I went with a simple setup with very low power draw: two programmable 12V timers. Last challenge was for the door to open in the morning & close in the evening. I’d still recommend a charge controller to make sure the panel doesn’t have a net drain effect on the battery in winter or other low-light conditions. Since the panel’s power output is so low, it acts as a trickle charger, & that way you may not need a solar charge controller as long as the panel is in direct sunlight for most of the day. To recharge the battery, I used a small 1.25-watt 12V solar panel. Linear actuators only draw a few amps so a small 12V battery will do the trick - I had an old one lying around that wouldn’t start the lawn mower anymore, but worked great for the coop door. Our coop is on wheels & we move it around our field far away from A/C power, so I needed it to be self-powered. Better yet, use a 12V battery permanently hooked up to a battery maintainer & you won’t ever have to worry about power outages. Just make sure the power supply is rated for enough amps to reliably drive the linear actuator motor. If your coop is near A/C power, you could use a 12V power supply instead of the battery/solar panel. Same goes for the arm extension length - longer extension means your door closes more slowly - more time for chickens to get out of the way. Typically, actuators with higher force ratings mean slower movement. Also make sure the actuator comes with mounting brackets, or you’ll need to come up with something. Small 12V actuators like these usually have a rating of around ~5 amps, so make sure to use a relay, fuse & wiring that’s appropriate. I got the 8″ model & it takes about 20 seconds to extend/retract the arm … plenty of time for chickens to move out of the way. There are various lengths for the arm travel distance. Get one with built-in limit switches & an IP65 rating so dust/water/ice/snow is no problem - pretty great for chicken coops. The arm moves very slowly with 50 to 200 pounds of force. Linear actuators use a small motor to move an extendable/retractable arm. Total cost: $81 dedicated A/C, $111 A/C battery backup, or $123 solar D/C ($138 w/ charge controller) 12V solar charge controller: $16 (optional).Wiring, inline fuse holder/fuse, terminals: $6.12V DPDT relay w/ base: $3 **SEE UPDATED RELAY METHOD HERE.(2) 12V programmable digital timers: $5 each.12V linear actuator, 8″ extension, IP65 rated w/ built-in limit switches & mounting brackets: ~ $55.I wanted something with a direct drive to use with a door that swung up on hinges to open. It’s a safe design - it won’t kill chickens if one gets in the way while closing - but I was worried the door would get jammed from ice & snow. On Youtube there are plenty of automatic chicken coop doors that use string to raise/lower a guillotine-style door, sliding vertically in a track. Like so many other pet chicken owners, I decided to try building an automatic chicken coop door. Locally we have raccoons, possums, weasels, foxes, coyotes, neighborhood dogs, hawks, eagles, owls… my friend Chris who loves fried chicken a little too much… Raccoons at night were my main concern.Ī few months of this started to feel like Russian roulette. That worked great until the night I’d fall asleep putting our 3 kids to bed, or start watching a late-night movie, & suddenly OOOOHH SHIT, THE CHICKENS!!! …followed by a guilty run to the coop, wondering if I was about to find sleepy hens or a poultry massacre.Ĭhickens are a tasty snack for lots of predators.
When we first got our chickens, each night I’d walk up to the coop & close them in. Note that the parts list changes a bit with this new automatic coop door design. UDPATE AUGUST 2016: I’ve redesigned this automatic coop door so that one timer controls opening & one timer controls closing.
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