors save time and effort by opening and closing the coop at scheduled times or in response to light levels.
- Predator Protection: They provide a reliable way to protect your chickens from nighttime predators, helping ensure their safety. They give an extra level of security if you aren’t there right at dark to shut up your chickens.
- Safety Features: Most automatic doors incorporate safety features like obstacle detection sensors to prevent injuries to chickens.
Cons of a Chicken Coop Door Opener
The biggest con is that you may become reliant on the coop door and not check your coop each day. The door should be an extra layer of security. Below are a few other cons to an automatic chicken coop door. After finally getting a chicken coop door we believe the cons that worth it for extra safety and peace of mind.
- Initial Cost: Automatic chicken coop doors can be relatively expensive compared to manual options, with the price varying based on features and quality.
- Maintenance: Like any mechanical device, automatic doors require periodic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubrication, to ensure they function correctly.
- Installation Complexity: Setting up an automatic door may be more complex than installing a manual one, especially if it involves electrical wiring. Choose an easy to install coop door.
- Power Source: Solar-powered models depend on sunlight to charge their batteries, so they may not be suitable for locations with limited sunlight or during extended cloudy periods.
- Risk of Malfunction: Although uncommon, there is a risk of technical malfunctions that can prevent the door from opening or closing as intended.
How to Choose the Best Automatic Chicken Door?
Before looking at the best best automatic chicken coop door options you should consider a few important elements. Depending on your exact set up, some of these considerations will dictate which door is the best for you.
Reliability: Choose a door that is high quality and won’t malfunction.
Electicity Source: Coop doors are generally powered through a battery, electric plug in or can be solar paneled. A plug in source may be more reliable unless you lose power. Batteries will need to be changed but offer peace on mind during storms.
Functionality: Some automatic doors are programmed to open and close a specific time of day, while other operate based on the amount of sunlight. You can also find some that are controled by a remote control.
Safety: Choose a door that senses if a chicken is in the door when it closes it won’t injure the chicken. We chose a coop door that opens and closes sideways to help keep our chickens safe.
Size: Most automatic chicken coop doors are designed to let one chicken pass in and out at a time. If you have a large hen you will want to find a large auto coop door.
Ease of Use: The best automatic chicken coop doors are easy to use and can be programmed easily.
Cost: This is one place where it is worth spending a bit more money. The best and most reliable chicken coop doors are often a bit more expensive but they will last longer.
Installation: Choose a door that is easy to install.
Best Automatic Chicken Door Options
Below you can see our top choices for an automatic chicken coop door opener. These doors are all great choices for a coop door.
Best Auto Chicken Door: Chickcozy
The Chickcozy coop door is what we ended up choosing for our coop. The door checked all the boxes and is currently working flawlessly in our coop. It is one of the few doors that opens horizontally making it safer for your chickens. It took me 10 minutes to install this door and 2 minutes to ensure that it was working properly.
- Power: This automatic chicken coop door is powered by battery, but can also be plugged directly into a power source.
- Functionality: The Chickcozy door can be programmed to operate on the sunlight (default) and on a specific time.
- Safety: The door will not close on a chicken and senses when there is an obstacle
- Installation: This door is installed on a flat surface and can be put into your coop quickly in just a few minutes.
RUN-CHICKEN Door Automatic Chicken Coop Door
This automatic chicken door by Run-Chicken is one of the best doors on the market and get consistently good reviews. This was our other top choices for the best automatic chicken door options and we ultimately chose the other door based on just a few criteria. The door is battery powered and comes with a 12 month guarantee. The door opens and closes vertically.
- Power: This coop door is powered by battery (batteries last about 12 months)
- Functionality: The door can be programmed to operate on the sunlight, a specific time or manually opened and closed
- Safety: The door will not close on a chicken and is safe to use.
- Installation: This door is installed on a flat surface and can be put into your coop quickly in just a few minutes. Make sure that the door is installed with space for the door to fully open.
Best Solar Automatic Chicken Coop Door
One of the highlights of this chicken coop is the solar power. The small solar cells allows the door to operate for about 50 days. Like some of the other auto chicken doors above, this door can be set to open based on the amount of light. The easy to read panel lets you see and control the door easily. This door opens and closes vertically with a door the condenses. This coop door is a good option if you are installing it on an existing coop that has limited space for the opening and closing door.
- Power: This door is solar powered with a small solar cell.
- Functionality: The door can be programmed to operate on the sunlight, a specific time or manually opened and closed
- Safety: The door will not close on a chicken and is safe to use with you chickens.
- Installation: This door can be put into your coop quickly in just a few minutes. You will also need to run and connect the solar panels.
Omlet Automatic Chicken Coop Door
This automatic chicken coop door is another option if you are looking for a door that opened horizontally. The full door slides opens and closes sideways and has a small control center that attached separately. This door is powered by battery or can be plugged in directly. The door is easy to use with several options for settings.
- Power: This door is powered by batteries or directly plugged in.
- Functionality: The door can be set to open and closed manually, based on light or a specific time of day.
- Safety: The door will not close on a chicken and is safe to use with you chickens.
- Installation: This door can be put into your coop quickly in just a few minutes. It can be installed to open or close left or right.
Auto Chicken Door: Solar Cluck
This is a sturdy automatic chicken coop door with a door that opens horizontally. The door can be battery powered or solar charged and can be set to open based on the light, the time or opened and closed manually. With anti-pinch technology, this coop door will not hurt a hen. This high quality coop door has a warranty.
- Power: This door is powered by batteries or can be solar charged
- Functionality: The door can be set to open and close in several ways included light sensors and time of day.
- Safety: The door will not close on a chicken and is safe to use with you chickens.
- Installation: The door is easy to install but you will need to ensure that there is a clear space for the door to open.
How to Use an Automatic Chicken Door
Once you’ve chosen the best automatic chicken door for your coop, it’s important to install it correctly and use it correctly to make sure your chickens stay safe. Below are some general tips to help you use your new auto chicken door.
- Read all Directions thouroughly to ensure you are getting maximum use from your new coop door.
- Practice the settings to make sure you know how to manually shut the coop door.
- Install the door correctly and make sure the door has plenty of room to open and close. If you live where there is snow, make sure the coop door above the ground level.
- You should always double check that your chicken are secure at night – even with an automatic coop door. This is especially important for the first few nights when your chickens are getting used to their new set up. If your chickens have not been locked in a coop before. Put them in the coop for a few days so they get used to it. This is also important as you introduce new chicks to a coop.
- Check your door frequently to make sure it is fundtioning properly. You should also check the battery level.
More Chicken Keeping Supplies
Luckily you don’t need many supplies to keep chickens. Generally you can safely raise chickens with some predator proof cover (like a coop) food and water. Below are some suggestions for chicken supplies to help you get started:
