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I had been searching for options to open the chicken door automatically for some time but everything I saw made me nervous about the door hurting my chickens. I love this one as I was able to use my existing door by simply adding an eye-bolt at the top. The hardest part about the install was getting the seal to stay in place while I closed it up after putting batteries in. Setup was super easy and attaching it to the coop above the door took just a few minutes. Has worked perfectly since installation. The door opens and closes easily and because it is a nice slow progression I don't worry about my chickens. I set mine with the light sensor and it has worked perfectly for the last month without a single issue. I bought the extreme version due to cold winters, so hoping all works well this winter. :)Had trouble setting it to dawn/dusk in our chicken house. Ended up using the timer and will have to adjust with time changes.Winter #2 (Update to original review) - This winter the unit has worked every day (so far) from November 2021 and to almost mid-February 2022. January is typically our coldest winter month here in Maine and we have had consistently extreme temps for weeks, as low as -25 degrees. I have now rated this 5 stars. There is still the occasional "door recalibration" needed due to winter weather events (ice, snow) and from my ducks rushing the door in the morning before it is fully opened. So, I still check it morning and night to ensure it is opened and closed at the times it is programmed to do so. This is good to do anyway at night, in case the door closes before all your birds are safely inside. This may happen often until you get the timers programmed just right during daylight saving time changes.Winter #1 - Original review: Easy to install, works well with the door purchased separately. Easy to program. However, no matter what batteries used, I could not get this to work from about early November 2020 to early April in 2021. l had to go out and open the door in the morning and close it in the evening, manually, and tie the string up on the door to keep it open during the day. Not ideal, considering I had purchased it specifically for our cold climate. When you have door issues, the unit will require "recalibration". This can happen fairly frequently, depending on your birds and weather events. For this reason, I always check when it gets dark to ensure it has actually closed. Some mornings it also does not open fully, or at all, but that may be more due to it icing up or the ducks rushing then door as it is trying to open. The ability to set timers for morning and night opening/closing is a very nice feature. The lumens (brightness) option seemed to leave more room for error, like it closing before the ducks were all in. I now only use the open/close time set options.I bought this automatic door in 2017. And I gave it three stars because frankly it worked great for 5 years. The batteries last a long time, it’s easy to program and install. However, it has a design flaw that took five years to show itself. The door is raised and lowered by a string. One night, the raccoons were digging away (which was a pointless measure since there’s no way to dig underneath my coop) however while doing so they must’ve bumped the door or something and realized they could raise it up if they slid their hands on it. I lost all of my chickens in one evening. They even figured out how to open it up again to get back out because all they left behind were dead chickens and bloody paw prints. Raccoons are smart. And unfortunately because of some random thing that happened one night they figured out how to open the door. I am now in the market for an auto door that slides on a latched track. I had this installed on the inside of my coop. I never used the light sensor option because of this. I only used the programmable timer or manual buttons.I'm getting about 2 months max before the battery indicator is at zero.Also the batteries are difficult to change because the battery holder won't come out without prying it with a screwdriver. It's a pain.One needs to utilize the USB power otherwise the batteries will die on you if you're not paying attention.DEAD BATTERIES = DEAD BIRDS**UPDATE..THE CLOCK FAILED (don't know what exactly happened but the clock changed. WHEN YOU CHANGE THE BATTERIES IT RESETS THE CLOCK!!! May have been that IDK but this unit SHUTOUT MY CHICKENS before dark and I LOST 4 BIRDS. Terrible feeling.POOR DESIGN as the clock should be backed up by memory. Not worth buying it if your birds get killed.USE AT THE RISK OF DEAD BIRDS.I gave 5 stars for durability because I bot an "original" in 07/2016. If this one lasts as long, I'll be happy.I bot the "extreme" because it opens two doors that use 3 simple pulleys and I had no idea how much stress was put on the motor (and it's only ~$20 more).Improvements from the original" (the items below were not on the 2016 version):-Simpler install since mounting screws are outside the device.- Drive shaft/spool is supported on both sides (motor side, "free" side) to mitigate motor stress.-display show power usage. Allows you to know how "stressed" the motor is be placed under.Other improvements: -Prompts/instructions more explicit.-The "guts" are on the back part, not the front thereby making battery changes, etc. easier to handle.-labeling inside are more explicit.Liked the neon lights, the easy of installation. We made our own door from plexiglass and it works fine.I don't normally leave one-star reviews - I might return something if the value is worth the hassle but otherwise I just move on.But I am going to make an exception for this piece of under-developed trash due to the amount of time I have wasted trying just to make it work.Bear in mind that installing this involves being on your hands and knees in a cold wet garden.Ordered based on some of the more positive reviews (are they even genuine?) and fitted to the outside of my chicken house having made it ready, fitted the seal, and set the clock.Next step - calibrate the door - set the "open" position - then I try to move to set the closed position and it just won't move the door. Much re-trying, re-reading the instructions, looking at the videos. Nothing.To Customer Services - they admit there is a firmware error effecting all the Amazon stock. Why didn't they recall it ? Apparently they expect customers to enter the "hidden" menu and re-calibrate the firmware.So - deep breath, remove the unit, follow the detailed instructions, refit the unit, and - nothing - just the same as before - still doesn't work.Back to Customer Services - they ask me to return the item and order direct from them. More profitable too isn't it ?!I told them that after this issue I expected a significant discount.At this point Martin H from their sales department calls me and after a chat offers me a unit FoC. I ask him to make sure that the unit is properly tested before dispatch. He assures me it will be.When this doesn't arrive I call up to discover that he's forgotten! No, really - and it gets better !So another unit is dispatched which arrives while I'm away travelling and which I have just tried to fit today.Same deal - ready the unit - fit the seal and set the clock. Outside to fix the unit. Door calibration. Door open position, sets the calibration. Door closed position - this time it appears to work.Message from the unit "door will now fully open" - door opens then unit shows "door calibration error".There is no strain here - the door is free to move - it has opened and then failed.Back to the calibration wizard to try again and the unit is completely unresponsive.They sent me this unit FoC and I wish they hadn't bothered.Supposedly tested before it left the factory and it fails even to set up properly.I don't know if this product will ever be fit for purpose but it certainly isn't now. Avoid, avoid, avoid.British company,British designed, British manufactured in Cambridge.This extreme version is quality,it will give us value for money,for a long time.There is a 3 guarantee,a company is only as good as its promise to keep there warranty promise and I'm sure chickenguard will keep there word.I've rang them for a little information about the setup when I first set it up and they are a delight to speak too and have knowledge of there product.Top class company by the looks of it.The Extreme Automatic Chicken Coop Door Opener is well made/designed and easy to fit and get going.I think most users would (certainly to begin with) simply want the door to open at dawn and close at dusk, which means you have to buy the Premium or Extreme model. There are a number of advanced modes. Options like 'if not shut via light sensor by a certain time then shut anyway' may not be of much use as you could easily lock out your stock. I do like the fact you have the option to read the current lux value and set the door to operate exactly at that light level.Unless you need heavy door lifting feature of this version, the Premium model is enough. Also, the VSB range (which I also have used effectively) simply do the job at 2/3rds this price and the basic model has the light sensor.It closed last night the first night and based on chickens behaviour lately set it for 8.30pm. guess they changed their hours as two of them were shut out. Very indignant they were. All ok now. Very good product.I've previously had Omlet doors, which are very robust but the mechanism is in the door - good point - but this makes it more of a job to install. I already had a door on the new coop so ran the cord through a hole to the hatch - job done!
