Automatic Chicken Door

Super-H-Mike · Apr 7, 2014

Any of you clever rascals ever build your own auto closing chicken door/gate ? I have been pondering ideas on how to do it, thanks.

Mike (WA) · Apr 7, 2014

It would involve either a timer or a solar sensor, and a linear actuator of some kind. Bet you could come up with something if you paged through a Grainger catalogue for a few minutes.

Super-H-Mike · Apr 7, 2014

Thats what I was thinking too, a timer and an actuator. My door is spring loaded to close so I would just have to set it up to trip a catch somehow. How to convert to 12v DC so I could use a door lock actuator from a vehicle? I only need it to close at night, I open it every morning while doing chores .

Spook · Apr 7, 2014

I've got one I bought off the net. Looks a lot like a power anttenna motor.

State of Jefferson · Apr 7, 2014

They're pretty proud of em, but they are commercially available.

It would be a fun project to build one on your own, if a fella had the time to tinker.....

Ben
Chicken door

Lazy WP · Apr 7, 2014

Why couldn't you use an "eye" off of a security light, and the linear actuator off of the old BIG satellite dish?

Dave H (MI) · Apr 7, 2014

I think for $300 I can get some exercise and peace of mind knowing I closed the darn thing myself.

TGIN · Apr 7, 2014

I would be afraid it would close the door with the fox IN the hen house !!

Spook · Apr 7, 2014

I bought one online, from a guy in ortonville, Michigan, about 5 years ago, for about 150

Two Dogs · Apr 7, 2014

I have a one gallon plastic jug to close mine. A timer opens a 1/4" solenoid and water starts flowing into it through small tubing When it gets heavy enough it pulls the gate shut and hits a push button switch to turn off the water. A cheap gate latch catches and holds it closed over night. A small hole in the jug lets the water drain out. In the AM a lawn water timer turns on to put water in another jug to pull up on the gate latch and a common door spring opens the gate and the water timer shuts off after one minute and a small hole also drains this jug. The water goes into their trough so they always have fresh water. Mostly built out of old lawn mower pulleys and small cable and junk but it has worked for years.

in-too-deep · Apr 7, 2014

That sounds absolutely fascinating. Can you post pictures?

Two Dogs · Apr 7, 2014

I'm sorry I don't have the capability (or the expertise). Also I have an electric fence wire around the lower outside perimeter of the yard (12'x24') to come on when the gate shuts to discourage varmints. All this for a couple of chickens. I probably have the costliest eggs around, but they sure are good.

TDF

AllisG · Apr 7, 2014

(quoted from post at 10:22:31 04/07/14) I have a one gallon plastic jug to close mine. A timer opens a 1/4" solenoid and water starts flowing into it through small tubing When it gets heavy enough it pulls the gate shut and hits a push button switch to turn off the water. A cheap gate latch catches and holds it closed over night. A small hole in the jug lets the water drain out. In the AM a lawn water timer turns on to put water in another jug to pull up on the gate latch and a common door spring opens the gate and the water timer shuts off after one minute and a small hole also drains this jug. The water goes into their trough so they always have fresh water. Mostly built out of old lawn mower pulleys and small cable and junk but it has worked for years.

do you have any pictures of this setup?

jimg.allentown · Apr 7, 2014

Try a small battery charger. Trickle chargers can be found without a huge investment, and will operate most 12V accessories. Better yet, add a yard tractor battery to the mix, with the charger keeping the battery charged, and the battery doing the real work.

notjustair · Apr 7, 2014

Find a power cord with an inverter (like charges my razor) that puts out 12 volts. Put it on a timer so that it comes on at a set time to actuate a solenoid. Like a power lock solenoid off of a car. Set up another one with a power window motor to open it. A trip to the junkyard would give you something Rube Goldberg would be proud of.

Dave H (MI) · Apr 7, 2014

Oh, in that case:

I think for $150 I can get some exercise and peace of mind knowing I closed the darn thing myself.

Mike M · Apr 7, 2014

Come on now give yourself some credit ! Any guy that can think of and rig up a system like you built I'm sure can post pictures on here if you had a digital camera and some brief instructions from the great crowd here at YT.

Two Dogs · Apr 7, 2014

Thanks for the kind words but in some ways I'm still in the stone age. No digital camera.

TDF

gab · Apr 7, 2014

That's way better stuff than MacGyver used to do on tv, like to see that.

Chris(WA) · Apr 7, 2014

I do not have any Automatic Chickens!
Sorry I could not resist!

JayinNY · Apr 7, 2014

The only auto closing door I came up with is me, going out and closing the door every night, almost 365 days a year! Lol

Matt12345 · May 7, 2014

(quoted from post at 08:32:29 04/07/14) Any of you clever rascals ever build your own auto closing chicken door/gate ? I have been pondering ideas on how to do it, thanks.

I know I'm a bit late, but I'd like to reply.

This I did with a dog door a year back. Every day I would leave for work and it was next to impossible to get out the door without Daisy trying to come with me. Putting it on a chicken coop is essentially the same.

I used a mini actuator, 150lbs,4 inch stroke. It was more than enough power to keep the door open, but I wanted to make sure that it would be able to do it.

I grabbed a control box, and then a timer. I'd put Daisy in and then time the thing for ten minutes. That way, the dog would get the run of the house, and I would get to work on time.

There's lots out there, but these are the guys I went with. It wasn't crazy expensive to do. It was under $300.

The Actuator

http://www.progressiveautomations.c...e-size-4-force-150-lbs-speed-059sec-p-55.aspx

The Timer

http://www.progressiveautomations.com/actuator-digital-timer-switch-ac-21.aspx

Hope it helps!

Matt

Automatic Chicken Door

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