I’m so sorry this happened. I can tell you love your pet hens by your words and the quality of your custom coop with hardware cloth and all. There’s no way to foresee all the threats involved. I appreciate you honoring them by sharing with others
Thank you for your posting. I can not imagine how painful it was. I will certainly insure that the auto door I have installed has a wooden lip covering the front, just in case of failure. Straight door has worked for hundreds of years with out their locking device. Beautiful Coop, You love them, some lessons are painful, I am so sorry. You are protecting thousands by this post. So many variables, wood swells and contracts, things are certain to change. Make your coop safe, check every day, do the best you can and sometimes we still lose birds to Nature. God Bless you and all who you love. Praying for you, your Family and hoping you will again share your heart with new Chickens. Build a lip over whatever you choose.. Won't matter if it makes it 'all' the way down.
So very sorry from your loss. I bought 2 chicken guard extremes about 6 years ago to work with my homemade wood door. I have had the string tangle and keep them locked in the coop. They were safe though. We manually let them out and lock them. I am in the process of upgrading my coop and was thinking about buying the Chicken Guard doors to go with my 2 openers I already have. I have heard they have fixed the flaw since then. But after your valid points maybe I will have to cut my losses and look at the run chicken. No strings or door latch to depend on as it is gear driven!!
Sorry for your loss, but thank you for posting this. I'm getting started with chickens next month, and I was looking at this type of door for my soon to be built coop. Not any more.
I hear the anger in your voice and it is justified. You have really gone above and beyond to secure your pets. I had a chicken guard for 6 years with no problem but I was very lucky. Just recently it will go down but not up. After seeing this I can't purchase another one as we have every predator you can name. Our coop sits on a concrete footing 8" in the ground. I hope after a while you will be able to have some more girls to enjoy that lovely coop.
I am so sorry this happened. My heart is breaking for you & your family. I have the same guard & since the freezing temps it has not worked properly. That’s why I am watching your video. Trying to figure out how to fix it. Not sure I want to now. I have a fortune in my coop and run and defiantly don’t need to happen. I love my chickens. I’m going to figure out something else for my babies. Thank you for posting this video.
We lost our chickens 2 weeks ago to a predator. I forgot to lock them up. Just got a ChickenGuard and glad to see this, thank you. Sounds like a simple design change to the locking mechanism. Maybe just a different shape to the lock that allows an upward force on them, like sitting on top of the receiver, to still slide by just from the force of the door weight.
Thanks for this important info. I was wanting the locking door for obvious reasons. I have same controller coming, but now will build my own door and install it inside the coop.
Unfortunately fatal flaw in the Chicken Guard, the door should really be installed inside, because a preditor can just pull up on the string to open the door. If the string is inside, they can't get to it. This might be what happened here, but it could also be as you describe. Having the more complicated use of limit switches in a hard connected door would allow the system to know if the door actually closed or not. I have been working on a $20 DIY setup and have gone over all the issues with the chicken doors, the most robust DIY is using a car window motor since it is quite powerful and the door can't be moved unless it is powered to do so. Using a lot more battery power, but with solar you can get plenty. My latest design is what I call the 'draw bridge'. Most coops have a raised hen house so they can run under it, and they feel more secure up into the house. The door swings up/down, and when up, a predicator can't even get to the door as it will be 2ft off the ground. A worm drive setup can't be moved without power, that is what a winsheild wiper motor and car window motor use. I have not seen inside a "run chicken" or the chinese clones, but I must assume it also uses a worm drive motor if the door can't be pushed up, but they way they work, you could push in the door so it disengages the drive gears like the plastic chinese ones allow. I'm using a wifi enabled processor, and one could even put it on the internet and send a text message to your phone if the door won't shut or the battery is dying.
I've seen Raccoons fiddle and work out how to open doors. Pulling that top tab to disengage a lock, I can see them working that out. Unfortunately, there isn't a substitute for vigilance when it comes to Predators. At least if the door got busted, some of the chickens could run out. There's a concoction you can mix, and spray which Coons absolutely hate, and it repels them. 50 lb. Pit Bull in a doghouse right next to the coop might help too. Raccoons kill for sport; they don't eat everything they kill. Some people put a trap right in the door, so they can catch whatever comes in.
I just lost 3 girls to a raccoon, I had just raised and I am looking for a automated door, because right now I am screwing down a board over their opening. I was looking at this model, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I will not be getting this model.
@@HiddenBlessingsHomestead oh do I know. They were literally like our children. They loved us and we loved them. It’s hard knowing we let them down and did protect them. From my family to yours we wish you the best.
I'm installing my door and it seems that I can't get the door to move freely. As if the 'wings' get stuck in the track and then it's too tight. Did you have this problem??
Yes it can be a PITA to get it slide freely. Make sure both tracks and what you are mounting the tracks to are level and flat. Please please be careful if that door hangs up you could end up like us.
Your adjustments were just off. You needed more string. We had to make adjustments to ours to prevent this. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'd be devastated too. 😢
I have gone back and forth on one of these doors…. My hang up has been mostly cost. But honestly I think I will continue to let my girls out by hand. It is safer.
Thanks, They sent me a replacement unit but still haven’t updated the door. So it’s the same crappy design. They said they were updating the door with my ideas and would send me one but haven’t heard from them since.
Wow that sucks! I don’t use the ChickenGuard licking door at all. Instead I use a heavy all metal door sandwiched between aluminum tracks with my ChickenGuard Extreme. The “locking” is simply the extra weight of the door. No chance of a locking contraption to malfunction and much cheaper. - Understand your feelings. Raccoons got my hens before I switched to this system.
First of all, I'm sorry about what happened. Second of all, trying to help you where I can as I saw the problem. Wouldn't it be a solution to add a small plate of wood (or another material) that covers the lowest few centimeters on the front? The hens would have no problem getting out when the door is open as they can step over it. And when closed, a predator would not be able to put his snout or paws under the 'closed' door. And as an extra advantage it would also fend of the dirt being blown into the cage. In your case that wouldnt be that much of an advantage as it is an 'open' cage. Anyway, I think this could be a bit of an improvement. (sorry if things aren't very clear, I'm not native English-speaking so my vocabulary is pretty basic)
Thanks for your feedback. I think your suggestions would help but I still think a smart animal could get it up with their snout. Thank you for taking the time to comment and offer you condolences. Much appreciated
Hey man. I’m sorry this happened to you and your family flock. This happened to our 5 new additions this morning. Except the culprit was the family Husky. It’s the 2nd chicken guard I’ve bought after having no issues with the first. I just installed it last weekend on our upgraded coop which I planned to secure further with a welded wire tunnel to the run where the old coop and big birds live. I just thought we had taken the right precautions to ensure the husky had no access. The unit failed us. Also, while troubleshooting what could have gone wrong, with the motor continuing to turn the line down and the slack buildup, the line jumped the spool inside and jammed up the motor. I currently have it all apart to untangle the line. What a mess. What a disaster. I will likely get this fixed and not use the new coop until the planned tunnel is complete here in the next couple weeks.
I've had problems with the automatic doors too, including another model Chicken Guard. I thought the same thing--if you have to check on the gate morning and night why pay big bucks for an automatic gate. Of course the answer is there time when you're away a night or two and have to depend on the gate. If anyone know of really dependable gates please comment.
I agree! If I have to check each morning and night then why do I need the stupid thing. I can just as easily lock it myself. We pay a bunch of money for these automatic doors to make things easier on our girls. They get to go outside every morning at the same time and get locked in each night to be safe (at least that’s what we thought). We need a reliable locking door that does its job each and every time period!
Not sure if you should return it or not. At least you know what to look for now and maybe you can think of a way to prevent a animal from nudging it open if it doesn’t lock properly.
I will never buy another one of these. Have had problems over and over with it opening and closing at the programed time. Multiple failures over and over. Frustrating
That's what happens when you depend on garbage, electronics always fail over time so I would through that away an do it manually because it will fail again.
I'm guessing you never culled your flock. You're going to have to at some point unless you don't really care about eggs. Get some new chicks and get some coon traps and exercise some predator control. Revenge!
I have spoken to Chicken Guard directly and they are working on a redesign of the door because of my feedback. I will say they are very responsive and have handled my concerns professionally. I feel they are taking this very seriously and have offered me a free door when the redesigned door is available. The product does work great and was a game changer for us until it didn’t work. I just want people to be aware of the possibility of a failure that could be tragic.
I am going to make a door with this feature (see video) and use with the Chicken guard Extreme controller. Thought you might want to see this. ua-cam.com/video/3EwQYWO1Rmc/v-deo.html
It's called preventive maintenance. I've had mine without issue. Just because it's automatic doesn't give you ability to be lazy. Own your mistakes not the equipment. Do you maintenance your car?
First off Chad no maintenance was needed! Nothing was dirty, misaligned or in need of anything. It’s called a poor design, clearly Chicken Guard must think so too or they wouldn’t be redesigning the door. Since you asked yes I maintain my vehicles and I do it myself. You probably pay to have stuff done because you are probably lazy. You probably sit when you pee too.
I’m so sorry this happened. I can tell you love your pet hens by your words and the quality of your custom coop with hardware cloth and all. There’s no way to foresee all the threats involved. I appreciate you honoring them by sharing with others
Thank you for the kind words!
Thank you for your posting. I can not imagine how painful it was. I will certainly insure that the auto door I have installed has a wooden lip covering the front, just in case of failure. Straight door has worked for hundreds of years with out their locking device. Beautiful Coop, You love them, some lessons are painful, I am so sorry. You are protecting thousands by this post. So many variables, wood swells and contracts, things are certain to change. Make your coop safe, check every day, do the best you can and sometimes we still lose birds to Nature. God Bless you and all who you love. Praying for you, your Family and hoping you will again share your heart with new Chickens. Build a lip over whatever you choose.. Won't matter if it makes it 'all' the way down.
A wooden lip at the front is an excellent idea. So sorry for your loss, thank you so much for sharing your experience.
So very sorry from your loss. I bought 2 chicken guard extremes about 6 years ago to work with my homemade wood door. I have had the string tangle and keep them locked in the coop. They were safe though. We manually let them out and lock them. I am in the process of upgrading my coop and was thinking about buying the Chicken Guard doors to go with my 2 openers I already have. I have heard they have fixed the flaw since then. But after your valid points maybe I will have to cut my losses and look at the run chicken. No strings or door latch to depend on as it is gear driven!!
Myself and all the critters here at Critterfest Sanctuary are so sorry for your loss. They are not just birds, As you know they are family. Peace.
Sorry for your loss, but thank you for posting this. I'm getting started with chickens next month, and I was looking at this type of door for my soon to be built coop. Not any more.
I hear the anger in your voice and it is justified. You have really gone above and beyond to secure your pets.
I had a chicken guard for 6 years with no problem but I was very lucky. Just recently it will go down but not up.
After seeing this I can't purchase another one as we have every predator you can name. Our coop sits on a concrete footing 8" in the ground.
I hope after a while you will be able to have some more girls to enjoy that lovely coop.
Thanks for your honesty, and sorry about your birds, will take this under consideration
My gosh, I am so sorry! I have had so many issue with multiple chicken guard doors. Again I am so sorry for your babies.
I am so sorry this happened. My heart is breaking for you & your family. I have the same guard & since the freezing temps it has not worked properly. That’s why I am watching your video. Trying to figure out how to fix it. Not sure I want to now. I have a fortune in my coop and run and defiantly don’t need to happen. I love my chickens. I’m going to figure out something else for my babies. Thank you for posting this video.
We lost our chickens 2 weeks ago to a predator. I forgot to lock them up. Just got a ChickenGuard and glad to see this, thank you. Sounds like a simple design change to the locking mechanism. Maybe just a different shape to the lock that allows an upward force on them, like sitting on top of the receiver, to still slide by just from the force of the door weight.
Sorry for your loss also! Glad you found this video as it can help you prevent a accident in the future.
Thanks for this important info. I was wanting the locking door for obvious reasons. I have same controller coming, but now will build my own door and install it inside the coop.
mine got hung up last night, thankfully without incident. I had no flashlight last night so hadnt noticed. I'll be watching closer now, thank you
Yes please do keep an eye on it. I’d hate if you have to go through what we did.
Thank you, very good video. I have just bought one of these doors, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Very sad for your chickens, and family.
Unfortunately fatal flaw in the Chicken Guard, the door should really be installed inside, because a preditor can just pull up on the string to open the door. If the string is inside, they can't get to it. This might be what happened here, but it could also be as you describe. Having the more complicated use of limit switches in a hard connected door would allow the system to know if the door actually closed or not. I have been working on a $20 DIY setup and have gone over all the issues with the chicken doors, the most robust DIY is using a car window motor since it is quite powerful and the door can't be moved unless it is powered to do so. Using a lot more battery power, but with solar you can get plenty.
My latest design is what I call the 'draw bridge'. Most coops have a raised hen house so they can run under it, and they feel more secure up into the house. The door swings up/down, and when up, a predicator can't even get to the door as it will be 2ft off the ground. A worm drive setup can't be moved without power, that is what a winsheild wiper motor and car window motor use. I have not seen inside a "run chicken" or the chinese clones, but I must assume it also uses a worm drive motor if the door can't be pushed up, but they way they work, you could push in the door so it disengages the drive gears like the plastic chinese ones allow. I'm using a wifi enabled processor, and one could even put it on the internet and send a text message to your phone if the door won't shut or the battery is dying.
So sorry this happened! Try not to blame yourself. How were you to know. Thank you for helping the rest of us by sharing your video/review.
I've seen Raccoons fiddle and work out how to open doors. Pulling that top tab to disengage a lock, I can see them working that out. Unfortunately, there isn't a substitute for vigilance when it comes to Predators. At least if the door got busted, some of the chickens could run out. There's a concoction you can mix, and spray which Coons absolutely hate, and it repels them. 50 lb. Pit Bull in a doghouse right next to the coop might help too. Raccoons kill for sport; they don't eat everything they kill. Some people put a trap right in the door, so they can catch whatever comes in.
I agree. Nothing is fool proof. I have mine in a predator proof run. Many think its over built but I have never had a predator? Equipment fails
I just lost 3 girls to a raccoon, I had just raised and I am looking for a automated door, because right now I am screwing down a board over their opening. I was looking at this model, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I will not be getting this model.
So sorry to hear you lost your girls!
@@BLUEYAMAHAR1 Thank you, it hurts, they trusted me to take care of them, they followed me around like I was their momma.
@@HiddenBlessingsHomestead oh do I know. They were literally like our children. They loved us and we loved them. It’s hard knowing we let them down and did protect them. From my family to yours we wish you the best.
I'm installing my door and it seems that I can't get the door to move freely. As if the 'wings' get stuck in the track and then it's too tight. Did you have this problem??
Yes it can be a PITA to get it slide freely. Make sure both tracks and what you are mounting the tracks to are level and flat. Please please be careful if that door hangs up you could end up like us.
Sorry for your loss
Was gonna buy this but not now. Thanks!
Can’t properly recalibrate very frustrating. Great in concept but poor reliability. Sensor failures etc.
Your adjustments were just off. You needed more string. We had to make adjustments to ours to prevent this. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'd be devastated too. 😢
I have gone back and forth on one of these doors…. My hang up has been mostly cost. But honestly I think I will continue to let my girls out by hand. It is safer.
oh wow, thank you for this info! Have you heard a response from chicken guard?
BTW: Beautiful coop!
Thanks, They sent me a replacement unit but still haven’t updated the door. So it’s the same crappy design. They said they were updating the door with my ideas and would send me one but haven’t heard from them since.
Wow that sucks! I don’t use the ChickenGuard licking door at all. Instead I use a heavy all metal door sandwiched between aluminum tracks with my ChickenGuard Extreme. The “locking” is simply the extra weight of the door. No chance of a locking contraption to malfunction and much cheaper. - Understand your feelings. Raccoons got my hens before I switched to this system.
First of all, I'm sorry about what happened. Second of all, trying to help you where I can as I saw the problem. Wouldn't it be a solution to add a small plate of wood (or another material) that covers the lowest few centimeters on the front? The hens would have no problem getting out when the door is open as they can step over it. And when closed, a predator would not be able to put his snout or paws under the 'closed' door. And as an extra advantage it would also fend of the dirt being blown into the cage. In your case that wouldnt be that much of an advantage as it is an 'open' cage. Anyway, I think this could be a bit of an improvement. (sorry if things aren't very clear, I'm not native English-speaking so my vocabulary is pretty basic)
Thanks for your feedback. I think your suggestions would help but I still think a smart animal could get it up with their snout. Thank you for taking the time to comment and offer you condolences. Much appreciated
Hey man. I’m sorry this happened to you and your family flock. This happened to our 5 new additions this morning. Except the culprit was the family Husky. It’s the 2nd chicken guard I’ve bought after having no issues with the first. I just installed it last weekend on our upgraded coop which I planned to secure further with a welded wire tunnel to the run where the old coop and big birds live. I just thought we had taken the right precautions to ensure the husky had no access. The unit failed us. Also, while troubleshooting what could have gone wrong, with the motor continuing to turn the line down and the slack buildup, the line jumped the spool inside and jammed up the motor. I currently have it all apart to untangle the line. What a mess. What a disaster. I will likely get this fixed and not use the new coop until the planned tunnel is complete here in the next couple weeks.
Wow! So sorry to hear this. I feel so bad for you and your family. Thanks for providing your feedback! Sounds like you have a good plan going forward.
I saw the review, and I was deciding between Chicken Guard and Run-Chicken. Now I will probably buy Run-Chicken.
Simply add more weight to your door. Think lead weights And lube your track.
I've had problems with the automatic doors too, including another model Chicken Guard. I thought the same thing--if you have to check on the gate morning and night why pay big bucks for an automatic gate. Of course the answer is there time when you're away a night or two and have to depend on the gate. If anyone know of really dependable gates please comment.
I agree! If I have to check each morning and night then why do I need the stupid thing. I can just as easily lock it myself. We pay a bunch of money for these automatic doors to make things easier on our girls. They get to go outside every morning at the same time and get locked in each night to be safe (at least that’s what we thought). We need a reliable locking door that does its job each and every time period!
So sorry. Rats! I just ordered the exact door last night. I don’t know if I should return it when it arrives or what.
Not sure if you should return it or not. At least you know what to look for now and maybe you can think of a way to prevent a animal from nudging it open if it doesn’t lock properly.
Improper installation ! Rails to close together , rails to tight. I have several Chicken Guard systems for several years. No problems.
Boot licker
I will never buy another one of these. Have had problems over and over with it opening and closing at the programed time. Multiple failures over and over. Frustrating
Sorry to hear hopefully you didn’t lose you girls like we did.
That's what happens when you depend on garbage, electronics always fail over time so I would through that away an do it manually because it will fail again.
I'm guessing you never culled your flock. You're going to have to at some point unless you don't really care about eggs. Get some new chicks and get some coon traps and exercise some predator control. Revenge!
i got one like that but without a lock from tractor supply.... simple... nothing to hang up
wow!, I'm so sorry
#chickenguard
I have spoken to Chicken Guard directly and they are working on a redesign of the door because of my feedback. I will say they are very responsive and have handled my concerns professionally. I feel they are taking this very seriously and have offered me a free door when the redesigned door is available. The product does work great and was a game changer for us until it didn’t work. I just want people to be aware of the possibility of a failure that could be tragic.
I am going to make a door with this feature (see video) and use with the Chicken guard Extreme controller. Thought you might want to see this. ua-cam.com/video/3EwQYWO1Rmc/v-deo.html
@@ninaashton9829 that looks like it should work great. May have to try it out. Thanks for the link and good luck on your project! Keep me posted.
@@BLUEYAMAHAR1 Have they re-designed the door as of this date ( 4/17/2022)
@@thomastisano2539 no they have not.
Terrible, so sorry
It's called preventive maintenance. I've had mine without issue. Just because it's automatic doesn't give you ability to be lazy. Own your mistakes not the equipment. Do you maintenance your car?
First off Chad no maintenance was needed! Nothing was dirty, misaligned or in need of anything. It’s called a poor design, clearly Chicken Guard must think so too or they wouldn’t be redesigning the door. Since you asked yes I maintain my vehicles and I do it myself. You probably pay to have stuff done because you are probably lazy. You probably sit when you pee too.
@@BLUEYAMAHAR1 hahaha. Oh my hell. Best response ever... And I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you for your review.
@@BLUEYAMAHAR1 What's wrong with sitting while you pee?
Chad, don’t be a jerk. This is a design flaw and clearly had nothing to do with maintenance.