Have you ever used something you bought with hesitation then found yourself a long while later being pleasantly surprised at how much you depend on the item? Surprised at how long it has lasted? I feel like that about my ChickCozy battery operated automatic chicken coop door. Both my chickens and I are happier for it. This automatic door has been durable and has made chicken-chores so much easier.
The ChickCozy information provided online:
- safest automatic door - with a touching safety sensor that stops closing when it senses a barrier
- operates with a programmer timer or light sensor
- powered by battery or corded outlet
- low battery alert when powered by batteries
- super easy set-up
- auto door settings, current mode, battery level are visible on the screen
I moved to my small home on 4 acres about 3 years ago. I had always wanted a small flock of chickens. So I built my own coop and small chicken run and brought home my first chicks about 2 years ago. As I became better at taking care of chickens, I purchased and installed the ChickCozy automatic coop door.
Even being a brand new chicken owner, I've only lost two chickens in 2 years. One suddenly became ill and passed away. One disappeared; likely snatched by a predator. I try to give my flock a combination of security (coop and fenced run) and freedom with free-ranging when I'm home. It didn't take long to notice that they love to free-range. And it didn't take long the they like to get moving at sunrise and "go to bed" in the coop at dusk. That their internal clocks are set by the movement of the sun became a problem with my schedule.
I go to bed super early and get up for work super early. Through the year, I may be going to bed 2 hours before sunset in the summer. Or I may have already left and arrived at work before the soft glimmer of sunrise in the winter mornings. For this reason alone, the automatic chicken door has been amazing. I only have to call the chicken from free-ranging and into the coop at my bedtime and their door closes after their bedtime. Happy me and happy chickens.
The ChickCozy Automatic Door
The opening for this door may be different than your existing chicken coop door. I was able to build a retro-fit frame suitable for the ChickCozy.
Installation is super easy. If there is an appropriately sized, flat opening, the door attaches easily.
I chose the battery-operated version. I just checked tonight - a year later - and the battery reads at 30%.
Minor Complaints:
My complaints about the door are very minor. If it is muddy, the chicken drag the mud across the bottom of the ChickCozy door. The safety feature that keeps the door from closing on the chickens also responds to muddy, dried debris in the threshold and doesn't close. I just keep something handy to scrape that area if needed.
The keypad that is used to set time isn't intuitive for me. Because I rarely make changes, it is still confusing. But it only takes a few minutes of clicking around to find the screen I want. That's just a small annoyance.
Pros:
The neighbor woman said she no longer keeps chickens because of some small vermin that killed her flocks repeatedly. This door helps to keep that type of small nocturnal predator away from my chickens.
After work, I go to the coop 2 times: to let the chickens out of the fenced run to free-range, then at my bedtime to feed them and to put them back into their run. During most of the year, without the automatic door, I would be out there a 3rd time; to close their coop door at dusk.
My chickens are able to spend an extended period of time in their fenced coop while I'm sleeping or at work. Also, I can go away for a day, two, or three and now the chickens will be safe behind that closed door at night.
Durability:
I fully expected to have to replace batteries frequently. And I did not expect the door to last for a full year. While my chicken run fence has a hooped top with a tarp covering, the door is not fully protected from rain and ice.
The ChickCozy automatic door has been a wonderful investment.
Check the price on Amazon - ChickCozy Automatic Chicken Coop Door
