Warning: That $60 automatic chicken door opener almost cost me my whole flock last month

I installed one of those popular auto door openers from Amazon back in June and it worked great for about 3 months. Then last Tuesday morning I went out to let the girls out and found the door STILL CLOSED at 8am, even though the timer was set for 6. The motor had completely seized up overnight because of some moisture getting into the gearbox. Four of my six hens were pacing inside the coop looking stressed and I could tell they hadn't eaten or drank since the night before. I ended up having to manually pry the door open with a screwdriver and then spent the next hour checking everyone for signs of illness or injury. The whole thing made me realize these cheap plastic units are NOT built for real weather exposure, and I'm going back to just opening and closing the coop myself every day. Has anyone else had a motorized door fail on them during bad weather?

2 comments

2 Comments

james67224d ago

Man, that "motor had completely seized up" part made me cringe. I had the exact same thing happen with a popular brand last winter after a wet snow, except it was the door that was stuck halfway open and a raccoon got in. Lost two of my best layers before I even realized what happened. These companies slap a waterproof sticker on the box but the insides are just cheap electronics that can't handle real humidity. I'm back to doing it by hand too, honestly it's not that much more trouble and I sleep way better knowing the door is actually working.

the_kelly24d ago

Same thing happened to me @james672 except I walked out to find our rooster had somehow popped the door off its track and was just standing there looking proud of himself with the whole flock wandering around the yard. I guess I should be grateful he didn't get anyone killed, but now I'm the one who's gotta chase them back in every night like a fool.