However, at night, you will want to make sure your flock is safely tucked inside their coop as soon as the sun begins to set. Many of their predators are nocturnal and attack under the cover of dark. If you are delayed at the office or enjoying a night out on the town with your family and friends, you may not like what you come home to find.

This is where automatic chicken coop doors come in handy...

Your birds know when it's bedtime. They will instinctively return to their coop when it's time. However, if you are not able to shut them in safe and sound, they won't be able to close the door on their own - which means that they are still susceptible to attacks.

We came across a couple of handy do it yourself plans that will do the job of closing up the coop when you are not around to do it. The first one uses a drapery motor and controller, a weight, and a 24 hour day timer. Check it out at buildeazy.com.

The second design also uses a digital timer, but instead of the drapery motor, it uses a car door lock actuator. Check it out at nifty-stuff.com.

Remember, although a chicken coop automatic door is great as a backup plan, you should not count on it to do the job all the time. I would use it only in those special situations when you have other commitments and can't be in two places at once.

photo credit: Michael Brannon

This post is from Chicken Coop Plans, where you can learn more about raising chickens.

Chicken Coop Automatic Door

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