Product Review: Chickcozy Colar Automatic Door
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | July 31, 2025
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Ready to have peace of mind about your flock at night? Then it’s time to get an automatic coop door for the homestead chicken coop! I love the automatic coop doors that I installed on three of my coops. They eliminate the need to close my flocks up every night and let them out every morning. Plus, I can go away for an extended weekend and I don’t have to ask someone to care for my flock. Over the years I have tried several brands of automatic chicken coop doors and today we’ll be taking a closer look at the Chickcozy solar automatic door!
This review was sponsored by Chickcozy. All opinions are my own.
This Chickcozy Automatic Solar Chicken Coop Door is an automatic door that is powdered by solar energy. It automatically opens and closes at set times, allowing your flock to be safely locked in their coop at night but then have freedom to roam during the day without you having to do anything. Many automatic chicken coop doors are battery-powered, which requires maintenance and replacement of the batteries to keep the door running.
The Chickcozy solar door stands out from the rest since it is powered by a simple solar panel that is easy to install and set up.
Find out why I highly recommend investing in an automatic coop door in this article, 5 Reasons to Get an Automatic Chicken Door. I have tried three other brands of automatic chicken coop doors and Chickcozy doors remains one of my favorites. You can check out my review of the original Chickcozy Automatic Chicken Coop Door here!
The Chickcozy solar automatic door is designed for mature chickens and can be installed as the main chicken door on the homestead coop. In this review, I’ll cover certain aspects of this automatic door such as ease of installation, how to set up the solar power, programming the door, and the various settings and functions of the door.
Some of the main reasons why I love the Chickcozy automatic solar door are:
The Chickcozy Automatic Chicken Coop Door comes with most everything you need for installing the door. The only tool you will need is a Phillips screwdriver, preferably a power tool. You may also want to use a drill bit to pre-drill the screw holes prior to installing the door.
You will also need to make sure the door opening on the chicken coop is the proper size to accommodate the door. If the opening is too large, you will not be able to properly mount the door. If the opening is too small, it may be hard for your chickens to enter and exit the door.
The size of the automatic door is 12″ wide and 15.5″ tall. The opening that the door is mounted to should be 8.25″ wide by 10.25″ tall. This size will accommodate most standard size chickens. However, very large chicken chicken breeds (Jersey Giants, Cochins) may have difficulty using this size door.
Since the Chickcozy automatic coop door is solar powered, you also need to consider how close the door is to direct sunlight. The connecting cable that connects the door to the solar charger is 6.5′ long, so just make sure the door can still be connected to the solar charger when the solar charger is mounted in direct or almost direct sunlight.
Once you have a proper door opening for the Chickcozy automatic door it’s super easy to simply install the door! The Chickcozy automatic door has 4 pre-drilled holes on either corner of the door. It comes with 6 screws, four for the door and two for the solar panel. The top two holes are through a thicker part of the door, but a standard Phillips screwdriver (preferably a power tool) can still fit down through the top part of the door to properly screw in the screws.
Additionally, the automatic door needs to be mounted to a flat surface. The wall that the door is mounted to cannot be curved, bumpy, or slanted. There needs to be enough space on either side of the door for the automatic door panels to fully open. Some automatic coop doors open top to bottom, however, the Chickcozy door opens side to side. The amount of space needed to accommodate the open doors is 20″. Make sure there is nothing that could hinder the doors from fully opening.
Make sure the automatic door is centered over the door opening and the that the holes for the screws are over a solid surface that the screws can grab onto. Use the Phillips screwdriver to fasten the screws in all 4 corners of the door. Tighten the screws so that they are flush to the door. There you have it, a super easy install!
After you have the door installed, you will need to set up the solar charging system. The Chickcozy Automatic Solar Chicken Coop Door comes with solar control panel that includes an ETFE Solar Panel, a light sensor, a display screen for programming the door, and a protective cover for the display screen.
The solar control panel can be mounted using the quick-release base that comes with the panel. The quick release base needs to be secured to a flat surface using a Phillips screwdriver and the 2 remaining screws.
You will need to make sure you secure the quick-release base in a location that recieves as much light as possible. Direct sunlight is best, but even a location that recieves only a little direct sunlight will still work. Avoid super shaded locations. The quick-release base also needs to be installed within 6.5′ of the automtaic door to ensure the solar panel and the automatic door can be connected.
Once the quick-release base has been mounted, you can slide the solar controller panel onto the base. Then you will need to connect the controller’s cable to the door’s cable and tighten the locking ring on the cable.
Once you have the solar controller connected to the automatic door, you can use the display screen on the control panel to program the door. Uncover the display screen by unlatching the protective cover over the screen. I like that there is a quick-guide to the various door functions on the backside of the cover.
You will need to press the OK button to activate the door for the first time. Press and hold the OK button for 3 seconds, which will power the display on. You can also press and hold the OK button for 3 seconds to manually open and close the door.
Once the display screen has been ‘woken up’ (press any button), you can then use the ‘up’ and ‘down’ arrows to navigate through the various functions of the door. To program the door, you will need to choose one of three modes, which we will discuss in a minute.
The first thing you may notice on the display screen is a charging indicator. The screen can show 5 charging efficiency levels of the solar panel, ranging from x1 to x5. This indicates how well the solar panel is charging. When the panel is in direct sunlight, the charging efficiency should be at x5. When it is shaded, it may only be at x1. There are also battery charging ‘bars’ that show how charged the solar panel is.
The Chickcozy Automatic Solar Chicken Coop Door has three mode options:
You can navigate through these modes by pressing and holding the OK button and using the up and down arrow buttons. The Chickcozy Automatic Solar Coop Door does come with a nicely illustrated manual book that explains how to navigate and use each of these modes.
The Chickcozy door also comes with a delay function. You can delay when the door opens or when it closes by setting a timed delay. This can help prevent the door from opening or closing when unintended light reaches the light sensor. The door comes set to a default 5 minute delay for both opening and closing the door. You can then adjust the delay times between 3-99 minutes.
One of the previous automatic coop doors that I have used would open and close based on a set time, much like the Time Mode for the Chickcozy door. This mode can be useful, however, I found that with the seasonal change in daylight hours, I was constantly changing what times the door opened and closed.
That’s why I love that the Chickcozy door has a Light Sensing Mode. The light sensor on the solar control panel senses the intensity of light. You can then program the door to open at a certain light level and close at a certain light level. On the Chickcozy door, the light levels are on a range of 0-99, 0 being very low light and 99 being very bright light.
So, for example, I have my Chickcozy solar door programmed to close at 20 and open at 21. The open and close levels cannot be the same number.
I have the Chickcozy automatic door mounted on my Svart Hona breeding coop. Svart Honas tend to stay up late, but the light sensitivity on the solar Chickcozy door is perfect so that the door closes well after all the birds have gone in to roost. The light sensitivity on my other Chickcozy door seemed over sensitive, so I had to set a large closing delay time so that I could ensure all the birds went into the coop prior to the door closing.
For this solar door, the light sensitivity will be based on where the solar control panel is mounted. Since you already want the panel to get plenty of light for the solar charging, the light sensor should be pretty good at registering appropriate light levels. If the panel is located in a more shaded area, the light sensor may cause the door to close early or open later sense the sensor won’t be getting as much light.
The Chickcozy Automatic Solar Chicken Coop Door is both predator-proof and chicken-safe. When properly secured to the chicken coop, the coor cannot be pried off. Additionally, once the automatic doors are closed, they are not able to be manually pried apart. The doors automatically lock and the 3x enhanced motor torque makes the doors nearly impossible to pry apart.
However, the door is made out of sturdy plastic. So I suppose a large, very determined predator could break into the door. I have never had an issue with predators trying to pry open any of my automatic chicken coop doors. On the Chickcozy website, they state that their doors are made from Automotive Industry Standard Material, ensuring the doors are sturdy and resiliant.
The Chickcozy door is also chicken-safe. It comes naturally programmed with an anti-pinch function that prevents birds from being trapped between the doors. As the doors are closing, if they feel resistance, they will stop and re-open. The door will then try to re-close 4 more times. If the obstruction is gone, the door will fully close.
The only problem I have had with the anti-pinch function is when dirt, poop, or debris gets stuck in the track of the doors. If the debris hardens or become compact, the doors will feel resistance when they start to close, which will then make the door stay open. However, the Chickcozy Automatic Solar Chicken Coop Door does not have a track for the doors! Instead the doors slide along a panel, which eliminates the potential issue of the door not closing due to debris.
While not mandatory, proper cleaning will help extend the life of your Chickcozy automatic door and will prevent malfunctions. Since the automatic door is attached to the chicken coop, it will get dusty, collect debris, and get stained. You can wipe down the automatic door with a damp cloth using warm water or a warm water vinegar mixture. You can also use a gentle scrub brush to scrub away any hardened debris or stains.
The Chickcozy solar door is fully waterproof and weatherproof. Not only does that make it easy to clean, but it also ensures that the door will work no matter what environmental elements it is exposed to.
The Chickcozy Automatic Solar Chicken Coop Door is on the higher end of automatic coop door pricing, coming in at $169 if purchased from the Chickcozy website. However, for the quality and functionality of the door, the price seems appropriate. I have tried a cheaper automatic door before and the door barely lasted a year before the motor went out. The company would not replace or refund me for the door. Instead they just offered me a discount on a new door.
However, I have not had any problems with the two Chickcozy doors that I now use. One of them is going on 2 years of use with no maintenance. Additionally, the Chickcozy support team is extremely communicative and helpful. The automatic door manual also has a troubleshooting guide to address simple issues like:
Whether you are looking to invest in an automatic chicken coop door for the first time or are needing to replace a current automatic door, the Chickcozy Automatic Solar Chicken Coop Door is the perfect fit for the homestead coop. It is super easy to install, doesn’t require any batteries, and can easily be programmed to open at dawn and close at dusk. The programming functions allow you to adjust these times to meet the specific habits of your flock, all while keeping them safe and secure at night. The functionality, reliability, and usefulness of the Chickcozy door has made it well worth the investment on my homestead!
Don’t forget to check out the resources in the Trading Post that can provide valuable information for raising a self-sufficient homestead flock!
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