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As post, just about to invest in one, heck, they're a price aren't they? Does anyone have recommendations so I can get an easy to fit/operate one?
Cheers,
Claire
I decided not to bother when I saw the prices, just leave the door open into the run, make sure (and check) that the run is secure, they spend the day in the run and we let them out for 2-3 hours every evening, they put themselves to bed and we close up the run each evening.
What next? Flaps in doors for cats?
It's madness I tell you!
Am i the only one to see 'automatic gate for chicken run' and 'Wallace and Gromit sketch' in the same stream of thought.... 😀
<Goes off to write memo>
Dear Mr N. Park,
I have an idea for a sketch...
Be careful with your automatic chicken door.
Check it will still open if a fire breaks-out in the coup.
I reckon they should run those saftey ads on TV again, warning chickens never to smoke in bed.
S
EDIT: Oh, and if you do fit one, send your chickens off to a training course for "In the event that the posh door to your bedroom doesn't work.."
Thanks Nick, that may be an option but it's when we're away I was being considerate to the chicken sitters (M-F is going to get overexcited at that concept!) so they need to visit once daily.
Though if they go up on a Sunday morning it saves you a couple of jobs...
[i]Though if they go up on a Sunday morning it saves you a couple of jobs...
[/i]
Stranger things have happened....by accident, allegedly.
5.30am ours our getting up at the moment. They like to let everyone know they want out of the run as well. No complaints yet but we are sharing the eggs around the neighbours and always have sitters to look after them when we go away.
Timbur, they are so funny and throw themselves against the chicken wire in an attention seeking manner, "let us out, let us out, we want to eat your salad crops you've grown for us!"
Full-on laying at the mo' 🙂
We've got the VSB opener and it's frickin great. I bought it on ebay for about £65.00 and it's fit and forget. Runs on 4 x AA batteries which last about 4 years.
The only thing I've changed is I've recently added a cheap timer (actually a central heating programmer) to over-ride the opening time so the chickens don't get out until 7:30 at the earliest becuase ours free range over a couple of acres and the fox could still be around at 5:00 or 6:00am.
The opener, and a big feeder and drinker, allows us to go away for a couple of weeks and all we need is for someone to pop in every couple of days and take the eggs.
Edit: They are a price but a mate has lost about 10 ckickens over the last couple of years just because they forgot to close the door to the coop a few times. They could have bought an opener for what it's cost them in chickens. When you're finished with the opener you'll probably sell it for pretty much what you paid for it.
Don't bloody talk to me about crops. They've had my brussels twice. They actually sat on top of the chicken wire cage I built around them and squashed it to the ground on top of them and ate the lot. They were close to the oven that day!
They so know when they're being naughty as well. It's like having 4 more kids in the family.
They almost had the greenhouse cleared out once when my dappy SO left the door open by mistake.
Tim