Automation in the chicken coop

I love my chickens, but I also love to travel.  I have already set up automated feed and watering systems and thanks to a friend who came to visit, I now have an automated chicken door that opens at dawn and closes at dusk.  This amazing invention is from Wells Poultry in the UK, and came to me airmail.  I couldn’t quite believe it would work, but it does.  I set it up at the back of the covered area where the chickens are closed in at night as opposed to on their house itself.  It’s very shady by the house, and I was afraid “dusk” there would be too early.  We had to make a little ramp going down from the door, as the chicken yard is steep, and they were a little reluctant at first.  Several hens went out, then the rooster.

The rooster and about four of the hens went down to the area where I feed them.  But three of the hens weren’t eager to try the new door. The rooster came back up and encouraged them, and soon all were out.

Then I wanted to make sure they could get back in, so I put some melon scraps  in the enclosed area. The rooster led the way:

He crowed and carried on till all his hens followed.

By day two, all the hens seemed willing to go in and out pretty easily. And now, though the chickens still require some looking after, we can go away for a few days and feel confident they will have food, water, and be safe from predators.  And as the days grow longer, we’re starting to get between four and six eggs a day. We’re happy, and so are our neighbors.

 

 

4 thoughts on “Automation in the chicken coop

  1. By now, they all line up waiting for the door to open in the morning. Or I should say they queue up, as it’s a British door.

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