Automatic Doors
Automatic coop doors open at sunrise and close at dusk on a timer or light sensor, so your flock is shut in safely from predators overnight even when you're not home to do it yourself. Most run on batteries, solar, or a wall outlet, and the better models let you override the schedule manually from an app.
What to look for
- Power source: battery-only needs regular swaps; solar or wall-outlet models need less ongoing maintenance but less portability.
- Manual override: a physical or app-based override matters if the automation ever fails and your flock needs in or out immediately.
- Door material and closing force: strong enough to deter a determined predator, but not so forceful it could injure a bird caught in the doorway.