- With the understanding that DIY is great, and this is a super-cool project, etc, we've used this [1] commercial door opener from Omlet (chuckle) with great results. Can be set to open/close at specific times, or manually, or after light/dark with programmed delay. No decapitations so far; auto-opens if there's resistance to opening above a mild threshold. Wifi connected if desired.
[1] https://www.omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping/automatic_chicken_...
by HeyLaughingBoy
1 subcomments
- That's a really nice coop. I don't have to deal with anything bigger than raccoons or possums so my coop is pretty basic: built from a leftover grain bin.
But this is a nice reminder that I've been meaning to automate the door. It gets dark earlier than I expect and so far I've been lucky that the raccoon that was showing up at dusk and climbing into the run has taken a hiatus for now.
Have a couple car window actuators. Just need to remember to pick up some solar cells from Amazon since it's too far from the house to run power.
by water-data-dude
1 subcomments
- I appreciate the author's choice to use Vimeo instead of YouTube for the video. It's not much, but I like the little piece of resistance to the Video Hegemon
- Great project! If you don't feel like building your own chicken squisher, there are commercially-available automatic coop doors that you can buy on Amazon. The one I got is Tuya-based, making it easy to integrate into Home Assistant.
Five days after installing it (and thus enabling the chickens to access the outer yard) they were carried away by predators. The 8ft+ wire yard fence didn't extend far enough into the ground to prevent something from tunneling under it.
- Does the product live up to its name? By which I mean, how often will chickens get squished (or more likely, maimed) because they fail to get out of the way of the door as it closes?
Power windows in cars often come with automatic reversal mechanisms, which are designed to detect obstructions and prevent the window from closing on them. I don't see mention of such a safety feature here, though.
Maybe making the Chicken Squisher 3000™ close very slowly would reduce the likelihood of a squish event? In the video, it's not like the door slams shut, but it's not slow.
Or maybe chickens, dumb as they are, have quick enough reaction speed that the danger of squishing is negligible.
by baconbrand
2 subcomments
- Love this. My brother’s chickens like to try to sleep in the trees at night. Guess we’ll have to put together the Chicken Fetcher 3000 :)
by jcjmcclean
1 subcomments
- Really enjoyed this write up, good level of detail. Also what an excellent product name!
by ethersteeds
0 subcomment
- This is a glorious project! I appreciate the commentary on how modern components simplified the build.
As a chicken enthusiast and chronic over-builder, I'd love a tour of that coup and its features!
by the_gipsy
1 subcomments
- Do the chicken go back in to sleep before dusk?
Do the predators never attack during the day?
Hacker News