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My automatic coop door failed at 3 AM last Tuesday - woke up to a raccoon in the run
So I got one of those timer based auto doors from Tractor Supply about 8 months ago. Worked fine all summer and fall. But last Tuesday night something must have jammed it. I woke up at like 3 AM to a huge racket outside. Ran out in my pajamas with a flashlight and there was a raccoon trying to dig under the hardware cloth. The door was stuck half open because a piece of straw got wedged in the track. I ended up having to manually close it and prop it with a brick until morning. My girls were all huddled in the corner not moving. Now I'm looking at getting a photo sensor door instead since those don't rely on timers. Has anyone else had a door fail like this? I'm in Ohio so the cold might have made it worse too.
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simonbell6d ago
Yeah I had almost the exact same thing happen with a Pullet-Shut door two winters ago. A frozen chunk of ice dropped in the track overnight and the timer tried to close at sunset but just grinded against it until the motor burned out. Wound up having to replace the whole thing. Switched to a photo sensor model and it's been way better. The only issue is you gotta keep the sensor lens clean or it'll get confused and not close until it's pitch dark. Also make sure you get one that fails in the open position if possible. Some of the cheap ones lock tight when the battery dies and then you're trapping your birds inside or out.
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Bet those timer doors work fine for most folks, your bad luck doesn't mean they're all junk.
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