Automatic Chicken Coop Door, Installation and Review, The Coop Tender WiFi connected. TESTED. How To

[@StoutShako]

Your videos are very relaxing to listen to and it's super fascinating to watch you build and modify stuff for your home and farm. I grew up in a house without a dad, so in a way it kinda feels like I'm finally being shown stuff he might have taught me growing up. It's fantastic stuff. Just wanted to let you know I'll likely be a subscriber for life now.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you very much! Yes, I also designed and built my own home :) I'm glad you're benefitting from my series :)

[@isabellam1936]

Your voice is so young and soothing.

[@brendasmith5937]

I don't know how I missed this one. My husband just up and bought a highly collectible gun, which is fine. I can get myself a chicken door. He can't complain.

[@mohammadsalah3319]

woooooow this is super fancy for a door 😁😁😁😁😁😁 I think that the next step is that you will let them have their own youtube channel 👍👍👍👍👍 you are always the best Mr Fred

[@Marcel41021]

Planning to build a chicken coop and reviewing accessories for it. Looked at various chicken doors and this seems to be the best one. Thank you, Fred for your assessment.

[@FrederickDunn]

It's frequently listed as the top "premium quality" automatic hen door. So glad you like it :)

[@richardkuhn8115]

I have a chicken coop, but no chickens anymore. It is now filled with my beekeeping boxes, frames and supplies. Interesting! Thanks for sharing. Blessings.

[@FrederickDunn]

If I had an empty coop, it would be another observation hive building :)

[@stgermain1074]

@@FrederickDunn You could put observation hives in the occupied coops. The chickens would go crazy trying to get at the bees. It would be enrichment, like they do for zoo animals.

[@richardkuhn8115]

@@FrederickDunn Very interesting!

[@FrederickDunn]

They don't care at all about the honey bees :)

[@timsInSSI]

I don't have bees or chickens, but still enjoy your videos.

[@shaunroberts9361]

Good job Fred.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thanks Shaun!

[@briznooks]

How has it held up? I am looking to upgrade our door to one with a wifi component. Seen some mixed reviews online regarding it's reliability and needing lots of repairs and constant repeated hand holding to get it to work and keep it working over time. Is that your experience over the past years since this original post?

[@FrederickDunn]

You have to keep it lubricated or it can bind and the pin breaks ( 32 cent replacement for the pin). It's held up as it's a wormgear rather than a pully system. So when the motor turns off it just stays put. Even animals can't force it up. I wish it just connected to your home wifi system, instead you do have to load the app to your phone. I like that it goes right back on schedule if you lose power or something like that. It's the best automatic coop door I know of. But you do have to keep the side grooves clean and clear, and as mentioned just lubricate the wormgear. I hope that helps.

[@DavePageGA]

Thanks for your excellent review and description of the cooptender door. They would probably sell a lot more of them if they linked this.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much, Dave :) They are still working great, I wish they would do a better blu-tooth link though rather than the current linking method.

[@daniellethewatertrainer]

I love this video! Thank you so much for putting this together. It is incredibly helpful. I am sold on this system.

[@FrederickDunn]

I have to tell you that it's so nice that they also have the thermal setting so the doors don't open on those frozen mornings. AND, we don't have to rush home to close up the coops in the evenings as we used to do. Still working great and I have two coops with these doors on them. They are also holding up to our weather nicely. I definitely endorse them still!

[@beegorgeous9373]

Wow, Nice video I don't know much about chickens so it is interesting every detail about their behavior you mentioned. Great tool you got there!

[@stgermain1074]

You've jumped right into the cell phone apps, haven't you! I think you should do a follow up video about your solar setup. After so many years, how's it working for you, has it paid for itself, etc. I don't think of PA as a very sunny place, so that's interesting to me.

[@FrederickDunn]

Aside from zeroing out my carbon foot print, it only paid for itself because of federal and State incentives. Otherwise it would have been 25 years to break even. It's a 10kw system so it ramps up stored energy fast on sunny days :)

[@donbearden1953]

Fred, I would also be very interested if you ever decide to produce a video about your solar power system.

[@FrederickDunn]

Here is the solar video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHnMY2p_oNODf5Y

[@stgermain1074]

@@FrederickDunn I watched that a while back. Bust since it's been 8 + years, I wondered how satisfied you are.

[@FrederickDunn]

@@stgermain1074 I am still very VERY satisfied with it :)

[@allenlyon5644]

Looks good. Had one years ago with cables, timer was a pain in the butt. If it got unplugged or power outage had to reset

[@FrederickDunn]

This one goes to reset and that's the auto-sunset to sunrise mode. We'll see how it goes :)

[@Michael-yl2iq]

Fred, I follow your bee videos every week and enjoy the way you approach issues. I am currently building a chicken coop and was sizing up for the door. Wondering do you still like the Cooptender door and would you recommend it?

[@FrederickDunn]

Yes, I have them on two coops and they continue to perform very well. :)

[@jpthedelawarebeeman6239]

I loved the video Fred - I wish I was allowed to have chicks but the HOA won't allow me lol good thing for my neighbors ha ha ha

[@masterbeekeeper30years18]

Could I hire you to build a coop for me? Kidding of course, but you seem to be a well rounded individual Mr Dunn!

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you and I barely had the time to install this door :)

[@madddog7]

Very Kool. Nice, well thought out door and app. Never used the gravity doors, but they do not unappeal to me at all. Friend of mine cobbled together an opener for me. It uses an Arduino; a vehicle antenna for moving the door; a solar charge controller; car battery; solar panel. He did the programming for it including a web and phone interface. It operates door, lights and fan. The fan is not enough at this point and needs to be improved. Has other design flaws still, such as when a deer knocks over the battery :-( Works quite well tho :-)

[@FrederickDunn]

Sounds like you have a very capable friend there! I do like the fan idea! Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@timothymitchell9956]

Nice Fred! What all are you growing? I saw your cornfields and that you got off your tractor to catch a swarm. Do you have videos on your farm ? No matter how small.

[@FrederickDunn]

This year, I planted, and just finished seeding..... Hyssop, Sunflowers, Black Eyed Susan, Expanded the Maximillian Sunflower area, Swamp milkweed... ran a 1,600 foot long patch of that :) a little over an acre of mixed sunflower varieties so I can see which varieties the bees go for the most :) The corn field is 300 acres and belongs to a farmer who hasn't planted anything this year. If he lets a cover crop grow... I'll be in the honey for sure! :)

[@timothymitchell9956]

Frederick Dunn “ I’m in the honey, I’m in the honey, I’m in the honey for sure!”

[@SmallTNHomestead]

I was waiting for you to sneeze, curious how that would have turned out. Great demonstration, thank you! Question, IF a chicken decided to nap in the doorway, is there a sensor to stop the chop? Maybe you could test that with your arm? Lol Have a nice week Fred 😋

[@FrederickDunn]

I can't imagine a chicken not moving. It's not like a garage door, there is no backup or blocking sensor that would stop or reverse the door. Chickens are smarter than to let something slowly press them down but I'll keep an eye on that aspect :)

[@youwanttodowhat9287]

Hi Fred, Nice Video! I am looking to buy one of these. I have a question for you.... Does the App or website require a fee? I'm assuming that the app controls the door through their website. Is that correct? Thanks again!

[@FrederickDunn]

No fee. :)

[@prycewilkins]

Thanks for the video I just received mine and will refer to this video if I run into issues.

[@FrederickDunn]

I have this on two of my hen houses now and it's soooo nice to have the temperature controls as well as opening and closing. I have changed them both to dusk-to-dawn rather than a set schedule. They are fantastic! I'm sure you'll enjoy yours. I wish they would put out a better cover plate for that touch pad, with "Menu" "Set" and other identifiers over numbers. That would make it very intuitive. As it is, "set" is the #6 and hard for me to remember things like that when manually programming at the coop.

[@prycewilkins]

@@FrederickDunn mine is installed and i do love it with one exception the wifi keeps going offline but i think i have solved that issue with a wifi booster and moving my wifi router inside the Human House. yes i do think the touch pad needs to be changed or updated with something other than numbers.

[@wendygrant2735]

Good review, I like it.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thanks!

[@thehiveandthehoneybee9547]

i like it!!!! if I only had some chickens!!!!

[@FrederickDunn]

Every beekeeper needs chickens ;)

[@davidpulford6254]

Man, you'd have to sell a lot of eggs to pay for that lol

[@FrederickDunn]

true

[@jasonpowell8582]

Good job. Decent door. $299 though. If you want solar they’re $369! That’s an eggspensive egg. Could you review some more budget friendly automatic openers for those of us that don’t get sent free samples? Please. Cheers 🙂

[@FrederickDunn]

It was listed as the best "high end" coop door... yes, expensive!!!

[@TerryRomanko]

Jason Powell - I use the following on a couple of coops: www.amazon.com/Add-Motor-Automatic-Accessory-D20-120V/dp/B007IZJWNQ/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2B5H3B9RNCK0J&dchild=1&keywords=coop+door+opener&qid=1590608024&sprefix=coop+door+%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-8 If you are a DIY'er and have some scrap material, you can make a door and frame yourself. I purchased some plastic (clear 1/4" polycarbonate thinking it might be less likely to "bind up") for the doors, but wood should be fine (especially if you round the edges). You can use any 120V supply, or adapt a solar DC to replace the power adapter. Fred - I appreciate your work - I get ideas from almost every post you make. Your thought about a small cover is a good idea - the main problems I have seen are associated with melting snow or rain freezing causing the door to stick at the bottom. If you install it correctly, it won't hurt the motor, but the door won't open - you'll have to manually "reset" it.

[@jayweddle7993]

Great video Fred, but why install such a primitive system for your chickens that depends on electricity and wifi knowing of past failures? My grandpa had a much more proven method 90 years ago. He would get up at 5:00 every morning head to the barn before breakfast to milk his cows and as he passed threw the yard gate he would yell grandma let the chickens out and the same thing in the evening grandma shut the chickens up. The moral to the story is you can't replace grandma ever.

[@FrederickDunn]

I love manual operation of the hen doors and I check in on the chickens of course. BUT, before Covid-19, I was a photographer and often ended up working past sunset and had to ask someone to go and close the coops for me. This will fix that. :) My local wifi hub is on a battery backup, it's that lame internet that slows and stops for no reason at all (';')... ( ';')... so... there's that! But I definitely hear what you're saying :)

[@jayweddle7993]

@@FrederickDunn Just pulling your chain Fred. I know your bored. Talented people like yourself have to entertain themselves!!!

[@donbearden1953]

So easy a caveman could do it! Only if I had a chicken coop!

[@JK-dj1zj]

Why not a flip up door or box made of plexi glass infront of the control module? It will last alot longer even if it is weather proof. Just an idea!!!!!

[@FrederickDunn]

Good idea, maybe someone will design something like that. I wouldn't want plexiglass on it though.

[@robertmathurin739]

Free Range chickens in🇱🇨,,And Very Broody Hens,,You can loose an Eye by them viciously flying and Pecking any Victim,,🇱🇨👊🏿👍🏿🖤

[@robertmathurin739]

Oh I forgot,,they Both Grow Very Long Spurs,,

[@FrederickDunn]

And that's why I apprecite them so much (">

[@carriejones9890]

Not sure I want Wifi signal near my chickens. Not good for our brains Not good for chicken brains

[@FrederickDunn]

Zero evidence that this is true. But if you don't want a wifi signal and don't want to control it with your phone, then you can get the unit that is completely controlled by the panel. I think the chicken brains are fine. However, I'm with you regarding putting active electronic devices right up againse our heads, not a fan of constant cell phone use.