My automatic coop door opener froze shut last Tuesday morning when it was 15 degrees out.

Woke up to a bunch of very upset hens who couldn't get out. The motor was humming but the door was stuck to the track with ice. Had to go out with a hair dryer and a scraper to manually free it up before work. It's a 'Chickendoors' brand opener, about 2 years old. What do you all do to winter-proof your automatic doors? I'm thinking of adding a small silicone spray to the track, but I'm worried about it attracting dust and gunk.

3 comments

3 Comments

lane.drew2mo ago

Wait, you went out there with a hair dryer at 15 degrees? That's some serious dedication before your first coffee. My hands would have been frozen solid. For the track, I've used a tiny bit of food-grade mineral oil on a rag, wiped it on, then wiped it off. It leaves a super thin layer that doesn't seem to grab dust like silicone can. The real trick is just checking the forecast and doing a quick manual test if you know a freeze is coming.

markm272mo ago

You know, that mineral oil trick sounds clever but I have to disagree on the forecast part. @lane.drew, checking the weather only helps so much when the morning dew is the real problem. A clear night can still leave everything soaked and frozen by sunrise, even if the air temp wasn't supposed to drop that low. A manual test the night before doesn't show you what you'll face at 6 AM. Sometimes you just need a direct fix right then, cold hands or not.

faithb7812d ago

I tell you what, nothing beats the smell of coffee and a hair dryer at 6 AM to really get your blood pumping. I've been there more times than I care to admit, standing out in the dark with a scraper like some kind of chicken jailer. For what it's worth, I tried the silicone spray once and it turned into this nasty gritty paste after a week. Mineral oil is probably the safer bet, even if you do have to reapply it after a good rain. Just make sure you don't slip on your own ice patch while you're out there fighting with that door.