This isn't 100% dependable - I still needed to check each day to be sure the door opened and closed. But since my coop opened into an enclosed run, it was pretty safe and it let the chickens get out early and closed in by dark. And it was fun. :-) Eventually I switched to an Ador coop door that is light sensitive and super dependable. amzn.to/3ytq8tx
Yeah. I agree. It's a HUGE bummer because I thought this was one of the coolest things ever! I did have my doubts and I was about to ask you if you were happy with it 2 years later. Will you tell us the problems you had with it and WHY it wasn't 100% dependable? I would like to know and see if there is anything that I can (or anyone else that watches this) can tweak and make it work.
Absolutely brilliant - I would say none of the mechanisms are 100% dependable (e.g. batteries can fail for automatic doors and chickens might get spooked and jump off the roost etc.) but this is the best idea by far I have seen with automatic doors and eliminates "technical error" :)
I love it. Awesome idea. This is the smartest design I've seen ever. No power worries and nothing to break down other than a cable or a pully, which should be easier to find should a serious shtf happen near your coop
This is a brilliant idea. We always let them out & close the door at dark. No big deal for us. This would be good to try. The ADOR1 Automatic Chicken Coop Door would close before all our chickens would be inside so that is NOT good.
Thank you, William, my husband and I are building a new coop for a new group of chickens and are using your method of the Chicken Powered Door. You have a brilliant mind in my opinion. We are taking our time and tweaking it to work for what ends up being only 3 Bantam chickens (one is a rooster). We have another bigger coop for 14 bigger chickens and we plan to do the same for them, using a static perch for all but the last ones in. I am still looking for your video on the Door Hinge locking mechanism. We do need more explanation on that. You did a great job on your coop build. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
I took your idea and now control two henhouseswith one bucket! Need to mention the need for a zero pressure hose control on the drain valve. I have both fill and drain on hose controllers... morning one is on an inexpensive sunrise controlled one, so it opens when the sun comes up and stays on for 5 minutes.
I love inventive people👍👍👍...however. remember guys....during the day. The chickens are out having fun....a hawk might KILL a chicken... .. And at night it will be 1 less chicken...therefore the DOOR wont close. So, check on them every night.👍
That’s crazy genius and funny as all get out. Looking at your setup I’m having to ask, is this design fairly dependable? Or is this just a toy of sorts? Look’s like your having to put a lot of faith in your chickens to be consistent. I enjoyed your video and it’s really giving me something to think on. Thanks…
Thanks for the comment! This isn't super dependable - I still needed to check each day to be sure the door opened. But since my coop opened into an enclosed run, it was pretty safe and it let the chickens get out early and closed in by dark. Eventually I switched to an Ador coop door that is light sensitive. amzn.to/3ytq8tx
Very cool! I haven't seen anything like this I really like it. What happens if something spooks the chickens in the night are they okay then? I would love to see that locking mechanism you mentioned too.
Our chicken run is enclosed, so even if the door opens they are still pretty secure. This is just double security or in case we forget to close the run.
Some ideas: 1.) Counterweight the door itself so that it is neutral and your mechanism then only has to lift very little weight. Garage doors do this. 2.) Make the door close if anything heavier than a chicken steps on the ramp to the coop. a.) I would additionally make it so you must unlock it once the door is locked. b.) I would put a flashing light on top of the coop as well so you can see it when the door closes. (I don't suggest an alarm unless you don't have neighbors.) c.) The weight measuring area should be short so you weigh 1 chicken at a time. d.) The predator will weigh quite a bit more than a chicken (Racoons are 11 to 50 lbs for example) 3.) No need for a door if your enclosure is built with that small squared wire they call hardware "cloth". a.) A dog/coyote/wolf or a raccoon/mink/bobcat/wolverine might be able to tear threw the wiring, so the weighted door would stop them. Anything else except snakes are too small to tear a hole. b.) Do not use chicken wire - racoons will reach through and kill the chicken I hear.
The Quarter Acre Homestead (Mathew) - I have a question.. What if someone wanted to install a light with a timer to come on in the morning and evening during the winter to help increase egg production by giving the chicks 12-14 hrs of day light. If someone where to do that then the chicks would open the door when is was still dark out.. I'm not sure what would happen.. Do you think that putting a light inside the hen house would be an issue?
Yes, that would be a problem. I prefer to let my chickens have the natural rest time during winter when they lay less eggs, so it's no problem for me. If I did want to add light, I would probably do it in the evening while I'm still up in the house - that way I can kind of keep an eye on them vs in the morning before I get up.
Electric is more reliable. We also had a rooster, and I wanted the door to stay shut for two hours after dawn to keep his crowing noise down for our neighbors.
I liked this idea. I thought about it and looked at various options. I made a 4'x8' coop and thought about being away for vacation. Decided on automating lights, door, water, food, and a WiFi camera that will work on my phone. Not terribly difficult to put together. I already have some 12v batteries and a couple solar panels. Thanks for sharing.
@@TheQuarterAcreHomestead actually I'm designing my own based on the many options available. I will be using a WiFi enabled relay circuit board to operate several things like a water fountain for my pool that the coop will be next to, lights inside and outside the coop, the door, etc. I'm using 1/8" thick by 3/4x3/4 angle iron I'll weld mounting brackets of the same material and make a 12"x12" plywood door for a 10" x10" opening. It will have a self locking Gravity /string DC gear motor operated mechanism that I will design inspired by other youtubers and expensive products currently on the market. I will try using a 120watt solar panel with a 12v car battery to make everything work.
So what happens when something spooks them in the night? They all get rattled and jump off the roost, then the predator that spooked them has free range of the coop.
Yes, true. I've never had chickens get all get spooked off the roost at night, though. And remember, this door opens into an enclosed run, so the predator still shouldn't be able to get into the coop. This is just a bit of extra security.
"no solar, no power, no motors" ADD pulleys, Add Ropes, Add counterweights (danger), Add uncomfortable angled roosting bar, Minus security and Takes up more room. What happens if a chicken gets taken by a cat during the day and the rest of the chickens get put in danger at night because the door doesn't go down? Don't like the idea. I do like thevideo, setup and work tho.
Thanks for the feedback. Our coop opens into an enclosed run, so they are at least partly secure from cats and other predators during the day. We would only let them out of the run itself if we were home to make sure everything went well. But otherwise, that is a great point. For security, there is an automatic door lock that engages when the door closes (details in another video soon). Counterweights are securely tied to the rope. In the past we’ve had a lot of trouble with predators, but only at night. So this is extra security if we are away from home into the evening and the chickens go to bed, and then a predator comes and digs under the run wall.
@@TheQuarterAcreHomestead This Isn't the best option unless you had absolutely no other option. And yeah i saw that hinge lock, the one that let the door come up about 2 inches. NOT good. A ferret can get under that. Smaller opossums can too. I didn't see your run but judging by what you have shown here I don't have great confidence in that your run is any better. For not that much money and a lot less work you could have a Linear Actuator door power by battery and charged by solar. I would even send you astronomical timers and linear actuator setup just so you can have something way more reliable, less maintenance and takes up less room.
@@AztecWarrior69_69 thank you for the feedback. The hinge lock can be adjusted to eliminate the 2" space, and yes, I should do that. No ferrets here though. That would be great if you would send the astronomical timer and linear actuator! My address is PO Box 1776, Woodland, WA 98674. Thank you!
@@TheQuarterAcreHomestead I am working on getting them cheaper to send to you but I found this one. Only $35. I was going to send you one of my "lazyboy" actuators but postage would be too much. If you can find one on craigslist I will just send the timers after you get it.. The $35 one is great. Next paycheck I'm gonna get two.
This isn't 100% dependable - I still needed to check each day to be sure the door opened and closed. But since my coop opened into an enclosed run, it was pretty safe and it let the chickens get out early and closed in by dark. And it was fun. :-) Eventually I switched to an Ador coop door that is light sensitive and super dependable. amzn.to/3ytq8tx
Your just being honest and I appreciate you for that.
May God richly bless you and yours as you put your talents to work and help others.
Yeah. I agree. It's a HUGE bummer because I thought this was one of the coolest things ever! I did have my doubts and I was about to ask you if you were happy with it 2 years later.
Will you tell us the problems you had with it and WHY it wasn't 100% dependable? I would like to know and see if there is anything that I can (or anyone else that watches this) can tweak and make it work.
Brilliant!!!
I will have to show my husband this for our coop!! So creative!!
Absolutely brilliant - I would say none of the mechanisms are 100% dependable (e.g. batteries can fail for automatic doors and chickens might get spooked and jump off the roost etc.) but this is the best idea by far I have seen with automatic doors and eliminates "technical error" :)
Thank you!
Excellent example of karakuri being used in its purest form. Great Job!
I love it. Awesome idea. This is the smartest design I've seen ever. No power worries and nothing to break down other than a cable or a pully, which should be easier to find should a serious shtf happen near your coop
This is literally genius
Thank you!
👍This guy could get RICH IF HE KNEW THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO PATENT THIS.
GOD BLES HIM. HOPE HE GETS IT🙏👍
This is a brilliant idea.
We always let them out & close the door at dark. No big deal for us.
This would be good to try.
The ADOR1 Automatic Chicken Coop Door would close before all our chickens would be inside so that is NOT good.
But with ador coop door, can’t you program it to close a bit after dark?
Thank you, William, my husband and I are building a new coop for a new group of chickens and are using your method of the Chicken Powered Door. You have a brilliant mind in my opinion. We are taking our time and tweaking it to work for what ends up being only 3 Bantam chickens (one is a rooster). We have another bigger coop for 14 bigger chickens and we plan to do the same for them, using a static perch for all but the last ones in. I am still looking for your video on the Door Hinge locking mechanism. We do need more explanation on that. You did a great job on your coop build. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
I did this also LOL! Mine usually works but not always. It is a great invention!
I took your idea and now control two henhouseswith one bucket! Need to mention the need for a zero pressure hose control on the drain valve. I have both fill and drain on hose controllers... morning one is on an inexpensive sunrise controlled one, so it opens when the sun comes up and stays on for 5 minutes.
Ingenuity at it's best!! Love it!!
Great sistem man! I just made one and it so cool. Saving planet with easy engineering. Thanks.
Can I link your video to mine?
Sure!
NOW THAT’s. Smart!! F’n Great Idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad you like it!
Awesome! Always wanted an automatic door but too expensive. Thankyou for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
So smart!! I wonder if your chickens learned cause and effect from this....wouldn't that be cool!!!
I love inventive people👍👍👍...however. remember guys....during the day. The chickens are out having fun....a hawk might KILL a chicken...
..
And at night it will be 1 less chicken...therefore the DOOR
wont close.
So, check on them every night.👍
Yes, you're right!
Love this. Looks simple but effective
That’s crazy genius and funny as all get out.
Looking at your setup I’m having to ask, is this design fairly dependable?
Or is this just a toy of sorts?
Look’s like your having to put a lot of faith in your chickens to be consistent.
I enjoyed your video and it’s really giving me something to think on.
Thanks…
Thanks for the comment! This isn't super dependable - I still needed to check each day to be sure the door opened. But since my coop opened into an enclosed run, it was pretty safe and it let the chickens get out early and closed in by dark. Eventually I switched to an Ador coop door that is light sensitive. amzn.to/3ytq8tx
Very cool! I haven't seen anything like this I really like it. What happens if something spooks the chickens in the night are they okay then?
I would love to see that locking mechanism you mentioned too.
Our chicken run is enclosed, so even if the door opens they are still pretty secure. This is just double security or in case we forget to close the run.
HA! That's rich! Creative thinking!!
hi, good job, what is the black bird, a cukoo maran? i had a cukoo gave me the best eggs ever lovely big speckled eggs
Yes
Some ideas:
1.) Counterweight the door itself so that it is neutral and your mechanism then only has to lift very little weight. Garage doors do this.
2.) Make the door close if anything heavier than a chicken steps on the ramp to the coop.
a.) I would additionally make it so you must unlock it once the door is locked.
b.) I would put a flashing light on top of the coop as well so you can see it when the door closes. (I don't suggest an alarm unless you don't have neighbors.)
c.) The weight measuring area should be short so you weigh 1 chicken at a time.
d.) The predator will weigh quite a bit more than a chicken (Racoons are 11 to 50 lbs for example)
3.) No need for a door if your enclosure is built with that small squared wire they call hardware "cloth".
a.) A dog/coyote/wolf or a raccoon/mink/bobcat/wolverine might be able to tear threw the wiring, so the weighted door would stop them. Anything else except snakes are too small to tear a hole.
b.) Do not use chicken wire - racoons will reach through and kill the chicken I hear.
How is this working out for you??
Nicely done
The Quarter Acre Homestead (Mathew) - I have a question.. What if someone wanted to install a light with a timer to come on in the morning and evening during the winter to help increase egg production by giving the chicks 12-14 hrs of day light. If someone where to do that then the chicks would open the door when is was still dark out.. I'm not sure what would happen.. Do you think that putting a light inside the hen house would be an issue?
Yes, that would be a problem. I prefer to let my chickens have the natural rest time during winter when they lay less eggs, so it's no problem for me. If I did want to add light, I would probably do it in the evening while I'm still up in the house - that way I can kind of keep an eye on them vs in the morning before I get up.
This looks awesome! A great improvement! Very smooth, nice work.
Thank you very much!
@@TheQuarterAcreHomestead This is the most brilliant coop door I've ever seen!
@@Yeshuaschosen thank you!
Ur an absolute genius
Thank you!
brilliant!
Wow, clever idea!
This looks very nice 👍🐔 Kind regards from germany
Why did you change out the door lock from a manual to an electric??
Electric is more reliable. We also had a rooster, and I wanted the door to stay shut for two hours after dawn to keep his crowing noise down for our neighbors.
I liked this idea. I thought about it and looked at various options. I made a 4'x8' coop and thought about being away for vacation. Decided on automating lights, door, water, food, and a WiFi camera that will work on my phone. Not terribly difficult to put together. I already have some 12v batteries and a couple solar panels. Thanks for sharing.
Pete, what automatic door system did you decide on?
@@TheQuarterAcreHomestead actually I'm designing my own based on the many options available. I will be using a WiFi enabled relay circuit board to operate several things like a water fountain for my pool that the coop will be next to, lights inside and outside the coop, the door, etc.
I'm using 1/8" thick by 3/4x3/4 angle iron I'll weld mounting brackets of the same material and make a 12"x12" plywood door for a 10" x10" opening. It will have a self locking Gravity /string DC gear motor operated mechanism that I will design inspired by other youtubers and expensive products currently on the market. I will try using a 120watt solar panel with a 12v car battery to make everything work.
NEVER HAD ONE THAT WORKED F OR LONG , WILL NEVER TRUST THESE OPENERS AGAIN.
A homemade one like this, or electronic?
What happens if they all jump off at the same time!?!?
This isn't 100% dependable. But my coop opened into an enclosed run, so it was good enough for my purpose. @jwillard1536
gold!
that is so dam clever
Great idea! Thanks! God bless!
So what happens when something spooks them in the night? They all get rattled and jump off the roost, then the predator that spooked them has free range of the coop.
Yes, true. I've never had chickens get all get spooked off the roost at night, though. And remember, this door opens into an enclosed run, so the predator still shouldn't be able to get into the coop. This is just a bit of extra security.
wow, very impressive!
Nice. 👍🏻
"no solar, no power, no motors" ADD pulleys, Add Ropes, Add counterweights (danger), Add uncomfortable angled roosting bar, Minus security and Takes up more room. What happens if a chicken gets taken by a cat during the day and the rest of the chickens get put in danger at night because the door doesn't go down?
Don't like the idea. I do like thevideo, setup and work tho.
Thanks for the feedback. Our coop opens into an enclosed run, so they are at least partly secure from cats and other predators during the day. We would only let them out of the run itself if we were home to make sure everything went well. But otherwise, that is a great point. For security, there is an automatic door lock that engages when the door closes (details in another video soon). Counterweights are securely tied to the rope. In the past we’ve had a lot of trouble with predators, but only at night. So this is extra security if we are away from home into the evening and the chickens go to bed, and then a predator comes and digs under the run wall.
@@TheQuarterAcreHomestead This Isn't the best option unless you had absolutely no other option. And yeah i saw that hinge lock, the one that let the door come up about 2 inches. NOT good. A ferret can get under that. Smaller opossums can too. I didn't see your run but judging by what you have shown here I don't have great confidence in that your run is any better.
For not that much money and a lot less work you could have a Linear Actuator door power by battery and charged by solar.
I would even send you astronomical timers and linear actuator setup just so you can have something way more reliable, less maintenance and takes up less room.
@@AztecWarrior69_69 thank you for the feedback. The hinge lock can be adjusted to eliminate the 2" space, and yes, I should do that. No ferrets here though. That would be great if you would send the astronomical timer and linear actuator! My address is PO Box 1776, Woodland, WA 98674. Thank you!
@@TheQuarterAcreHomestead I am working on getting them cheaper to send to you but I found this one. Only $35. I was going to send you one of my "lazyboy" actuators but postage would be too much. If you can find one on craigslist I will just send the timers after you get it.. The $35 one is great. Next paycheck I'm gonna get two.
@@AztecWarrior69_69 what one? Was there a link?