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Door Opener for chickens Help!

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cliffyf16

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I have been looking for a timer based automatic door opener for my wife's chicken house. They cost a lot for what I think can be built rather cheaply. But I need help for the electronic parts.

My idea is to use a cheap electric screwdriver as the drive unit. They already have batteries with AC Adapter for line power, are reversible and the chuck can hold the drive shaft that can rotate the pulley that will raise the 12x12 inch aluminum door up and down a slide track which I have already built in situ.

I need help or ideas about how to wire the entire setup with a timer and even a remote (bonus only on the remote). I think two micro switches up and down to run the motor cut out (so it stops correctly up and down) and to control the reverse circuit with the timer (remote?) somewhere in there is the correct set up.

Can anyone help with the details? My wife will appreciate it (I could care less-but don't tell her!)

Cliffy
 
There is dozens of ways to do it with electronics, am posting about a mechanical alternative:
A wind-up alarm clock (those biggie ones with bells on top) usually do turn the windup crank when the alarm sounds.

A string wound onto that shaft can easily pull a door latch that will open the spring loaded door or raise a gate. (you do not mention need to close it after)
Bonus, the alarm will wake-up lazy chicken too. :D
 
There is dozens of ways to do it with electronics, am posting about a mechanical alternative:
A wind-up alarm clock (those biggie ones with bells on top) usually do turn the windup crank when the alarm sounds.

A string wound onto that shaft can easily pull a door latch that will open the spring loaded door or raise a gate. (you do not mention need to close it after)
Bonus, the alarm will wake-up lazy chicken too. :D

Can i ask for what is the real part that can pull a door?? can i just purchase the part individualy instead of buy the whole alarm clock
 
What will happen to the stubborn chicken, that stands in the doorway, when the door closes?

Diodes across each micro switch will stop the motor, but allow you run in the opposite direction. Saw this for a solar tracker a while back, and thought it a simple solution. Unfortunately, its buried somewhere on my XP computer. Might dig it up after work today, if nobody else posts it first. They also used a double pole relay to reverse the motor. The drive portion of the schematic would fit your needs perfectly. It came off a site called RedRock, but it might be hard to find, there are dozens of schematics...

Since the motor will stop when it hits the limit switch, and only run again in the opposite direction, you would only need to switch power to a single double pole relay. Maybe some sort of toggle circuit on a wireless door bell (not much range though, 100 feet maybe), but its cheap and simple, the chime would give the chickens some warning.
 
Hi Cliffy,

here is a solution that takes care of tired or lazy chicken.

Use bicycle spokes equally spaced (using a steel rod and spacers between spokes) and arrange them vertically. Use two solenoids for different locking methods: out only, in only and locked.

Chicken also learn pretty quickly that they have to push the spokes to get out or in.

No chicken won't get hurt by that "door".

For details look up the attachment.

Boncuk
 

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  • CHICKEN-DOOR.gif
    CHICKEN-DOOR.gif
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Wireless doorbells have more range that you might think.
At least 300-400 feet. As the batteries go down in power the receiver sound circuit will be the first victim. The "melody" will change somewhat :)
 
A couple of suggestions. If the door should be open during the day and closed at night you could use a light sensor instead of a timer or remote control.

Second if the door was mounted on a horizontal axle which was mounted in the vertical centre of the door 1/4 revolution would open the door and another 1/4 would close it again. This type of door would not drop on any of your chickens.
 
For pigeons we used coat hanger size wire bent into a staple shape and stapled those at the top to a beam so they could swing. Wires were longer than the bottom beam so they only worked one way. One for in one for out.

I suggest you only want to stop things getting in at night so you only need a solenoid on one door , the IN
 
What a diverse group we have here. The last guy with chickens wanted to torture them, just for being chickens. This one wants to be chilvarous for them!
 
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I wonder if a Stan Meyers HHO generator would produce enough gas to roast a chicken, since it doesn't produce enough to run a car...
 
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