My DIY Automatic Chicken Door

[Tsheaby]

When I got chickens for the first time last year, my husband thought I was absolutely crazy as I surprised him with my new little fluff ball babies. I was so excited and had big plans to build them a coop during the time they were in the brooder. About 2 weeks before they were due to make their grand adventure to the great outdoors, 2 of the 4 started fighting and me being me, I panicked and thought they needed more space now. I panicked and very promptly went to Jax Mercantile and bought a cheap-o starter coop, complete with a nesting box and run. Fast forward a few weeks and it turns out, the 2 that were fighting were both Roos! My luck! And now, I was stuck with this silly starter coop until at least next spring. Since they free range, I have no need for their “run” to actually be used as a run... I had been transforming the entire thing into more of an enclosed coop for the winter and I open and shut the door(s) to their “run” every morning and every evening.

I’ve learned a lot this last year with my new babies, but one thing i was not slow to catch onto is that unless you want to take the risk of them being picked off and massacred by creatures of the night, you need to lock them in every night and let them out every morning. What?! I’m an adult! I’ve got things to see and travels to take... I also didn’t want to spend mega bucks on an automatic chicken door, when I have this bizarre makeshift setup going with my starter coop & I can easily transfer it to the new future coop.

I’ll save you the dry information on my challenge figuring out electrical relays and polarity switches but... if you’re a visual person, I made some fun wiring drawings for both a direct power source and solar powered.

Parts Needed:
-JVR 12V Timer Switch Programmable Digital 12 Volt DC/AC Battery Powered Timer - $11.99
http://a.co/d/iYs1EWL

- DC 12V 5A Coil 35mm DIN Rail DPDT 8Pin Power Relay + Socket Base - $11.88 (2 pc - you only need one, so find a 1pc for $6ish if you can!)
http://a.co/d/184sDkI

- Chanzon 12V 5A 60W AC DC Power Supply Adapter (Input 110V-220V, Output 12 Volt 5 Amp 60 Watt) DC Converter - $15.84 (if you already have a power supply, just get a wired connector adapter, for easy connecting/disconnecting)
http://a.co/d/9dGQXSi

- Linear Actuator Motor 750N 12V Dc 200Lbs 305Mm Stroke Electric Door Opener - $35.89 (whatever size you need)
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Linear-A...S-305MM-Stroke-Electric-Door-Opener/959284971

- Electrical Wire & Cutters
- Drill / Screwdriver
- Small Phillips
- Electrical Tape
- Material as needed (door, cabinet sliders, spare wood for frame, etc.)
- Water proof container to store electrical in

TOTAL COST: $75 - You can definitely get away with less if you have some parts laying around, for example the power adapter could come from an old desktop monitor.

*NOTE* - you can also set it up sideways, so it opens and closes side to side instead of up and down, depending on your setup / space constraints.

*NOTE #2* - if any of the links above indicate they are sold out, search the site for the part and there should be more options... usually just a reseller. Th parts listed do not include the solar panel or battery option, so you’ll have to hunt those down if going solar.

Please tag me if you end up making one, I would love to see how it worked out. I posted this tutorial on Facebook back in November and many have already found success in making their own! I’ve been using it since November, and it has held up perfectly through frigid temps and ice/snow here in Colorado.

Hope you find this helpful! Enjoy!

 

[robson1015]

 

[jthornton]

I don't see any limit switches, in diagram or in your actual constructed door.
What stops the actuator from wanting to keep going in direction of travel when gets to end of stroke. Are there automatic limits in actuator

Usually linear actuators have built in limit switches.

JT

 

[Tsheaby]

Great, thank you! Just ordered everything! I’ll let you know how it turns out

Awesome!! You can customize the door too, depending on what you want I.e. opening up and down, or side to side. Just depends on your coops. I used just spare wood to made my “door” and “frame” to guide the door.

I found a “kit” on amazon that came with a linear actuator, DPDT relay, and timer (literally the exact parts I’ve listed separately) and it was ridiculously priced. I almost feel like I’ve cheated the market

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me! Happy to help.

P.S. the wiring you use doesn’t need to be colored as shown in the diagram, I just colored it to show connection points.

 

[Tsheaby]

I tried a photocell on mine and the first thunderstorm that came up had my chickens locked out in the rain... then there is the issue of trying to get a photocell to close at dusk and not before. On an overcast day the door will close too early.

JT

That’s a great point! Thanks for adding that in there JT, you’ve been the real MVP for helping answer questions! I appreciate you!

 

[cavemanrich]

Nice job, but have a question,,,,
I don't see any limit switches, in diagram or in your actual constructed door.
What stops the actuator from wanting to keep going in direction of travel when gets to end of stroke. Are there automatic limits in actuator . When reversed polarity, then actuator starts in opposite direction of travel??? .
If it would be such,,,,,,, that would be great. As long as the full 12 inch stroke of actuator was utilized.
Not needing limit switches separately make things easier.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Piefoot]

Following Tsheaby's DIY automatic door set up, I put my own together today. The power source is a solar system I built earlier to power the water pump for my duck pond. The framework for my chicken coop consists of pallets so I had to add the hardware to the exterior wall above the door. I plan to add a cover over the actuator so when the door is open, the actuator and door will be under the cover and not visible. I tested the door to ensure it opens and closes properly. I'll be watching to make sure the door closes tonight and opens again tomorrow morning based on my timer settings but I'm confident it will work as planned. Thank you so much Tsheaby. I really liked the DIY assembly and your wiring diagram and parts list made it so easy.

 

[Piefoot]

That is so cool! I would never have the patience or smart to do that! Looks great!

Actually, it was very easy to do. Tsheaby did all the work. Following the wiring diagram made it a fast and simple project. I was very happy watching as the door closed last night and opened this morning as scheduled. Testing is complete and no more need to set the alarm.

 

[rawellz]

Sigh...and BIG slice of humble pie.

The problem was that I had installed the wires on the opposite ends of the relay.

Looking at the relay without removing the socket I believed I had the ends correctly identified. I removed the socket and realized I had them flipped.

Everything works perfectly!

I am very happy and appreciative of the support. Diagram showed everything correctly.

 

[Tsheaby]

Hi there, this is awesome. Is there a way to set it up to use a light sensor instead of a timer? I worry about forgetting to change the timer and having this thing close before my hens get inside.

Thanks!

I haven’t tried a light sensor myself, but I’m sure you could play with one to try it out!

I typically only have to adjust it a couple times a year & usually just do it on/around day light savings. Winter months I think I have it set to open around 7:45/8:00am and close at 7:00/7:30pm. Spring/Summer I have it opening at 6:15am and closing at 9:15pm.

There’s that awkward period in the spring when transitioning to the sun going down later that I will bump it back to closing at 8:30pm just to make sure they all get in.

In a nutshell... I check on it quarterly and adjust as necessary with the daylight, setting it to close 30-45 min past when I KNOW they will be in the coop for bedtime. Haven’t had a problem locking one out, yet!