There are so many things you can buy for your chickens that will improve their lives.

You can get them automatic chicken coop waterers and you can also get weather-proof and rat-proof automatic chicken feeders.

There are also a number of chicken toys, or you can go ahead and try to find the best bedding material, but there is one thing you can buy that benefits both your chickens and you as their chicken keepers.

Raising chickens is work, let's face it, and my favorite motto is, work smarter not harder. Adding this one feature does exactly that. This item, is an automatic chicken coop door.

What Does An Automatic Chicken Coop Door Do?

Automatic chicken coop doors open automatically in the morning and close automatically at night to let your chickens in and out, and will keep them safe from predators through the night as well.

I couldn't believe such a door existed - how did I not know this sooner??

I wondered just how safe and reliable an auto door would be on my chicken's coop. Would it keep my chickens safe? Would the light sensor work on cloudy days? Would this automatic door accidently close on one of my chickens?

I had so many questions and did a lot of research as there are so many automatic chicken doors out there, and I learned that so many of them are cheaply made and or are knock off's of the well-built brands.

See the research on my article Best Chicken Coop Doors here

After completing the research, I decided to go with the RUN-CHICKEN automatic chicken coop door for several reasons, and this is my review article of that specific product and why I chose it.

In this article, I will share:

• About the company, RUN-CHICKEN
• About the settings of the automatic coop door
• About the door itself
• The ease of installation
• The locking system & its safety features
• My overall thoughts and personal opinions: how easy is it to install, use, how I like the looks of it and most importantly, how confident I feel about it keeping my chickens safe

Let's get into it.

Automatic Chicken Coop Door REVIEW: RUN-CHICKEN T50

So when looking at this specific brand of automatic chicken coop door, I was amazed to learn that there were so many knock off's on Amazon that were specifically made to look like the original chicken coop door by RUN-CHICKEN.

This was confirmed by Jure, owner of RUN-CHICKEN when we spoke to him during our research about their product. He said that there are "several cheap versions on the market that do not work well". So this is important to make sure you get the right product for quality purposes and not a fake.

The last thing you want is a cheaper version that could endanger the coop due to poor quality materials and mechanisms.

See the original RUN-CHICKEN automatic chicken coop door on Amazon HERE

About RUN-CHICKEN

Watch our unboxing and installation of the Run-Chicken Automatic Chicken Coop door on our YouTube channel here (and be sure to hit subscribe!)

RUN-CHICKEN is a brand owned by start-up company RUN-TIGER. The model T50, which is the model I have, is the third generation of the company’s designs. RUN-CHICKEN automatic coop doors not only protects your chickens from predators, but it helps the chicken owners a bit in letting the chickens out in the morning and putting them safely away at night.

We highly recommend adding one to your coop or planning for it if you are building your own diy chicken coop.

I especially love having this chicken door when I am out or away from the house past dark. I no longer have to worry that the chicken haven't been put away yet because I know that they are taken care of.

This smart door can be used with either the light sensor option, which works right out of the box, or with a timer which you can operate right from your cell phone. You can also manually change the settings or do so online for more advanced controls.

Here is some more info about the settings:

Automatic Chicken Coop Door Settings

There are several chicken coop auto door settings you can adjust:

• The light sensor settings (works right out of the box, no set up required)
• Manual settings where you can hold the button down to set for certain opening and closing time
• The app you can download and change the settings on
• The configurator through the website for more advanced controls
  
  

The Light Sensor

The light sensor works with natural light only (flashlights, car headlights or headlamps won't cause the coop door to accidently open).

When left at the default setting, the light sensor senses when there is daylight and automatically opens the chicken door. At night, when there is absence of natural light, the door automatically closes 20 minutes after nightfall. So as soon as you install the coop door, you don't have to set anything up, it is ready to go with this light sensor setting.

When I first got this automatic chicken coop door, I thought I would be using the settings through the app, but with the sun setting earlier and earlier as we are going into fall and winter (and this setting will change through the year) I have found that the setting it is set to right out of the box, has been fantastic.

The Manual Settings

You can adjust the opening and closing time of your automatic chicken coop door manually by holding the button for three seconds.

Manually Setting The Opening Time:

For changing the opening time, hold the button for 3 seconds and when the light turns GREEN, release the button and immediately press it again to confirm it. The door will automatically detect your time zone and set the door to open at the exact time you pressed the button at.

Manually Setting The Closing Time:

The same can be manually programmed for the door closing: hold the button for 3 seconds and when the light turns RED, release the button and immediately press it again to confirm it. The door will automatically detect your time zone and set the door to close at the exact time you pressed the button at.

Again, hold the button down for 3 seconds.

• The green light is for the opening settings
• The red light is for the closing settings

The RUN-CHICKEN App To Set Door Opening And Closing

If you prefer your chicken's door to opened and closed at specific times, then you may want to consider downloading the app and programming it to the opening and closing times of your liking.

This app can be downloaded from the Google Play or the Apple App store, and the instructions for setting your opening and closing door time is very straight forward.

The Configurator

For more advanced settings, you can follow the link in the manual to go to the configurator via the website, on your computer, tablet or phone to adjust the settings.

I have personally not done this as I am quite happy with the light sensor settings, so I can't tell you about the app or the configurator, but they both have good reviews.

About The RUN-CHICKEN Automatic Chicken Coop Door

Here are some notable points about this coop door:

• It is a sturdy, aluminum door
• It is battery operated (2 AA batteries; battery life will last 1 year)
• Has a natural light sensor
• Opens and closes automatically
• Has a button set up (if you want to manually change the closing and opening times)
• Time configurator (for more advanced options)
• Easy mounting
• Waterproof
• High security
• Robust and elegant
• Works in climate −15 °F to 140 °F

Colors: USA Hen, Rhode Island Red, Buckeye Brown, California Gray, Camo Brown, Camo Gray

Check price of the RUN-CHICKEN automatic coop door here

Automated Door Safety Sensor

This automatic chicken coop door has a safety sensor built-in. This safety sensor works by the motor automatically sensing any sort of resistance, for example, if there is a chicken standing under the door at the time of closing.

Keeping chickens safe is a top priority, and was something I wanted to know was thought about in the design when researching chicken coop doors. Having this safety sensor was necessary for me (and my own piece of mind).

Installation Of The Automatic Chicken Coop Door

I installed this automatic chicken coop door myself on our wooden chicken coop, and when they said it was easy (in fact, they said no longer than 30 minutes), they were not exaggerating.

Right out of the box the door came in one piece, ready to go, with a bag of screws.

The door fit perfectly over my own door opening on the coop, which made it really easy to hang.

What is the door size of this automatic chicken coop door?

The door size of the automatic chicken coop door is 9.4" long x 13.8" wide.

The installation was very easy for the door opener; I followed the well-designed graphic instructions and made sure I screwed the included screws in gently with a screwdriver. This was the most important point with this installation because if you screw them in too tightly, the door will not work.

It is important to note that I did not have to do steps 7-8, which tells me to remove the drive shaft to take out the battery guard, because the battery had a 'pull to remove' tab on the outside. So I actually didn't have to take anything apart here.

It was as simple as open the box, get my screwdriver out, put the screws in, test the door to make sure it runs smoothly and is installed correctly. That's it!

This is the screwdriver that will work with the RUN-CHICKEN coop door installation, and it's a really great price here on Amazon

The simplicity of this installation was truly amazing, anyone could do it.

Locking Mechanism Of This Automatic Chicken Coop Door

It is also important to know that the locking mechanism on this door will prevent anything from coming up and sliding the door open once it is closed. It is safely locked and provides fantastic protection in rain, wind and even in freezing temperatures.

REVIEW: My Overall Thoughts On The RUN-CHICKEN Automatic Chicken Coop Door

Here it is on my own coop and you can hear it if you turn the sound on:

Packaging

To start off, the door arrived in the mail with really minimal packaging. It comes comes as one piece (no assembly at all required), so the box was perfectly sized to fit it. it had a really great, colored instruction booklet with photos, graphics for installation and a great story on the products creator, Jure.

I have to say that I really like that this is a well-manufactured product from a small startup company who really took the time to develop it, as opposed to a big brand that is mass producing coop doors.

Installation

The installation of the door was very easy, which I already talked about above.

Safety

The door itself is made from a very durable aluminum that feels heavy and solid. There isn't anything that is going to get through this door. I feel very confident that my chickens will be safe, and let me tell you, we love our chickens. They are all named and have their own little personalities, and my kids have very special attachments to certain hens in there.

I feel safe and confident using this automatic chicken coop door and trust it fully.

Settings

I am using the light sensor setting and haven't yet tried the app, the manual mode or the configurator online. I am quite happy with the light sensor and I think I will stick to it.

Battery Operated

The battery life states that it will last one year (as long as you go with a high-quality AA battery such as Duracell) so I simply put that into my calendar on my phone to remind me (I do this a bit before the 1 year mark just to be safe).

This is a long life for this battery operated door!

There is a low battery indicator light to give you an idea of the where the battery life is at: a red blinking light means the battery is either empty or nearly empty.

Would I Recommend The RUN-CHICKEN Automatic Coop Door?

The RUN-CHICKEN automatic chicken door is a product I would whole-heartedly recommend to any poultry owner, as this will work as an automatic duck door as well. This automated door has made my life easier as a chicken keeper and it keeps the chickens safe. I think this is something every poultry owner should try. This is the best door opener for a chicken coop, and it looks great as well.

Again, beware of cheap knock-off's posing as RUN-CHICKEN.

This is the authentic RUN-CHICKEN coop door on Amazon

Automatic Chicken Door Colors

The door comes in the following colors (Click each for color comparisons):

• USA Hen (designed like the flag)
• Rhode Island Red (seen throughout this article)
• Buckeye Brown
• California Gray
• Camo Brown
• Camo Gray

*The photos you are seeing in my review article are of my automatic chicken door in Rhode Island Red.

Here are some other benefits of using Run-Chicken automatic coop door:

1. Chickens are fully protected from predators

2. It saves time from you having to open and close the doors in the mornings and at night

3. You may get more eggs because chickens feel safe (less stress)

4. It is energy-efficient; no wires, extension cord or electricity involved

5. Programmable opening and closing time if you want to set it up manually

We hope you found this review article of the RUN-CHICKEN automatic chicken coop door helpful and informative. Since we replaced our sliding door with this automated chicken coop door, we have been really happy with it and not having to go out at night to lock them in or let them out in the morning, and we are sure you will like it as well.

Here are some other chicken-related articles you may be interested in:

How To Bear Proof A Coop

The Mask You Need For Cleaning Out A Coop

Best Chicken Egg Incubator

Automatic Chicken Waterers

How To Keep Chickens Warm In The Winter Without Electricity

Best Chicken Coop Cameras To Keep Your Flock Safe

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