Automatic chicken coop doors

All options come with an identical automatic door controller, but three different sliding doors are available. Auto-locking door *most popularThe auto-locking door has a strong and reliable built-in locking mechanism to lock the door shut automatically. Locking the closed door makes it impossible for intelligent predators like foxes to slide the closed door up the runners. The auto-locking door comes in one size and is designed for all chicken and duck breeds. It’s manufactured from high-quality components, including UV-resistant ASA plastic and stainless steel, to ensure a long and dependable working life.Small or large aluminium doorThe small and large aluminium doors don’t have a built-in locking mechanism. Instead, they come with a door frame base that covers the bottom of the closed door. As predators can’t access the bottom of the closed door, pushing the door up the runners is nearly impossible.  The doors and door runners are made of aluminium alloy that won’t rust or rot. The small aluminium door is an excellent option for smaller chicken coops where space is limited, and the large aluminium door is an ideal option for poultry of all sizes, including large ducks and geese.Door controller onlyIf you already have a chicken-sized sliding door installed on your coop, you can keep your old chicken door and purchase the Safe Coop automatic chicken door controller individually. The Safe Coop automatic door controller is compatible with all sliding chicken doors weighing up to 1.5kg.The best door for your needs depends on the size of your chicken coop, the type of poultry you keep, and the predators in your area.When you're unsure which option to chooseWe recommend the auto-locking door if you’re unsure which door to choose. The auto-locking door doesn’t require much wall space, so it fits on most chicken coops. Whether you keep chickens or ducks, they’ll fit through the auto-locking door. As the auto-locking door has a built-in-locking mechanism, it provides the highest level of security to protect your flock from all predators.The small aluminium door could be the best choice if you have a small chicken coop and keep bantam or standard-size chickens. The large aluminium door is the best option if geese or other large poultry species will use the door. Both the small and large aluminium doors also provide excellent security from even the most intelligent predators. If there are foxes in your area, make sure you install the aluminium frame base (included with every aluminium door purchase) to keep your flock extra safe.

Yes, many customers install an automatic chicken door on their chicken run as well. Once installed, you can set an opening time to let your flock free range outside their run.Most customers set the door to open after the hens have laid their eggs. That way, eggs don’t get laid around your garden, and the hens still get plenty of time to free-range (whether you’re home to let them out or not). The door will automatically close in the evening to secure your chicken run at night.

Yes, your new automatic chicken door will include the door controller, door, door rails, and screws. The only recommended tools and equipment that aren't included are four AA batteries for the door controller, a Philips head screwdriver, and a spirit level. You might also like optional equipment such as gloves and a pencil when installing the door.

The Safe Coop® automatic chicken door is compatible with almost any chicken coop. You’ll just need to find a space on the coop wall to attach the door. You can find the dimensions required in the door specifications table. For example, the auto-locking door frame will require a space 30cm wide and 63cm high. You’ll also need to attach the automatic door controller 19cm above the door frame, meaning the total height of the automatic chicken door will be 82cm. The dimensions required are smaller for the small aluminium door and larger for the large aluminium door, so be sure to check the door specifications table if you’re selecting one of these doors.

You’ll receive detailed instructions with diagrams showing how to attach your new automatic chicken door to your chicken coop. If your coop doesn’t already have a chicken-sized door opening cutout, you’ll need to make one before installing the door. The recommended door opening cutout sizes are in the door specifications table.Your Safe Coop automatic coop door will come with screws to attach the door controller and door frame to your coop. The screws are self-tapping, meaning you can screw them straight into a timber, cement sheet, or plastic coop wall using a handheld screwdriver. If your coop is made of metal, you’ll need to pre-drill holes for the screws.Once everything is attached to your coop, you can tie the cord between the door controller and the door together. Your new automatic chicken door is then ready to use.

Yes, it’s easy to adjust the automatic door settings. The display has a backlight and is large enough to read easily. The instructions are easy to follow and come with diagrams showing how to adjust the settings.

Yes, you can decide how the door opens and closes. There are separate settings for the door opening and closing method, so you can set a door opening time in the morning and use the light sensor to close the door at night.

You can choose the door closing light level based on your preference. Selecting a light level for the door to open and close is easy.

Yes, you can set the door to close at a set time or light level, whichever occurs first. Setting both a door closing time and closing light level provides additional peace of mind that your flock is safe every night. If you'd prefer to use just the time or light closing method, that’s possible, too.

The sensitivity of the light sensor is automatically adjusted to compensate for changes in sunrise and sunset brightness at different times of the year. The automatic door controller monitors the seasons by observing temperature changes through a built-in thermometer. This feature means you don’t need to adjust the light sensor setting as the seasons change.

Yes, you can press the up or down button on the door controller to open or close the chicken door without disrupting the regular automatic settings. The buttons on the door controller are large and easy to press while wearing gloves.

Yes, you can stop the chicken door from opening automatically by selecting the manual door opening option. The door will only open in the manual setting when you press the door-up button.The manual opening setting is handy when adding new chickens to your flock, as it’s usually a good idea to keep new chickens inside their coop or chicken run for a few days while they acclimatise to their new environment. The previous automatic door opening setting will be saved, making it easy to switch back to automatic opening when you decide.

Yes, you can choose the chicken door opening height using the automatic door controller settings. For example, the recommended door opening for the auto-locking door is 25cm wide and 32.2cm high. If you’re keeping bantam chickens and your chicken door opening is only 20cm high, you can set the door to open to this height instead of 32.2cm.

Your chickens will love their new automatic coop door! Chickens thrive under a routine, so being let out at the same time each morning is beneficial for their well-being. Ensuring nocturnal animals cannot enter the coop at night reduces stress and leads to a happier and healthier flock.

We’ve never encountered a flock that didn’t get used to their new automatic chicken door. Adventurous chickens will adapt immediately, while timid chickens might take a few days to get used to the new door. Even old hens will adapt to a chicken door. Placing food on either side of the door opening is a great way to get chickens using their new door.

Chickens naturally return to their coop in the evening to roost for the night. You can set the automatic door to close at a time or light level when you know the chickens have returned to their coop.If your chickens aren’t returning to their coop at night, you could try making the coop more appealing to roost in. Ensure the size of your coop is adequate for the number of chickens in your flock. An overcrowded coop could encourage chickens to find an alternative roosting spot outside the coop.Increasing the height of the perch is another way to make the coop more appealing, as chickens usually feel safer sleeping higher off the ground. You could also add a second perch at a different height so your chickens have more roosting spots to choose between.If your chickens have found an alternative roosting spot, you might need to confine them inside the coop for a few days until they acclimatise to their new sleeping spot. Once the chickens have slept inside a comfortable coop for a few nights, they are more likely to return every evening after free-ranging during the day.

Yes, the Safe Coop® automatic chicken coop door is a great option to let ducks and geese in and out of a coop or run. We recommend choosing the large aluminium door option for geese, as the door opening is large enough for them to walk through easily.

Guinea fowl aren’t as domesticated as chickens. They often prefer roaming free and perching in trees at night rather than returning to a coop or run. Having said this, guinea fowl will happily use the automatic door if they are motivated to enter the coop or run.

You can purchase the automatic chicken door controller individually if you’d like to build your own door. When making your door, please ensure it weighs less than 1.5 kilograms.

Yes, you can keep your old chicken door and install a new Safe Coop® automatic chicken door controller above it. The door controller can be purchased individually without a door at the checkout. If you’d like to install a Safe Coop® auto-locking door, you can entirely replace your old chicken door setup.

The Safe Coop® automatic chicken coop door has been designed for all Australian climates. The temperature operating range is -20.0°C to +65.0°C.

Every effort has been made to design and construct the door controller to prevent water from entering. The door controller housing is manufactured from strong, waterproof ASA plastic, and there is a silicone seal between the join to keep water out. However, if the door controller is installed on a coop wall exposed to the prevailing weather, building a structure above the door controller is recommended to provide an additional layer of protection. You can look at the photos for examples of the weather protection built around the automatic door controller in exposed locations.

The auto-locking door has two built-in locking bolts. These locking bolts extend into locking slots at the bottom of the door runners when the door closes. When the automatic coop door controller starts to raise the door in the morning, the locking bolts retract, allowing the door to open.

The auto-locking door could only freeze shut in very cold and wet conditions. If you’re concerned that the door could freeze shut in winter, the auto-locking mechanism can be easily disengaged using a dial on the door. When the auto-locking mechanism has been disengaged, the auto-locking bolts will not extend, and the door will remain unlocked. The auto-locking mechanism can be engaged again whenever you like.

The small and large aluminium doors don’t have built-in locking mechanisms. However, the aluminium doors still provide excellent protection from predators. The aluminium doors come with a door frame base. The bottom of the door will close behind the door frame base. Therefore, foxes and other intelligent predators can't get their paws under the bottom of the closed door, making it almost impossible for them to open it.

Unfortunately, you can’t retrofit the locking mechanism to your existing chicken door. The automatic locking mechanism is built into the auto-locking door. Therefore, the only way to add a locking mechanism is to purchase a new automatic chicken coop door that comes with a built-in locking mechanism.

Most people install the door themself. The automatic chicken door has been designed to be easy to install. If you don’t want to install the door, it is a quick and easy job for any handyperson or builder.

Automatic chicken doors require a flat surface to install the door frame on. The grooves on a corrugated iron wall can make it difficult to attach the door runners to the coop. Some customers with a corrugated iron coop build a simple timber frame within the corrugated iron to hold the chicken door runners in place. Alternatively, you could attach a cement sheet or timber panel to the corrugated iron wall to provide a flat mounting surface and cut the chicken door opening through the sheet or panel and corrugated iron.

You could install the automatic chicken door on the larger coop door. The only risk would be knocking the automatic chicken door against the coop wall or other objects when opening the larger door. If you have space on a coop wall, installing the chicken door there would be our recommendation; otherwise, installing it on the larger human-sized door is also fine.

Yes, you can. However, the maximum door opening height won’t be as high.For example, we recommend having a space 79 cm high on the coop wall to install the small aluminium automatic chicken door. Let’s assume your coop wall is only 70cm high.After installation, you can select the door opening height to your preferred position using the door controller. Most customers with a 79cm tall coop wall would set the door to open 33 cm high (33 cm from the bottom of the door opening to the top of the open door). You could set this height to 25 cm instead. This would compensate for the lower coop wall height, and still allow enough space for chickens to comfortably move through the door.

No, the automatic chicken door is battery-powered, so you won’t need an electrician to install it.

We’ve found the batteries last around two years on our Safe Coop® automatic chicken doors.

You can press any button on the automatic door controller, and the screen will light up with a battery level indicator. Based on how many battery life bars remain, you can predict how much longer the batteries will last. There is also a red LED light that will flash to attract your attention when the batteries need replacing.

Four standard AA batteries power the automatic chicken door, so finding replacement batteries is easy.

The Safe Coop® automatic chicken coop door controller has a backup power supply to save the settings between changing the batteries, so you won’t need to reset the door.

We used to sell a solar-powered version of the Safe Coop® automatic chicken coop door. However, we stopped selling the solar-powered option due to low demand. As the battery life is so long (around two years), few customers wanted the extra complexity of the solar-powered version.

The Safe Coop® automatic chicken door comes with a one-year warranty. The Poultry Australia team are here to help if you have any questions or issues.

Yes, we keep spare parts in stock. Please contact us if you need any spare parts.

Yes, every item purchased on the Poultry Australia website, including automatic chicken doors, is sent directly from our warehouse in Hobart.

We post orders placed before 4 p.m. AEST on the same business day. We send all automatic chicken door orders via Australia Post Express Post. Most orders are delivered the following business day. Delivery to some regional or remote areas can take two business days. We’ll email the tracking number to you shortly after sending your order.