Chicken keeping is lots of fun in the summer. But then it becomes winter, and now you have to take care of your chickens at -40ºC/F. Charging out to the chicken coop in extreme temperatures is obviously not fun, but doing it multiple times a day is even worse.
That’s where the Chickcozy automatic chicken coop door comes in clutch.
You can still let your chickens out into the run if you so desire (note: make sure your coop is protected and it’s safe to do so), but you no longer have to open and close their little door multiple times a day.
I’ve owned the Chickcozy automatic chicken coop door opener for a couple of months now and have really enjoyed having it as part of my coop setup. It took about ten minutes max to install, it’s really easy to program, and it works! Even now that colder temperatures have hit, I’ve had really no issues with it. It’s so nice knowing that my chickens can go out into the run even if I’m not out there at the crack of dawn.
Related: Best Setup for Newborn Chicks
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Pros & Cons of using an automatic chicken coop door
So many people ask if automatic chicken coop doors work, and now that I’ve used one for a couple of months, I can confirm that they do work and that they are so so useful for automating chicken keeping tasks, especially in freezing temperatures.
We choose to power our Chickcozy automatic chicken coop door with the DC power option. Our coop already had power, which we activate with an extension cord, so it was really convenient. I think the only downside is if you choose to use batteries you’d have to watch that the door is indeed still opening when it gets to -20ºC/-4ºF and colder.
Other than that, automatic chicken coop door openers are really the most set-it-and-forget-it thing that you can add to your coop., and they are well worth the investment!
Related: Overwintering Chickens in a Cold Climate
The only con I can think of is that one night, my chickens were not all in the coop for the night when the door closed. In our case, they were totally safe in the run so we didn’t have to worry about predators. However, if you don’t have that type of situation make sure you set the timer for a time that allows enough time for everybody to get in!
I generally program my automatic door opener so that the chickens aren’t out until later in the morning (10:00 or 11:00 a.m.), because I like to ensure everyone has laid their eggs for the day before they’re released. This is especially important in winter when an egg will be frozen in minutes if it gets laid outside of the coop.
Related: Why We Free Range Chickens in Our Garden for Healthier Plants
more about chickcozy
The Chickcozy automatic door comes in dark goldenrod or lime green. As a nice surprise, the company also sent a sheet of chicken stickers in the package, which my kids adored. I was pleasantly surprised that the door also came with batteries (and not off-brand batteries either! I’m pretty sure they were Duracell!).
Troubleshooting the Chickcozy door opener is super easy.
If you get to your Chickcozy and the door is still closed, you can easily press the up button to tell you how long it is until the door automatically opens. If you decide you’d like your chickens out earlier than it’s currently opening, you can hold it down for 3 seconds, and then it will automatically open the door and override the timer.
All in all, the Chickcozy automatic door opener has been an excellent addition to our coop setup, and I would highly recommend this to cold-climate and warm-climate chicken keepers alike. If you want to get your own, check out www.chickcozy.com today and use the code shiftingroots for a 5% discount!
Related: First Time Hatching Chickens at Home? Here’s What You Need to Know!
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