Call Back Pen Automatic Door

[MNRandy]

I am looking for some sort of automatic door for my recall pen.  Does anyone know of such a product on the market.  I do not like having to close my predator door each night and open again in the morning.

Please contact me if you have any suggestions or suppliers that might carry something like this.

Regards,
MNRandy
randy@telamcoinc.com[/b]

[gunner]

Don't know of anyone currently selling such an opener commercially.
There would certainly be a market for such with all the callback pens and Johnny houses out there. Plus all the pigeon and poultry folk.

I've seen setups using the old fashioned windup alarm clock, still available, thats key was replaced with a wooden pulley spool. The bell was removed, and when the alarm was set at a certain time (1 hr. after dusk) the key would lower the line on the spool which was attached to a gueiteen(sp?) door which lowered down over the comeback funnel.

[MNRandy]

So I then have to wind the clock and set the door open each day or when I release birds?  Clever but I am hoping there is somethign else.  Thought of the guillotine idea with a liguid tipping device.  The liquid opens the door and then tips back and closes it later.

Too much thought...

MNRandy

[pocketsierra]

May not solve your problem but you can try searching the internet for solar powered vent openers. I have them in my greenhouse. These will warm up and open with a certain amount of sunlight. It may at least give you some ideas.  

It is entirely possible that there exists a product that will do what you describe. The trouble will be knowing the right keywords to find it with.

Certainly you can rig something up with some mechanical and electrical knowledge. BUt it would help to find something close first.

[MNRandy]

Thanks for the tip.  If I dont find what I need I will definately invent an item and sell it to cover my engineering cost.

thanks again.
MNRandy

[proline]

I am planning to build a recall pen this year, but I have already designed and assembled an automatic door latch.  Nothing complicated, really.  I used one of the solar-powered yard lights for the power source and trigger.  When it is dusk, a motor is started that turns a screw to draw back the latch.  This will let the guillotine-style door fall.  I also added a limit switch so that once the latch has been drawn back to a certain point, the motor shuts off and battery power is saved.

All of the parts were either given to me or just things I had laying around.

Now, I need to get to work on constructing the pen and figure out how to best go about stocking it.  Should I buy eggs, chicks, or young adults?  What kind of equipment do I need to handle the eggs or chicks?  I just found this site this evening, and I haven't made my way through all of it yet, but I'm hoping to find the answers to these questions here.

..... Mark

[MNRandy]

Hello Sir...

I understand and like your idea for the recall pen door.  I want that door to OPEN at dawn and close at DUSK...

I am not in the field every day or I dont use the same fields every day.  I know they all wont make it back in at one time so if the door is closed one night it is closed until I go back out.  That is my problem I dont want to go out daily.

Save yourself head aches and time, unless all you have is time and money!!!  BUY ADULT OR YOUNG BIRDS...

You can buy 25 - 30 NICE quail for less than $75.00...they should last you quite some time if your not shooting them all.  If you do a call back pen they will get stronger each day/week.

Good luck!!!
MNRandy

[proline]

Sorry, I missed that you wanted it to open the door, too.  Still, you could use the solar light as your power source and trigger.  Sounds like you would really need two setups, since I presume your birds would recall through a funnel and wouldn't be able to get out that way.  You would also have to keep one of the birds in it's own cage inside the pen to be sure that you still had a bird left to call the other birds back.  I'm sure it could be done without too much trouble, though.

Thanks for the advice on getting young or adult birds.  I was leaning that way because it looks like it's a pain to get setup with the equipment necessary to incubate eggs and/or brood chicks.

Have you ever tried releasing quail with a 2' - 3' length of blaze orange surveyor's tape on them, then just going around and catching them after one or two flushes rather than bothering with a recall setup?  Would that work?

Take care ..... Mark

[MNRandy]

Yes it might work the first few times...

However I believe the longer you have them the stronger and jumpier they will get.

They may just fly away or fly too far.  Great idea I might try it myself, you might be able to catch them with a long net?

Too funny when you think about it.  I know Rick Smith will tie a 3' sectoin of rubber garden hose to a piegen and that works just fine.

Take care and happy training.

MNRandy