ChickenGuard Classic Door Kit Combi - 'Extreme' Auto Coop Door Opener Plus Aluminium Pop Hole Door with Oak Runners, Indoor/Outdoor Automatic Chicken Coop, Backyard Hen House Accessory

I read all the reviews and searched for similar products before ordering. $249 seemed steep for an aluminum plate, two wooden runners, and a simple motor that winds a spool of string, but the programmable features and ease of use (as well as a lack of suitable alternatives) makes it worth it. The good: install took me about half an hour all told. I pre-drilled and counter-sunk the runners to keep them from splitting. The instructions were fine and the controller was easily programmed just by following along. It can be set to Timer, Manual, or Lux (sensitivity to light) for raising and lowering. Since I mounted mine on the inside I set it for Timer. Worked perfectly every time. Not having to go outside and let them out in the morning or lock them up at night makes up for all the additional expense. The “could be better”: The runners are solid red oak, and I would have preferred something outdoor-rated to protect against the elements. I would suspect these might swell with humidity and precipitation, and that could impact the ease of opening/closing. I decided to mount ours on the inside of the coop since our existing door has been frozen shut before with a combination of ice and snow. I can’t imagine this door being reliable in those conditions. If your door is not protected from the elements and you live in a cold climate, I would give consideration to an inside-mount. All in all, I would buy again if we decide on a second coop. Eat the one-time expense and start sleeping in on the weekends. :)

I hesitated buying this--it's expensive, and it's for chickens. I mean, it's a total first-world product. But oh, what a great little product it is. Quite easy to install, very simple to program, working flawlessly. Chickens are out at first light and happy all day...I was worried it would shut before they were all in to roost at night, but we programmed it to close by sensing the light outside, and apparently, the chickens are programmed the same way! Nice and sturdy, strong little motor. Worth it. Really. We thought about finagling our own version of this, and normally would have, but this really does such a great job, we couldn't be more pleased.

This door has made life so much easier. I love that you can pick if you want a timer or sensor to open or close the door. It is currently -21 degrees and the door is still working. If it does get stuck due to ice or snow then the motor stops turning rather than burning up. It was easy to assemble. The only downside is the wood provided for the tracks. They are not weather protected. Perhaps most people put the tracks on the inside of the coop, but this is not possible with our coop design. Do not put the tracks of the door too tight on the door because the wood will swell and squeeze the door making it unable to open.

Arrived quickly with no problem. Husband installed this in our chicken coop. He said it was easy to install. So far very dependable--no problems. It is great not to worry about having to close the coop door. The gals go in at sunset. The door shuts shortly after. Have to remember to adjust the closing time though as sunset time changes. Uses batteries but we chose to plug it into the installed outlet. Gets a 4 instead of a 5 because it seems of flimsy construction. Frame is wood instead of metal and the mechanism to open and shut the door uses string(!) not wire to pull it up and down. Afraid either the wood will rot or the string will break. But so far so good.

I purchased this for my chickens so we could leave for a weekend getaway and not worry about finding a chicken sitter. As long as your chickens are trained to go into the coop at night, this automatic door will lock up behind them at night and let them out in the morning. First, it is very easy to install if you have basic handy skills and tools, and it comes with simple instructions. It comes with the screws and batteries for the opener. The sliding aluminum door part is about 12 inches wide, so if your coop door is larger than that you might have to modify your door, or cut a new, smaller one. Make sure to test that the door slides smoothly up and down before making your final tightening of the rails. Setting up the Chicken Guard door opener is very simple, as well. It also comes with easy to follow instructions for calibrating the door, setting the time, and choosing what function you want it to run on. If the string that lifts the door starts to fray at the end, add a little clear nail polish. The door opener can open and close based on light conditions, on a timer, or a combination of both. We mounted our door inside the coop, so it functions on the timer. As light conditions change with the seasons, you will have to adjust the timer if you choose that option, but this is also very simple to do. The instruction manual also said you can adjust the device's light sensitivity, so if your coop is in a shaded area that doesn't receive much sun you can compensate for that if you want to open and close based on light conditions, but I have not tested that feature. The door is light, but most regular chicken predators are not going to break through it. A bear probably could, but they're not getting through a door that small, anyway! A racoon might be able to get it's little fingers underneath the door and lift, or if it is especially clever pull up on the string...but you can remedy that by installing the door inside your coop or putting a little lip at the bottom of the door to prevent anything from lifting it. I don't think most predators are quite that smart, anyway. So far, a great addition to my coop. Edit 1/4/2022: We had a bought of -30 degree weather, and the door now requires recalibration, and possibly new batteries. It doesn't matter much to me that the door is not opening because the chickens aren't going to go outside in that weather anyway, but be aware this device (even the Extreme) isn't going to go unscathed in extreme cold temps, even if it is mounted inside. I've found once it drops below zero you get a "Door Calibration" error or something to that effect, and eventually the cold completely kills the batteries. Edit 3/8/2022: With spring approaching, we're now having a thaw-freeze-thaw patterns, and snow that found it's way inside the coop has melted and evidently soaked into the rails, as the wood has swelled and makes opening and closing the door impossible for the device. This is mildly irritating, as it's getting warm enough for the chickens to go outside on their own free will, but I'm having to manually open the door. Also note, if you live in a place where heavy amounts of blowing snow and raging blizzards are common, there is a tiny gap between the wall and the top of the door when in full closed position that will allow snow to be blown in by clever winds. You can remedy this by having a secondary door on the outside of the coop (our door is inside mounted) that can be closed in the event of blizzards to help prevent snow blowing in. Also of note, it's difficult to find replacement rails for the door. I was hoping that ChickenGuard sold metal rails to avoid the swelling issue completely, but it appears the only alternative is a $67 complete replacement that I'm not positive will work with our setup...bummer. I feel like ChickenGuard should offer metal or durable plastic replacement rails, as I'm not sure that even sealing wooden rails will completely fix the swelling issue in the type of conditions I deal with.

This thing sat outside for almost 2 years without being used. I put batteries in it this weekend and it still works like a champ. Good product! Worth every penny.

You’d think for $250 you’d get a product that works without default. However, the design of this product is not suitable for outdoor use (even though this is an exterior chicken door). The side panels that the door slides up and down are made of wood, meaning they expand/contract with heat and moisture. Within a couple months after installing, the door would no longer close itself because the wood expanded too much and the door would get stuck about halfway down. We even reinstalled the side panels further apart, but that only fixed the problem for a few weeks. If we reinstall the panels further apart, as soon as winter hits and the temperature and humidity drop, the panels will be too far apart for the door to even reach making them unusable. As a result, we use the door to automatically open up the chickens in the morning, but have to manually close the door each evening to push the door along the side panels. This problem could have easily been fixed if they had 1) made the side panels out of metal or 2) still used wood, but made the slits for the door to slide along wider and deeper. Very disappointed in how much we spent expecting convenience, yet still have to close our chickens every single night. Note: been using the door for 4 months. If you can find a different door, even if more expensive, I highly recommend it as you won’t get the results you intend with this product.

We’ve had this chicken guard automatic door for three years now, and I have no complaints. It has done the job with no problems. Pretty easy to set up as long as you follow the directions. Don’t forget to change the batteries when it’s time. I recommend to all my chicken loving friends and family. Super convenient to not have to open and close the door to the run every morning and night.

Facile à installer et à configurer. c'est un bonheur de ne plus de lever à l'aube pour ouvrir à des poules impatientes de sortir. Idem pour le soir (attention, les premiers temps, certaines poules couche-tard se sont faites piéger par la système... il faut venir vérifier les premier temps que tout le monde est bien rentré). On peut mixer horaires et intensité de lumière pour les ouvertures/fermetures. Système supporte très bien le froid et les intempéries. A recommander

Era da un po' che mi guardavo in giro per acquistare un prodotto simile alla fine o scelto questo e sono soddisfatto. Installato in poco tempo istruzioni in Italiano per ora funziona perfettamente, io ho impostato apertura e chiusura con il timer nulla da eccepire. Consigliato.

Ottimo acquisto, lo consiglio vivamente.

Fonctionne très bien

I made a simple mistake of not checking my coop to see whether the guard could be easily installed. Had to adapt my coop front entrance for it to fit. But once installed it was the easiest product ever to programme. And to see it in action was fantastic. Does exactly what the manufacturer says it can do. Peace of mind knowing if it’s going to be a hot day the chickens will be let out at day break and if out for the evening knowing all I have to do is check when I get home none of the chickens have been left out. Best product I’ve bought to date Follow onto to my previous review Today’s date 21-09-2020 I have since built a bigger coop seeing as the chickens have outgrown their previous home. And the door guard has been attached onto their newer house and it is Still going strong. (New house is approx 12 months old) Not even changed the batteries yet. Same batteries for well over an year. I have two smaller coops which I have new additional chicks but at the present time can not afford a second door and hopefully the chicks will inter grate with the older hens and move in with them. I would definitely buy another If the purse strings weren’t so tight It’s an amazing product and worth every penny.