The 7 Best Automatic Chicken Coop Doors in 2023

This (updated) guide reviews all the best automatic chicken coop doors this year.

Rearing poultry and growing your own produce are becoming increasingly common practices. With a push toward a sustainable future, you might also have your own chicken coop at home. If you’re wondering about the best way to keep your chickens safe and secure, an automatic coop door can be very beneficial.

To help you choose the best automatic door for your chicken coop, we have compiled a list of the best products using our 40-point inspection. Let’s dive in…

The 7 Best Automatic Chicken Coop Doors

#1. ChickenGuard Waterproof Automatic Coop Door

• Waterproof
• Made with aluminum and recycled plastic that can withstand the elements
• Extra protection for batteries with a weatherproof box
• Advanced self-locking wing technology for maximum security

This is one of the most durable chicken coop doors on the market. All electronic elements are protected using a weatherproof casing and initially coated with epoxy resin for maximum protection. For your convenience, the door opener features an LCD screen so you can monitor/change your coop’s status at all times.

#2. Happy Henhouse Automatic Coop Door Kit

• Uses heavy-duty materials such as metal and tough recycled plastic
• The controller uses an efficient motor that can last 6-9 months on 4 AA batteries
• Easy installation along with video instructions

The Happy Henhouse automatic coop door will keep your chickens safe in any weather. The rugged door and controller resist the wear and tear of time and weather changes. You can set doors to automatically open and close using a timer, light sensor, or manual control.

#3. JVR Smart Automatic Coop Door

• Allows you full control through a smartphone app
• Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant
• Safety sensor to prevent any injury to chickens

The JVR Smart Automatic coop door is the future of chicken coop doors. This heavy-duty door can be used to keep your chickens safe in the easiest way possible. You can use the smartphone app to control your chicken coop door from anywhere. Additionally, a safety sensor also prevents the door from closing when your chickens are in the way.

#4. Run-Chicken T50 Automatic Coop Door

• Features powder-coated aluminum doors that can withstand any weather
• Simple and easy to use
• Programmable to your liking using a smartphone app

A simple and effective way to keep your chickens safe, this automatic coop door only features a button on top to manually close and open the door. It automatically opens in the morning but you can use a smartphone app to set a timer or manually adjust any settings to your liking.

#5. Manna Pro Harris Farms Automated Coop Door

• These automated doors support three operating modes: “lights only,” “timer only,” and “lights and timer”
• Easily check how much battery you have remaining from the given display
• Built-in guard rails are designed into the door in order to further deter predators

With three operating modes, you can set this door up in any climate or location you like. You also don’t need to rely on a single source of power with multiple power options like an adapter and batteries. Suitable for any weather, this door also alerts you when it is low on battery so you can switch them out in time.

#6. OverEZ Automatic Coop Door

• You can set the door’s timing to your schedule and not have to worry about checking anything manually
• Fits chicken coops of varying sizes
• Made using strong poly aluminum that can withstand weather damage caused by extreme rains

For beginners who might not have the routine required to be a good farmhand, the automatic timer system will let the chickens out before you even get out of bed. It can also be connected to the power grid for power as well as a 12v battery. Aside from being one of your best options, this door can be assembled easily with step-by-step instructions.

#7. Rural365 Automatic Coop Door

• With a heavyweight aluminum door, you can rest easy knowing your coop is protected
• The door comes with a built-in, self-calibrating light sensor that requires no extensive installation
• Easy installation; requires no wiring, solar panels etc.

This automatic coop door uses 4 AA batteries and will keep your chickens safe in any weather conditions. You can install this coop door easily using the installation instructions. It is very simple and easy to use with no complex programming required. The door will open automatically using the light sensor, but you can also set a timer.

Buyer’s Guide

The invention of the automatic chicken coop door is credited to an engineer named Tim Daniels, who created the first prototype in the early 2000s. Daniels developed the door to help chicken keepers save time and improve the safety of their flocks.

Since then, many other manufacturers have produced their own versions of automatic chicken coop doors as they have become a popular and convenient tool for backyard chicken keepers. Over time, a lot of features and designs have been integrated into these doors, to the point where now you could find a door for every purpose.

Automatic Chicken Coop Doors As An Investment

Small farms, businesses, and individuals alike see their chickens as an important fixture of their life. As their keepers, the responsibility to keep them safe falls on them. In a coop, chickens are even more vulnerable to predators, especially nocturnal ones.

Apart from that, automation helps streamline your daily tasks. The time you would spend opening and closing the coop could now go into preparing breakfast, sleeping, or getting ready for work. You may forget to check up on the coop, but it will be closed when it is supposed to and open when it is supposed to.

It’s even more convenient if you have coops across large open spaces, as doing the work manually would be redundant at that point. With the help of a few tools and the manual, you could save yourself a lot of mornings and evenings of work.

How To Choose An Automatic Chicken Coop Door

Here are some of the things that you should look into when choosing an automatic chicken coop door:

Size

The first thing you need to take into account is the size of your coop. There are certain doors that might work with a small coop and not a big one. Fortunately, a lot of doors come with adjustable sizes as not all coops are uniformly made.

You also need to take the size of your flock into account. A larger flock would likely require a sturdier door, whereas a coop with just some hens might make do with even a tiny opening.

Power

Automatic chicken coop doors come with a range of different power options. Not all of them can be hooked up to a grid and might use batteries or solar power. Depending on where you are, this presents a challenge. A lot of coop doors require batteries and although they are efficient, this might become costly if you have a lot of chicken coops to handle.

There are also a lot of sustainable options, such as solar-powered doors. These may work for most people, especially in ranches and large farms where the panels can catch plenty of sun. Although not as successful in rainier places, this would be very helpful to anyone living in a hotter region.

Location

The location of your door should play a vital part in your selection. A good automatic door should last you years if not decades! A chicken coop isn’t something that you would necessarily be moving somewhere either.

A lot of chicken coops work by detecting light to open and shut down. This can be obstructed by anything from a mountain to a house or a particularly dreary day. Therefore, it is important to know both your climate and the location of the coop.

Operation Mechanisms

Is the door set to a timer? Is it set to open and close with a light sensor? Does it need to be connected to the power grid at all times to keep working? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself when looking for a chicken coop door.

A timer would work best for places closer to the tropics, as the length of days and nights doesn’t vary too much between seasons. A timer would also be helpful for places that get a lot of rainfall and less sunshine. Similarly, doors with light detection would come in handy in the more arid regions, but also in places where the days vary in length throughout seasons, and setting timers is too much of a hassle.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What size should my automatic chicken coop door ideally be?

A door should generally be 12-15 inches wide and 16-20 inches tall for most chicken coops.

Are automatic chicken coop doors sturdy?

Most automatic chicken coop doors are made of durable plastic or metal alloys that won’t rust or break easily. This makes them ideal for weathering the rough conditions that they face outdoors. A lot of the doors in the market today are also water-resistant, as rain is one of the major causes of technical breakdowns in electronics.

How would I know if my automatic door malfunctions?

It is always advised that you regularly check up on the doors to see if they are functioning properly. If they aren’t, call customer care and repair your door immediately.