CHICKENGUARDAutomatic Chicken Coop Door Openers, Timer/Light-Sensor, Auto-Stop Safety Feature (Extreme)

having had previous auto doors from a German based company that have now both failed beyond economic repair,decided to weigh up my options for an alternative.... after a couple of hours research and friends recommendations decided to go for the Chicken guard premium.... so far I am impressed with the little box of tricks, it is smaller than my previous model and has a lot more functionality built in, so no need to add extra modules for timer etc... having my chooks at the far end of the garden, the red LED flash when door is closed is also a nice little function. Firstly, my ChickenGuard arrived on time, order was fulfilled by Amazon, so really expected it too.... My feelings are that it was delivered from Amazon somewhere outside of the UK as the box and internal instructions were written in German/French... easily solved as instructions are available from chicken guard website in PDF format, the firmware appears to be the latest version as it was updated late 2017 and instructions altered slightly over previous versions... the appearance is also slightly different to product pictures, the buttons are no longer black with white writing but a blue/teal colour with the symbols embossed into the rubber, the black panel stating model variant is also simply embossed into the plastic case and not a different colour. To activate the warranty, there is a card included, which directs you to the chickenguard website, you simply add the warranty to cart, on reaching checkout you are prompted for personal details and serial number of unit etc, once completed, click buy (pay now), no money required and an email sent with your details and those of warranty... installation, I would suggest removing the top of the unit and unplugging the base wires from the lid, this leaves you with two pieces, one with the motor / battery case, the other with all of the workings (front of unit), you will also need to remove the battery case which comes wrapped in plastic bag, not explained in the instructions is the fact you have to tilt the battery case slightly from the bottom as there is a retaining clip you cannot see when in plastic bag....... having already got an aluminium sliding door, installation was quite easy, positioned the string directly above the hole in the door, 4 woodscrews (supplied), hold the unit in place on your coop, probably easier to do if someone holds whilst you screw it in, there is a length of white silicone cord that sits inside the slot on the front panel, again, easy to put in and then trim to correct size... place batteries (again supplied), into the battery case, connect the case to wiring plug (looks like it should take a PP9 battery, they say at no times use one as will destroy the unit), then reconnect the 2 socket to the 2 pins on front panel, black wire at top or will reverse operation.... place front cover over the base plate and insert the four supplied screws to hold it all together, making sure they are tight, but not overtightened as you may split the plastic casing (by hand and not powertools recommended)..... you can then attach to your door, I used an overhand loop on the cord and then a small safety clip link (type used in fishing)........ to enter set up, press the centre button, it will show chickenguard and the time on the screen, press again it then shows setup wizard, press again to enter set up.... you then basically follow the instructions on screen (or from the leaflet), I found I had to recalibrate the door as it did lift slightly lower than when I had followed the set up )about 1/2 inch).... not a big issue, but something to double check when doing yours.... once basic setup is completed, you can then enter separate menu items to adjust LUX (light), time etc, what is not explained clearly in instructions is the first part of entering this menu is to press centre button, screen shows chickenguard / time, press centre button again, screen will show setup wizard... you now use the up or down buttons to scroll through the individual menu options... the main one I checked was LUX, open is set to 200, close to 80 (the lower the darker), as using the timer to open I left this alone, and LUX to close, I set mine to 90, it does get pretty dark before it closes, and once closed, you get a reassuring red flash approx every 30 seconds to tell you it has done so, you can also set to close on timer and LUX, which both parameters have to be met before closing, you can also set a delay in closing after the required LUX reading has been met.... the open timer, actually opened around a minute or two after the time I had set..... for those that have the standard box (without sensor), there is also an option to unlock in the software, apparently you can apply for a code to enable the LUX sensor which will turn your unit into a premium model... whether this function will work or maybe something they have included for future set ups like the remote control setting I cannot confirm...... the unit also has a rubber bung covering a USB port that will enable the unit to be run from the mains via a USB charger, not sure I would want to use this on a unit exposed to the elements though, but nice to have the option if mounting under a cover or internally... To Summarise, the unit feels sturdier, and is definitely more compact than my previous model, which in all fairness has lasted around 8 years (second unit lasted slightly less), the fact the timer is built in is also an advantage, and having the ability to open / close the doors manually without removing the front cover is another bonus.... once you understand how the menu works, it is really easy to operate / setup... as said previously, I really like the idea that it tells you A, when the door is closed, by a flashing red LED B, when the batteries are getting low by means of a solid red LED..... glad I spent the extra and went for a higher quality unit, can highly recommend

If you’d asked me a year ago I would have said without question that my chickenguard was quite possibly the best £150 I’d ever spent. My old units are great (apart from the one that died after 6 years hard labour). Unfortunately the new design doesn’t work with my setup and it keeps needing to be recalibrated, and it is also now really fiddly to get the front part off to change batteries etc.Conceptually great, it’s such a relief to know my birds are safely shut in (although I’ve always worked off the timer as I could never reliably get the light sensor to work so that has required changing times every month or so). I have another brand too but I find the chickenguard much easier to use. Fingers crossed they bring back the old design - or update the new one.

Did what it said it would. Easy to follow instructions for set up! Happy chickens happy me !

Just had to buy a third one of these because one of the 2 units we had failed after 18 months. Hoping they repair it under warranty, but concerned that it failed so quickly - these could be expensive. Our previous openers (German) all lasted around 7 years. I must observe that despite buying 3 units in an 18 month period, they are all different due to design changes - both physical and software.On the Plus side, they are very easy to install and (until the last one just purchased, do the job).On the down side, I am worried about how long the motors last (we have light aluminium doors), and the software in the new models seems to cripple the functionality for no good reason.The Premium and Extreme models have a light sensor so that it opens at dawn and closes at dusk. The setting can be altered, and it also measures the light level (between 0 and 250) so you can set it to open / close according to your requirements and the position of your coop. On the older versions all was good, but on this latest one (2018 model) they have limited the minimum light setting for 'open' to 200. Our coops are in a shaded area so the light does not get to 200 until 2 hrs after the sun rises, by which time the birds are getting pretty restless. The previous versions had no restriction, and the LUX was set to 180 for open. I just do not understand why they felt the need to restrict this so it could not open till it's bright sunlight. I have asked them for a fix, but might have to return the unit.EDIT. I raised a ticket with ChickenGuard. There are some hidden settings, and you can override the limit if you enter the special mode (despite the warning not to). I don't understand why they have to build this limit into the device in the first place (worried someone will sue them for allowing a device to be set to open too early perhaps?) I remain concerned on longevity considering the price - only time will tell.